Must-win case for Tars

Patrick Laverty

It’s an old cliche, but for both Newport Harbor High and Laguna

Hills, it once again rings true.

The playoffs start now.

Two schools, once considered favorites to knock off defending Sea

View League champion Foothill, are fighting for their playoff lives

and need of a victory this week when they meet at 7 p.m. Friday at

Mission Viejo High.

After starting the season with five straight victories, both teams

have lost three straight league games and are tied for last place at

5-3 overall and 0-3 in league.

But because of their strong play during the nonleague schedule,

the Sailors and the Hawks still have a chance to make the CIF

Southern Section Division VI playoffs via an at-large berth. But

there is only one of those available in the division and the loser of

this contest will likely be eliminated from playoff contention.

“Absolutely,” Sailors Coach Jeff Brinkley said. “I told the kids,

‘This starts the playoffs for us.’ This is the start of the

playoffs.”

Newport goes into the “playoffs” with some momentum despite the

three-game losing streak. The Sailors have played well in each of

their three losses, but have not been able to catch any breaks.

They’ve lost the three games by a combined 13 points and in each game

the decisive points were scored in the fourth quarter.

“Hopefully, this is the week where we hit on all cylinders,”

Brinkley said. “I think we’re ready to break loose with a big game,

one where the offense, defense and special teams all play well.”

Laguna Hills had been carried by its defense through five

nonleague games, which never gave up more than 10 points in any of

those five victories and allowed just 35 points in the five games

combined. But since Sea View League play began, the Hawks have

allowed 33 points per game. They were destroyed by Foothill, 47-6,

which needed a two late, fourth-quarter scores to beat Harbor, 31-24.

Laguna Hills was also blanked by Irvine, 17-0. Last week, Irvine

squeaked out a 22-20 victory over the Sailors.

“[The Hawks have] had a lot of injuries,” Brinkley said. “They

lost two or three linemen early in the season. They lost a wide

receiver. They’ve had a lot of strange things happen.”

The losses along the offensive line have limited a rushing game,

Brinkley said, that averages 94 yards. Siaosi Makakaufaki leads the

team with 527 yards rushing and five touchdowns. But senior

quarteback Chris Lamkin has proved effective (90 of 160 passing for

1,123 yards with 10 interceptions and nine touchdowns). His favorite

target is 6-foot-6, 250-pound tight end Justin Walsh, who has three

touchdowns among his 22 catches.

The Sailors have also battled injuries, including the loss of

junior quarterback Kasey Peters to a broken collarbone two weeks ago.

Tom Jackson became the first sophomore to start under center since

Brinkley took over the Newport Harbor program 18 years ago and completed 12 of 26 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns.

More importantly, Jackson led an offense that did not commit a

turnover. On the other side of the ball, Newport Harbor came up with

two interceptions against Irvine, a feat they’ll look to repeat this

week.

“We need turnovers,” Brinkley said. “We had a really good turnover

ratio early in the season. We’re still very much on the positive

side, but we need another game like the last one where we didn’t turn

the ball over and we created some turnovers.”

Senior cornerback Brian Campos enters the game with interceptions

in consecutive contests.

Helping hold on to the ball will be senior tailback Matt Encinias,

who carried a career-high 35 times last week. For the season,

Encinias has rushed for 1,077 yards on 196 carries.

But he’ll be running behind an offensive line that is still

missing left guard Eric Curtis, who is out with a sprained ankle.

Mark Temple is expected to start in his place for the second straight

game.

Another injury concern for the Sailors is junior free safety Alex

Orth, who is questionable because of a back injury. If he is unable

to play, sophomore James Coder will start in his place.