Secret Coder shines for Sailors

Rick Devereux

At this rate the Newport Harbor High football team will challenge for

the Sunset League title.

Coming off last week’s season-opening victory against Sunset

League’s Fountain Valley, Coach Jeff Brinkley’s Sailors defeated

another Sunset squad, Marina, 35-0, Friday in a nonleague game.

With Newport-Mesa Player of the Year Spencer Link sidelined with a

shoulder injury, the wide receiving duties have been split between

several players. In last week’s win, Alex Orth burdened most of the

load with eight catches for 85 yards and one touchdown.

This week it was James Coder’s turn to shine. The 6-foot junior

caught six passes for 88 yards and three touchdowns.

“We’ve got receivers that can catch the ball,” Brinkley said.

“First it was Orth, now Coder steps up.”

In an attempt to keep the Marina (0-2) off-balance, Newport Harbor

(2-0) alternated between run and pass, with quarterback Kasey Peters

completing four out his first five attempts.

“We scripted the first 10 plays to see how [Marina would] adjust,”

Brinkley said. “We take what the defense gives us, but we made an

effort to stay balanced tonight.”

The equilibrium of the attack led to Newport’s touchdown in the

first quarter..

Fullback Trevor Theriot bruised the defense for 11 rushing yards and sophomore tailback Jasen Ruiz made the Vikings miss on a 5-yard

run. Creeping up for the run, the defense was caught in a one-on-one

with the wide receivers when Peters threw a 10-yard out route to

Coder, who caught the ball at 5, made the cornerback think he was

going out of bounds, then went upfield for the 17-yard touchdown.

“We tell our kids to run north-south, not east-west,” Brinkley

said of the sweet juke move.

The Sailor running attack softened the defense again in the second

quarter. Theriot burst for a 61-yard run up the right side,

stiff-arming defenders to clear a path, until he was tripped from

behind at the 19. Four plays later, Peters hit Coder on another out

route for a score.

On their next drive, the Tars again alternated between run and

pass. Tight end Billy Brown made a nice grab and then ran over two

would-be tacklers for a 22-yard gain to bring the ball to the Marina

25-yard line. When the Vikings crept up to blitz on third-and-eight,

Peters found Coder wide open over the middle for a 23-yard score that

put the game at 21-0 at the half.

“I always try to play hard,” Coder said. “Coach is always telling

us that we all need to step up, it’s not just one guy that needs to

make the plays.”

The defense was a huge factor in the win, holding Marina to 79

rushing yards and just 22 passing yards in the game. Blitzes by

linebackers Brown, Theriot and Greg Miner stuffed the run and caused

hurried throws by the quarterback.

“We would send some guys depending on the situation,” Brinkley

said. “We would man-up and bring some heat on their QB.”

The defensive line did more than just hold its own against a

decidedly bigger offensive front; it created havoc.

Ends Saami Khalifian and Sean Rowe, 5-11, 201, and 5-11, 208,

respectively were matched up against tackle David Lawson (6-3, 305)

and guard Adam Batchelier (5-10, 240). Khalifian and Rowe were

constantly in the quarterback’s face, harassing nearly every pass

attempt. Defensive tackles Ryan Uhl and Kaiona Kalama-Dutro were also

very active, with Kalama-Dutro getting the lone sack of the game.

“In high school football, you can be undersized if you have

athleticism and speed,” Brinkley said.

Brinkley switched the offense around in the second half, moving

Theriot to tailback with Jack Tracy as the blocking back. That

combination led to two more touchdowns for Newport.

With Tracy clearing the way, Theriot gained 74 of his 153 yards in

the second half. The 6-1, 225-pound Theriot took a sweep to the right

for 26 yards on the Sailors’ first play of the third quarter, and

followed with a 22-yard sweep to the left. The senior was using stiff

arms to push defenders out of his, and when they were in front of

him, he simply plowed the Vikings over. Theriot carried the ball six

times in the nine-play, 77-yard drive, gaining 61 yards, including

the 6-yard touchdown.

On Newport’s final drive of the game, backup quarterback Tom

Jackson flipped a 9-yard touchdown pass to Tracy on a naked bootleg.

“I was impressed with the way Tracy played,” Brinkley said. “He

blocked well for Theriot. If we can put [Theriot] at tailback every

once in a while, that takes some of the pressure off of our sophomore

(Ruiz).”

Ruiz gained 38 rushing yards on 12 carries to help Newport have a

234-79 advantage in rushing yards.

“We’d like to have more of a running attack,” Brinkley said. “That

opens up our passing game.”