Tars learn from the best

Patrick Laverty

Newport Harbor senior tailback Matt Encinias said it clearly prior to

the Sailors’ first-round game Friday against top-seeded Los Altos.

“If you want to be the best, you have to play the best,” Encinias

told his teammates.

The Sailors just may have lost to the best team in the CIF

Southern Section Division VI playoffs Friday, falling to the

Conquerors, 28-0. While it ended a run for a collection of seniors,

including Encinias, it showed all of the players who will return next

year exactly what it will take to be the best.

“[Los Altos] can compete in any division,” Newport Harbor Coach

Jeff Brinkley said.

In hopes of competing with the Conquerors next season, Newport

Harbor, which finished the season 7-4, will quickly get to work. Job

No. 1 will be replacing the majority of the offensive and defensive

lines.

All of Newport Harbor’s offensive line will be graduating with the

exception of guard Stephen Joslin and the Sailors will lose defensive

tackles Austin Nieto and Mark Temple.

“We’ve got to develop some linemen,” Brinkley said.

But Newport Harbor will return a pair of talented quarterbacks,

Kasey Peters, a junior, and sophomore Tom Jackson. Its best receiver,

Spencer Link, as well as standout linebackers Thomas Martin, Trevor

Theriot, Greg Miner and Taylor Young, were all juniors this season.

“We’re going to have some experience coming back,” Brinkley said.

“We’ll have the majority of our defense returning and it all starts

with being able to play defense.”

The returners learned a thing or two about Sea View League play

after going 5-0 in their preleague schedule. Newport Harbor lost

three league games by a combined 13 points and those 13 points meant

the difference between a first-round meeting with Los Altos and

playing a third-place team from another league.

“I think through the league season one of any number of plays

could have turned the league season around,” Brinkley said. “If we

turn that around, we’re in a different position in the playoffs.”

The Sailors will ready themselves for league play next season with

a slightly different schedule. Trabuco Hills and Paramount will not

be on the schedule next season and Brinkley said the Sailors are

still looking for opponents in Week 1 and Week 5. One possibility

would be a trip to Hawaii for the season opener. Brinkley said

playing in paradise is on the backburner right now, though it remains

an outside possibility.