Prep football: Tars host Dons

NEWPORT BEACH - The Newport Harbor High football team’s mission to

defeat visiting Cerritos in tonight’s 7 o’clock CIF Southern Section

Division VI quarterfinal may require some thinking outside the box.

Cerritos (9-1) employs a defense that brings both safeties up near the

line of scrimmage, creating nine men in the “box” area typically occupied

by linemen and linebackers.

“They go cover zero, with no free safety,” Newport Coach Jeff Brinkley

said of Cerritos Coach Kurt Bruich’s scheme, which has been brutally

effective.

“We haven’t had any back rush for 100 yards against us this year,”

said Bruich, who adopted the system to counter a lack of sophistication

by his players when he took over the program four years ago.

“When I first got to Cerritos, the kids didn’t understand football

that well,” Bruich recalled. “So, we just decided to bring everyone on

defense and take our chances. We do give up some big plays, but for every

one of those, we’re going to have a tackle for a loss.”

The unique version of Buddy Ryan’s 46, made famous by the 1985 NFL

champion Chicago Bears, will provide a challenge to Brinkley, who

coordinates the Sailors’ offense.

The No. 3-seeded Tars (9-1-1) have also made plenty of big defensive

plays of their own, en route to a plus-24 turnover ratio.

-- by Barry Faulkner