Running on all cylinders

Rick Devereux

Wess Presson has been running through defenses like the Colorado

River through the Grand Canyon: leaving people gasping for air at the

power and force.

The senior running back leads Orange County with 525 rushing yards

this season for Corona del Mar High (3-0). But, today, against

Newport Beach (2-0), any running yards will be hard to come by.

“If you’re planning to just run the ball, it can get ugly,” Coach

Dick Freeman said. “They run a seven-man front. We need to pass

against Newport at some point. It will be a tough chore just pounding

them.”

That’s not to say the Sea Kings will abandon the run. Far from it.

“I think the offensive line is one of the more cohesive units

we’ve got,” Freeman said. “When you’re running for this many yards,

you know the guys up front are working hard. We’ve got some backs

that can rush regardless, but our offensive line has been really

pounding some guys.”

When Corona does go to the air, quarterback Tom Welch has been

able to throw to All-Pacific Coast League receiver Kevin Welch, his

twin brother. The two have connected seven times for 169 yards and

two touchdowns despite Kevin not playing in the first game due to an

injured groin.

“When you’re successful at doing something, you should keep doing

it,” Freeman said. “We have been successful at running the ball, the

defense starts to creep up, which leaves less double coverage on our

outside guys.”

The run-first, pass-second philosophy has resulted in touchdown

passes of 29, 37 and 95 yards.

Defensively, CdM will face a balanced offensive attack from

Newport Harbor. The Sailors have gained 665 yards in two games, with

the rushing attack only gaining 37 more yards than the passing game.

“We need to put a pass rush on,” Brinkley said. “We don’t want to

leave their quarterback standing alone back there. We need to put

somebody in front of him.”

The Sea Kings will be without the services of starting end Carlos

Corrales, who suffered a leg injury on the final play of last week’s,

44-28, win over Troy. Senior Taylor Meehan, who usually plays

linebacker, will take his place.

“Taylor is pretty strong and has real good quickness,” Freeman

said.

After looking at film of Troy’s special teams, Corona del Mar

predicted it would be able to block a punt and did, but Freeman said

Newport Harbor is solid in every facet of the game.

“[The blocked punt] ended up not being as easy as we thought it

would be,” Freeman said. “It’s hard to tell what to expect for [the

Newport Harbor] game.”