CdM corrals Newport Harbor

Bryce Alderton

Thursday’s annual Battle of the Bay turned encouraging for the

visiting Corona del Mar High freshmen football team with Chais

Pinesett’s 62-yard return on the opening kickoff against Newport

Harbor.

Many more positive signs soon followed for the Sea Kings, who

earned a convincing 24-8 victory after five straight years of Newport

triumphs.

“That was fun,” CdM Coach Gary Almquist said. “Our defense stuffed

them.”

The Sea Kings (3-1) held the Sailors (2-3) to 63 total yards in

the first half while amassing 219 of their own in tallying all their

24 points before halftime.

Tailback Austin Raiger rushed for 109 yards on 19 carries with two

touchdowns, running through holes plowed by linemen Michael Kidushim,

Shian Jalili, Max Prescott, James McKenna and Stephen Deverian. CdM

quarterback Spencer Brown completed 4 of 7 passes for 75 yards and

two TDs, one rushing and another passing.

“The offensive line did a great job, we just kept running it and

running it,” fullback and linebacker Erik Rask said. “Our defensive

line played good again, too. The [defensive backs] stepped in to fill

holes and allowed no big plays.”

The Sea Kings, though, created their own big plays when Brown hit

Morgan Brombal in stride down the sideline for a 50-yard TD with 33

seconds left in the first half, giving the visitors a 24-8 cushion it

maintained.

“Beating Harbor on their field is awesome,” Rask said. “No one

expected us to win.”

The Sea Kings ran just eight offensive plays in the second half,

punting on both of their possessions, while Newport ate 15:25 of the

half’s 20 minutes in its catch-up bid.

Sailor quarterback Jesse Soto, who finished 12 for 21 with no

interceptions and 75 yards, completed 10 passes for 65 yards in the

second half.

Newport drove inside the CdM 20-yard line on two of its three

second-half possessions, but came away empty all three times on

fourth down. The Sailors got as close as the CdM 15 midway through

the fourth quarter, but Jalili and Nick Mohler each tallied tackles

for 3-yard losses while Pinesett added a 9-yard sack on fourth down

to stifle the Sailors.

“[The Sea Kings] played physical, so it’s no surprise they

manhandled us on the defensive front,” Newport Coach Joe Urban said.

“They beat us on both sides of the ball.”

Pinesett’s 62-yard opening kickoff return to the Tars’ 13

yard-line also added to Urban’s worry.

“To give up a big play like that is a blow to your plan,” Urban

said. “But there was still a lot of football left to be played.”

CdM responded to Pinesett’s return with a four-play, 8-yard drive

-- Newport was penalized five yards for jumping offsides -- capped by

Brown’s 1-yard quarterback sneak into the end zone for a 6-0 lead.

After a Newport punt, the Sea Kings went 86 yards in 12 plays as

Raiger upped the lead to 12-0 with a 1-yard TD plunge with 39 seconds

left in the first quarter.

The drive also proved detrimental for the Sailors when their

primary tailback Brandon Davis left the game after injuring his

shoulder while making a tackle, Urban said. Davis carried four times

for 24 yards before leaving the game.

Woody Yokoyama, the Sailors’ primary fullback, took Davis’ spot on

offense and finished with 57 yards on 12 rushes with one TD.

Yokoyama capitalized on one of the few holes the Sea Kings

provided on defense when he burst through the middle for a 24-yard TD

run, capping a four-play, 34-yard drive that cut CdM’s lead to 12-8

with 6:29 left in the first half.

The Sea Kings answered with a 12-play, 66-yard drive, which

featured two third-down conversions, to go up, 18-8, when Raiger

pounded his way into the end zone for a 1-yard TD with 1:27 left in

the first half.

The Sailors went four-and-out on their ensuing possession and CdM

took control at the 50 with 43 seconds remaining.

Enter Brown and Brombal, who connected for the aforementioned

50-yard TD pass.

Urban said the Sailors wanted to establish the run in the second

half and not panic.

“All you can say to them is play hard,” Urban said. “There is no

play to score 16 points.”

Garrett Heiser led the Sailors with 33 yards on six catches while

teammates Dusty Campbell (two catches for 15 yards) and Rob Joslen

(one catch for 11 yards) added to the offense. Newport’s Ben Frazier

rushed nine times for 23 yards.

Brombal caught three passes for 78 yards while Tyler Harmon

carried five times for 18 yards and also completed one pass for 11

yards.