Two-minute drill

* Newport Harbor’s 28-10 nonleague victory over Paramount Friday

night was No. 150 for Coach Jeff Brinkley, now in his 18th season at

the school. Brinkley is now 150-59-2 at Harbor, a .716 winning

percentage. Including a previous stint at Norwalk High, Brinkley is

177-108-6 as a prep head coach.

* Though the completion resulted in a 4-yard loss, Matt Encinias’

ability to wrestle the ball away from a Paramount defender on a

screen pass late in the second quarter, allowed junior quarterback

Kasey Peters to extend his season-long streak of not throwing an

interception to five games and 84 passes. Including his sophomore

season, Peters has no interceptions in 95 varsity attempts.

* With two more touchdowns on just four receptions, junior

receiver Spencer Link now has turned nine of his 21 catches into

touchdowns this fall, a near-43% ratio.

* The win at Paramount made Newport Harbor 5-0 for the 12th time

in the program’s 73-season history, the seventh such start under

Brinkley. Ironically, of the first 11 times the Tars started 5-0,

they lost eight times in Week 6, an ominous note heading into

Friday’s Sea View League-opening showdown with defending champion

Foothill.

* In addition to former Sailor standouts Derek Fox, Ryan Spruth

and Matt Riggle, Chris Manderino, the sophomore starting fullback at

Cal, made the almost 60-mile round trip to Paramount Friday.

Manderino and the Golden Bears enjoyed a bye week, before visiting

UCLA, with former Sailor Robert Chai (now starting at center for the

Bruins as a redshirt freshman), Saturday at the Rose Bowl.

Manderino did not enjoy the Paramount band’s version of

“Conquest,” a rallying theme for USC, which Manderino and the Bears

upset, 34-31, in a triple-overtime thriller Sept. 27 in Berkeley. He

gave the halftime musical performance an emphatic thumbs down.

* Estancia High’s football team was dealt a huge loss when Geo

Macias was injured at the end of his kickoff return in the first

half. Eagles Coach Craig Fertig referred to Macias as, “one of my

best players.” Macias handles punting, field-goal kicking and kickoff

duties, and he also plays offense and defense.

* The Eagles weren’t the only ones dealing with injury. The Lions

had four injured players, including starting quarterback Steven Betz,

who suffered a separated right shoulder when he was sacked early in

the first quarter.

“I have never been in a game with that many injuries,” Westminster

Coach Ted McMillen said.

* McMillen came away impressed with Estancia. He said the Eagles

kept coming hard at the Lions, regardless of the score.

So, is Estancia a different team than last year?

“Oh yeah, definitely,” McMillen said. “They have good coaching.

The kids believe. They are going in the right direction.”

* Leading, 12-0, near the end of the first quarter in Friday’s

53-19 win over visiting Ocean View High, it appeared Costa Mesa got a

bit ahead of itself.

The scoreboard and the down marker both suggested it was

third-and-19 at Costa Mesa’s 23-yard line, but the Mustangs punted.

The call caused a few murmurs in the stands.

Mustangs Coach Dave Perkins clarified after the game that there

had been a dead-ball penalty after the previous play, making it

fourth down.

* The 53 points were the most Mesa has piled up in 23 games,

dating to Sept. 28, 2001. The Mustangs scored 53 points that night

against Ocean View.

* The Seahawks were playing with heavy hearts Friday because Coach

Harold Eggers was admitted to Long Beach Memorial Hospital earlier in

the day. Ocean View coaches were wary of releasing details, but said

doctors were running tests on Eggers’ heart. Defensive coordinator

Vern Vander Sluis took the head coaching reins.

* Corona del Mar has had a 1,000-yard rusher every year since

1994, but if the first half of the year is any indication, that

streak could be in jeopardy.

Austin Brawner leads the Sea Kings through five games with 255

yards. Wess Presson has added 251 yards and sophomore Brett Crowley

has rushed for 150 yards.

All three running backs are expected to continue to share carries.

GAMEBUSTERS

*--*

High school plays of 30 yards or more

* 60 -- Evan Hunter (Costa Mesa) touchdown run.

* 57 -- Mike Cahill (Estancia) touchdown run.

* 54 -- Spencer Link (Newport Harbor) kickoff return.

* 45 -- Omar Ruiz (Costa Mesa) touchdown run.

* 41 -- Qualic Vargas (Costa Mesa) touchdown run.

* 39 -- Matt Encinias (Newport Harbor) punt return.

* 38 -- Omar Ruiz (Costa Mesa) run.

* 35 -- Cullen Crom (Estancia) punt return for a touchdown.

*--*

GAMESTOPPERS

Last week’s big defensive plays

* NEWPORT HARBOR -- End Saami Khalifian slashes in to record sacks

of 6 and 9 yards on the first two series ... Outside linebacker

Trevor Theriot penetrates to make first hit on a running play for no

gain, on which linebacker Taylor Young collects an assist ... Tackle

Austin Nieto and Khalifian lead the charge to nail a ball carrier for

a 2-yard loss ... Tackle Mark Temple stuffs a run for a 2-yard loss

... Safety Alex Orth fills quickly to stop a runner for no gain ...

End Sean Rowe recovers a fumble by the quarterback ... Middle ‘backer

Thomas Martin lifts a back off the ground with a perfect form tackle

... Temple produces a 2-yard loss on a running play ... Nieto and

Khalifian combine for a 5-yard sack ... Theriot nails QB for a 5-yard

sack ... Young, Nieto and Peter Hoyt converge to make stop for a

1-yard loss.

* COSTA MESA -- Junior outside linebacker Jeff Waldron sacks the

quarterback twice for 18 yards and blocks a punt in the end zone that

is recovered by sophomore Tony Krikorian for a touchdown ... Senior

end Eric Reyes tallies two sacks totaling 11 yards ... Reyes strips

the ball from a ball carrier and Vargas recovers during the fourth

quarter to set up a field goal on the ensuing drive ... Reyes drops

the running back for a 3-yard loss ... Senior defensive end Marc

Daniels pressures the quarterback relentlessly ... Waldron and senior

linebacker Brett Via team to drop the running back for a 5-yard loss.

* ESTANCIA -- Senior end Chad Sherrell sacks the quarterback for

a 9-yard loss ... Senior cornerback Jason Johnston makes a

touchdown-saving tackle after a running back breaks free for 64 yards

on a screen pass ... Sophomore cornerback Eazy Villavazo recovers a

fumble at Westminster’s 31-yard line ... Sherrell applies pressure on

a punt and, with the help of a bad snap, causes a kick of 7 yards,

which teammate Cullen Crom catches and runs 35 yards for a touchdown

... Senior inside ‘backer Mike Softa tackles the running back for no

gain ... Junior end Ian Morton takes down the running back for a

2-yard loss ... Senior end Landon Pulizzi and senior linebacker Bubba

Kapko team up to tackle a ballcarrier for a 1-yard loss on a fourth-and-one play.

* CORONA DEL MAR -- Sophomore defensive lineman Jeff Loveland

throws the running back for a loss ... Junior cornerback Kevin Welch

stretches out to knock away a pass ... Junior cornerback Wes Presson

knocks down a pass in the end zone ... Welch makes a big hit on the

ball carrier at the 1-yard line ... Junior linebacker Tyler Lance,

assisted by junior safety Tom Welch, stop the running back for no

gain ... Sophomore linebacker Shaun Mohler throws the running back

for a loss ... Mohler and sophomore defensive end Matt Burgner

combine to halt the ball carrier for no gain ... Presson intercepts a

pass and returns it 25 yards.