Tars rally for victory

Barry Faulkner

The Newport Harbor High football team’s postseason hopes, already

wheezing after three straight losses, went Code Blue after Sea View

League host Laguna Hills passed its way to a 14-3 first-half lead

Friday night at Mission Viejo High.

So, Sailors Coach Jeff Brinkley took emergency measures at

halftime and the visitors responded for an 18-14 victory that put

them one step closer to a CIF Southern Section Division VI at-large

berth.

“Coach Brinkley gave us an inspirational speech at halftime,” said

Newport Harbor senior punter-cornerback Brian Campos, who provided

the Sailors (6-3, 1-3 in league) even more impetus by booming a

59-yard punt that pinned the Hawks (5-4, 0-4) at their own 13 early

in the third quarter.

After three plays lost 10 yards, a botched punt snap rolled out of

the end zone for a Newport Harbor safety, pulling the Tars within

14-5 with 7:56 left in the third quarter.

The visitors went 55 yards on eight plays with the ensuing free

kick, with Spencer Link fielding a 13-yard touchdown pass from Tom

Jackson with 4:08 left in the third. Campos’ conversion kick made it

14-12 Laguna Hills.

Laguna Hills, also facing playoff elimination with a loss, then

drove to the Sailors’ 10, before eventually missing a 28-yard

field-goal try. The hosts, however, recovered a Newport fumble two

plays later at the Sailors’ 7-yard line, needing a score to widen its

lead.

Instead, Newport’s defense, keyed by junior outside linebacker

Taylor Young who was in on three stops, including a fourth-and-goal

stuff along with end Peter Hoyt and fellow ‘backer Trevor Theriot,

helped keep the Sailors alive.

Taking over at its own 1 with 7:38 left, the Sailors went the

distance, on 12 plays, to snatch victory and vindicate Brinkley’s

halftime plea.

“He told us about all the players who have played at Newport in

the past and all the hard work and accomplishments they’d achieved,”

Young recalled of the halftime speech. “It was very motivational.”

Motivation, even mystique, seemed to come into play on the winning

drive, which was kick-started when Laguna Hills roughed Campos as he

tried to punt from his end zone, giving the Sailors a first down.

Jackson, a sophomore making his second start after junior Kasey

Peters went down for the season with a broken collarbone, then hit

Link on a sideline streak for 36 yards to the Hawks’ 42. Two plays

and two procedure penalties then brought up third-and-18, but Jackson

calmly flipped to Link at the Laguna Hills 38. Link sidestepped one

tackler, ran through another and pulled another beyond the first-down

marker to the 25 with around four minutes left.

A holding penalty forced more Jackson heroics, which he provided

by hitting fellow sophomore James Coder on a 22-yard post for a first

down at the 12.

Senior tailback Matt Encinias, who found tough going all night (20

carries for a season-low 51 yards, well below his average of 134 per

game) then bounced around the right side to the 3.

Jackson then rolled right on a bootleg and, well, here’s what he

saw.

“The booty was a designed pass,” Jackson said. “No one was open,

so I just turned on the jets and dove for the pylon.”

Jackson outraced a defender to the end zone for the lead, which

stayed at four points when a conversion pass came up short.

Newport’s defense then held, with Theriot snuffing a potential

hook and lateral play for a 1-yard gain on fourth-and-14, and Jackson

ran out the final 56 seconds from the Sailors’ victory formation.

“That second half was a great effort,” Brinkley said. “We made the

plays on offense, our defense really got going and Campos’ [59-yard]

punt was huge. This was a must win.”