Sea Kings win ugly over Uni

Barry Faulkner

In linier terms, the Corona del Mar High football team moved one win

closer to wrapping up third place and the Pacific Coast League’s

final guaranteed berth into the CIF Southern Section Division IX

playoffs Thursday night.

But whether the Sea Kings’ 42-14 league win over visiting

University at Newport Harbor High elevated their brand of play to

that of a team worth of postseason promise was another matter.

“It was ugly and we did our best to give it to them,” said CdM

Coach Dick Feeman, whose squad started slowly and was plagued by

penalties throughout. “But we played well when we had to and a win is

a win.”

The Sea Kings, ranked No. 10 in Division IX, improved to 5-4, 2-2

in league and snapped a two-game league losing streak sustained at

the hands of co-favorites Northwood and Tesoro.

Thursday’s loss eliminated University (1-6-2, 0-2-2) from playoff

consideration.

Yet, it was the Trojans who appeared eager to sieze control early

against the Sea Kings. Coach Mark Cunningham’s visitors saw their

first possession extended by a roughing the punter penalty on CdM and

cashed in with a 69-yard scoring pass from Steve Crooks to Remington

Johnson with 5:02 left in the first quarter.

The Sea Kings, whose first two possessions produced just nine

plays and 24 yards, seemed to take the horn ending the first quarter

as their cue to start producing.

The Sea Kings collected just 41 first-quarter yards, to the

Trojans’ 73, but Uni was quickly buried under an offensive barrage

that produced 21 points in a little more than seven minutes.

Junior tight end Avery Fenton capped a 10-play, 80-yard CdM drive

to erase the lead. Fenton, who had just one catch in the first eight

games, got behind the University secondary and caught a 19-yard toss

from Tom Welch, while back-peddling into the end zone on the seventh

play of the second quarter.

Andrew Hummel added the first of his six conversion kicks and the

Sea Kings never trailed again.

Willing to match its offense’s sudden surge, the CdM defense went

to work on its own, after a University receiver slipped while

fielding the ensuing kickoff, downing the ball at his own 3-yard

line.

CdM, which sacked Crooks six times for minus-31 yards and allowed

just 41 yards on the ground, held the Trojans to a three-and-out.

The 22-yard punt set the hosts up just 32 yards from paydirt and

they needed only five plays to cash in.

Brett Crowley went 13 yards on a toss play to the Uni 13 and Welch

fooled the defense on a keeper, after faking the dive inside, to find

the end zone with 5:18 left in the half.

Welch broke on a corner route and intercepted two plays after the

ensuing kickoff and CdM went 42 yards on seven plays to take a

commanding lead.

Austin Brawner dived over the goal line for a 1-yard touchdown run

with 2:25 left before intermission, but University reacted like an

unwilling blowout victim.

The visitors went 81 yards on eight plays, with Crooks rolling

right and finding Andres Almada, who made a diving catch in the end

zone for the 11-yard capper with 31 ticks remaining.

Crooks’ two-point run drew the Trojans within 21-14 and they

garnered further momentum when Johnson intercepted at his own 3 to

thwart a dangerous CdM procession with time winding down before

halftime.

A penalty on the second-half kickoff return backed Uni up to its

own 8 and CdM linebacker Shaun Mohler nailed Crooks on a sack to pin

the Trojans at the 1. A punt two plays later set CdM up at the

University 29 and Welch hit twin brother Kevin Welch on a 17-yard

post to cap the ensuing seven-play drive and create a 28-14 cushion.

CdM’s defense, for which senior end Taylor Meehan was involved in

three sacks and senior tackle Taylor Storm was in on two, kept

forcing University to punt and the Sea Kings added two fourth-quarter

touchdowns to match their season scoring high originally accomplished

in a Week 6 league win over Calvary Chapel.

End Matt Burgner and tackle Carlos Corrales were in on another

sack for the Sea Kings, who need only win at Laguna Beach Nov. 12 to

advance to the postseason.

Tom Welch completed 9 of 16 for 171 yards and three touchdowns and

also carried eight times for 50 yards and one TD.

Presson led an effective ground game with 118 yards and one TD on

16 carries, moving within just 17 yards of the 1,000-yard plateau for

the season.

Kevin Welch had four catches for 71 yards, which Sean Collins, who

hauled in a 46-yard scoring toss from Tom Welch that finalized the

scoring, averaged nearly 30 yards on his two receptions.

Crooks, averaging nearly 200 yards through the air this season,

wound up with 151 passing yards, completing 11 of 25.