Marquee trio tops Sailors’ All-Sea View honorees

The Newport Harbor High football team topped off its 12-1-1 campaign

with 16 players named All-Sea View League, including league Co-Most

Valuable Player Trevor Theriot, Offensive Player of the Year Kasey

Peters and Defensive Player of the Year Thomas Martin.

Additional first-team selections are Matt Erickson, Steve Joslin,

Saami Khalifian, Spencer Link, Greg Miner, Alex Orth and Sean Rowe.

Second-team picks are Efrain Castro, Tom Jackson, Kaiona

Kalama-Dutro, Charles Schultz, Chris Taylor and Taylor Young.

The teams were picked by league coaches.

Theriot, a senior running back and linebacker, was a dominating

player on both sides of the ball for the Sailors, who won the league

title with a 4-0-1 record. A second-team all-league selection last

year, Theriot finished the regular season with 1,083 rushing yards

and seven touchdowns. With the four CIF Southern Section Division VI

playoffs games, he amassed 1,328 rushing yards on 222 carries, a

6-yard average. The Daily Pilot Newport-Mesa Player of the Year also

tallied 27 tackles.

Theriot shares the MVP honor with Aliso Niguel senior quarterback

Drew Westling.

Peters, the Daily Pilot Newport-Mesa Offensive Player of the Year,

completed 156 of 274 pass attempts (57%) for 2,140 yards and 23 touchdowns. The senior quarterback threw for a career-high 321 yards

against Mayfair in the CIF Division VI semifinals.

The Sailors fell to Orange Lutheran, 35-6, in the championship

game at Angel Stadium.

Martin, a senior middle linebacker, let his experience help guide

the Tars to their best record in five years. The repeat first-team

all-leaguer led the Sailors with 97 tackles, including 68 solo stops.

Martin, the Daily Pilot Newport-Mesa Defensive Player of the Year,

was the catalyst on a defense that held opponents to 12.6 pints per

game and posted three shutouts.

Erickson, a senior cornerback, led the Sailors with six

interceptions. He returned an interception 42 yards for a touchdown

against Woodbridge in Week 10.

Joslin, a 6-foot-2, 270-pound senior, anchored the offensive line

from his left tackle position.

Khalifian (6-1, 212), a senior defensive end, led Newport with

nine sacks. He was tied for the team lead with an additional eight

tackles for loss.

Link, a first-team selection last year, led the Sailors with 677

receiving yards. The senior receiver was also dangerous as a punt

returner, as evidenced by his 63-yard return for a touchdown against

Corona del Mar. Link’s 48 receptions gave him 150 in his career, a

Newport Harbor record. He eclipsed Danny Pulido’s 143 receptions with

a touchdown catch against Mayfair.

Miner led the Newport linebackers with two sacks. His 68 tackles

were the third-most for the Sailors. The senior also led the team

with 18.8 yards per catch as the tight end. He finished with 25

receiving yards and one score on 14 catches.

Orth was a weapon from multiple positions. The senior was fourth

on the team with 62 tackles, second with three interceptions and

first with 13 total touchdowns, including a team-high 11 TD

receptions. He also blocked three kicks and returned 10 kickoffs.

Rowe (5-11, 208) finished with five sacks for Newport, including

one in the championship game against Orange Lutheran. The senior

defensive end also added eight other tackles for loss.

Castro (5-11, 215), Schultz (6-4,282) and Taylor (6-3, 201)

started at right guard, right tackle and center, respectively, along

the offensive line for the Tars. The Sailors racked up 4,876 yards of

offense on 2,176 passing yards and a league-high 2,700 rushing yards.

Jackson, a junior safety, was fifth on the team with 54 tackles.

He caused and recovered three fumbles for Coach Jeff Brinkley’s

Sailors.

Kalama-Dutro (6-0, 220) was a menace to opposing offenses. The

senior defensive tackle was sixth on the team with 51 tackles despite

getting double-teamed throughout the year.

Young, a senior outside linebacker, was second on the team with 74

tackles. He also had three fumble recoveries and an interception for

the Sailors.