Tars face early test

Rick Devereux

The start of the Sea View League football schedule for Newport Harbor

High looked daunting before the season began. That perception hasn’t

changed following a, 10-10, tie with Foothill, one of last year’s

league tri-champions.

Next up for the host Sailors (5-0-1, 0-0-1 in league) is Aliso

Niguel tonight at 7. The Wolverines (6-0, 1-0), another tri-champion,

come in averaging more than 33 points per game thanks to a

high-powered offense guided by senior quarterback Drew Westling.

Westling has completed close to 60 percent of his passes for close

to 1,580 yards with 14 touchdowns and only four interceptions.

“They have a real good quarterback and four or five guys that can

catch the ball,” Coach Jeff Brinkley said. “This is a big challenge

for us. We need to get on track early and hit the field running.”

In the Foothill tie, Newport looked passive to start the game to

take a 10-0 deficit into the half, but came out aggressive in the

third quarter to tie the game.

“I think we’re still going to have a game where we’re hitting on

all cylinders on offense running and throwing the ball,” Brinkley

said. “It’s going to be challenging for us. We need to stay balanced

against [Aliso Niguel’s] defense.”

Brinkley should have Newport well-prepared. He is 2-0 with the

Sailors following a tie, including a 28-0 victory against Marina in

2001.

Newport, which is ranked No. 3 in CIF Southern Section Division

VI, has held opponents to less than 12 points per game. The

Wolverines, No. 7 in Division IV, spread the field with four

receivers and utilize the shotgun on offense.

Last week, against Foothill, the Sailors switched from their

regular four defensive linemen, three linebackers and four defensive

backs to a four-two-five look against a spread offense. Brinkley said

Newport might run that defense this week against Aliso Niguel.

“We brought in a couple of extra DBs to keep [Foothill] guessing,”

Brinkley said. “We don’t want [Alison Niguel] to be able to hone in

on what we’re trying to do defensively, and the nickel [package] can

help.”

Offensively, the Sailors came out with a three-back set and split

backs against Foothill in order to put Trevor Theriot and Thomas

Martin in the backfield at the same time.

“We always try to come up with something advantageous each week,”

Brinkley said. “If we use [Theriot and Martin together on offense]

against Alison Niguel depends on what the defense gives us.”

The Wolverines use a three-four alignment and have first-team

all-league nose guard Terry Ko returning. It will be up to Newport’s

offensive line to continue its play from the second half against

Foothill, when Theriot was able to rush for 174 yards after the break

and 206 in the game.

“Our offensive line started to knock [Foothill] off the ball,”

Brinkley said. “We had a bib push up front that opened up lanes for

Theriot.”

Whichever team wins the game has an inside track to the league

championship and a top playoff spot.

“It’s obviously a big game for us,” Brinkley said. “If you want to

put yourself in a position to be league champ, you need to win them

all. It’s going to be a huge game for both teams.”