Ready for a return

Rick Devereux

Trips to the CIF Southern Section Division VI football championship

game don’t come very often, but Newport Harbor High has been

preparing for a return visit during recently completed spring

practices as well as skeleton scrimmages against various opponents.

The Sailors, who were division runners-up last year with a 12-1-1

record, lost 15 offensive and defensive starters, including CIF

Division VI Co-Player of the Year Trevor Theriot as well as All-CIF

selections Spencer Link, Kasey Peters, Steve Joslin, Alex Orth,

Thomas Martin and Saami Khalifian.

But the returners are not without experience. Senior-to-be Tom

Jackson was the starting strong safety last season and gained

valuable experience as a sophomore when he filled in at quarterback

when Peters was sidelined with a broken collarbone in the seventh

game.

“We’re fortunate to have a guy that has some experience,” Coach

Jeff Brinkley said. “We’re not happy about how he got it with Kasey

getting hurt that year, but he played against tough opponents in some

big games that year, including against [Division VI champion] Los

Altos.”

The offensive line will boast the return of starting tackle

Charles Schultz and starting guard Alex Flores. Linemen Matt

McCullough, Billy Munce, Louis Truxton and tight end Bill Brown all

saw playing time last year, as well.

“Our offensive line looks very good,” Brinkley said. “They have

been working hard in the weight room and they are playing well

together.”

Brinkley said running back Ryan Rippon is fully recovered from a

knee injury that kept him out of eight contests last season. Rippon

gained 236 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 35 carries in five

games as a junior.

Keith Eldridge, who broke off a 93-yard touchdown run against

Laguna Hills and a 72-yard touchdown run against Woodbridge, has been

practicing at wide receiver in the spring. Jasen Ruiz, who averaged

3.1 yards per carry in the first three games of the season last year,

joined Eldridge at wide receiver during spring drills.

“We’re going to try to utilize Ruiz like we did Link,” Brinkley

said. “And we’d like to use Eldridge’s speed [who was a star on the

track and field team]. Both have played some running back for us, but

I told both of them they needed to spend the whole spring working on

running routes, cutting out of breaks and catching the ball.”

Brinkley said no major injuries have occurred during spring, but

some players have been sidelined with pulled muscles.

Brinkley, headed into his 20th year with the Sailors, said he

approaches spring sessions like any other practice.

“We go out and practice just like we would during the season, the

only difference is we don’t have pads on,” Brinkley said. “Everything

else is the same. We even get into some of the things teams will

run.”

The Sailors will host a scrimmage against Trabuco Hills Sept. 2 at

10 a.m. before kicking off the season against Fountain Valley Sept. 8

at 7 p.m. at Davidson Field. Newport Harbor plays Corona del Mar

Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. at Orange Coast College and opens up Sea View

League play at home against Woodbridge Oct. 14 at 7 p.m.

2005 Schedule

Sept. 8 -- Fountain Valley (home)

Sept. 16 -- Marina at Westminster

Sept. 23 -- Corona del Mar at OCC

*Sept. 30 -- at Dana Hills, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 7 -- Mira Costa (home)

Oct. 14 -- Woodbridge (home)

Oct. 24 -- Foothill (home)

Nov. 3 -- at Aliso Niguel

Nov. 10 -- Laguna Hills at Mission Viejo

*All games start at 7 p.m. unless noted