Tars believe Mission accomplished

Bryce Alderton

The Newport Harbor High football team’s defensive unit began Friday’s

preseason scrimmage at highly-touted Mission Viejo on its heels. But

by the end of the 1-hour, 45-minute practice session, the Sailors

proved they could hold their ground.

The Sailors, missing two of their linebackers due to health

problems, allowed an opening-drive touchdown to Mission Viejo, which

had won 41-straight games before losing last season’s CIF Southern

Section Division II title game. But the visitors tightened their grip

after that, giving up just two scores, both on short-yardage

situations in the controlled format.

The gritty defense, along with an offense that found the end zone

once, gave Newport Coach Jeff Brinkley some positives heading into

the team’s opener at 7 p.m. Thursday against Fountain Valley at

Huntington Beach High.

Newport senior quarterback Kasey Peters completed 9 of 20 passes,

including four of his first five, for 93 yards with one touchdown and

no interceptions. Peters’ 3-yard TD toss to junior tailback Ryan

Rippon accounted for the Sailors’ score.

Senior Alex Orth led the Tars’ receiving corps with four catches

for 43 yards while tight end Greg Miner tallied 31 yards on two

catches. Burly senior fullback Trevor Theriot caught three passes for

27 yards.

Senior wideout Spencer Link, last season’s Newport-Mesa Player of

the Year, was held out due to a sore shoulder.

Brinkley was impressed with Peters’ recognition.

“[Peters] started checking out when [the Diablos] were packed in

there,” Brinkley said. “He played well to get out of a few bad

plays.”

With Newport in its offensive set during the situational

third-and-eight portion of the scrimmage, Peters, ducked to avoid a

potential sack, took two steps and connected with Orth, running a

crossing pattern, for a 20-yard pickup.

Orth, playing safety, also dealt one of the more ferocious blows

of the scrimmage when he jarred the ball loose from a Mission Viejo

receiver cutting across the middle to cap the hosts’ initial 10-play

sequence.

Each team ran 50 plays on both offense and defense, which included

goal-line sequences and starts from the 20- and 10-yard lines. Each

team also had 16 plays devoted to kickoffs and punts.

Newport’s defense held the Diablos to 82 yards rushing on 21

carries while Mission Viejo senior quarterback Mark Sanchez, who

completed 75% of his passes last fall and is bound for USC, was 6 of

9 for 62 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.

Sophomore tailback Jasen Ruiz led the Tars with 34 yards on seven

carries.

James Coder saved a touchdown when he leaped in front of Mission

Viejo receiver Konrad Reuland to knock away a Sanchez pass near the

goal line.

Newport’s linebackers, considered by Brinkley to be one of the

team’s strengths entering the season, made their presence known with

Theriot, Miner and Rippon making several tackles, even though two

were playing slightly out of position. Rippon is normally a safety

while Theriot usually plays on the outside. Theriot had to move to

the middle with the absence of Taylor Young and Thomas Martin.

Young is still recovering from a broken ankle while Martin had

stomach problems, Newport defensive coordinator Tony Ciarelli said.

Despite their absences, Ciarelli believed Newport’s defense

improved following the Diablos’ 70-yard touchdown march on the

opening series.

“With a team like [Mission Viejo] or Fountain Valley, you can’t

let them get on top,” Ciarelli said. “You have to plant that seed of

doubt [with the opposing offense] that they could move the ball. That

comes from the first impact on the field.

“The kids realized this was a practice, going full-speed with [the

Diablos]. We kept them out of the end zone, for the most part, and

didn’t give up any long touchdowns, which is a plus. When at full

strength, we have a great defense.”

Brinkley said the Tars will need to work on moving quicker off the

ball, but felt that his team accomplished much in the scrimmage.

“We need to knock people backward,” Brinkley said. “[The Diablos]

ran inside for 8 or 9 yards, so I would like to get that stopped.

“[The scrimmage] gives us a lot of situations and looks we will

face on game night. It gives us something to work on and film to

evaluate to help us decide who to play where starting Thursday

night.”