Tar defense yielding

High school football coaches conflicted about the wisdom of

surrendering a preseason scrimmage for the right to play a Week 0

game, might want to give Newport Harbor High head man Jeff Brinkley a

call.

Brinkley’s Sailors are 15-3-1 in openers during his previous 19

seasons and he prides himself on having his team ready to play as

Labor Day arrives. But he saw his squad struggle in Friday’s

scrimmage with visiting Trabuco Hills.

The Mustangs scored six touchdowns including pass plays of 52, 40

and 20 yards, and intercepted two Sailor passes to display their

supremacy at Newport Harbor.

The Sailors scored three TDs, two on goal-line situations with the

ball placed at the Trabuco Hills’ 3-yard line.

Trabuco’s other three TDs were also in goal-line situations, two

from 3 yards out and another from 10.

“We can’t turn the ball over on offense and, defensively, we can’t

give up the big play,” said Brinkley, who admitted his team’s

performance showed some rough edges. “We kind of went against that

philosophy today.”

Brinkley, however, was quick to point out some positives,

including his offensive line’s surge in goal-line situations. He was

also quick to point out he and his staff plan to iron out some kinks

before the Tars play host to Fountain Valley in Thursday’s 7 p.m.

opener.

“This is why we have a scrimmage,” Brinkley said. “Now it’s our

job to teach them some things and be able to play better next week.”

Brinkley and his staff will be working to help shore up some

sloppy tackling. Newport defensive linemen were also whistled three

times for encroachment, the victim of a hard count by Trabuco

quarterbacks.

Individually, senior Delano McKenzie led all Newport rushers with

26 yards on six carries, including a pair of 3-yard touchdown runs.

He also had an 11-yard run.

Junior Jasen Ruiz, projected to be the starting tailback, had 13

yards on eight carries with a long of 4 yards.

Senior quarterback Tom Jackson completed 8 of 13, capping his day

with a perfectly thrown 40-yard bomb to James Coder on the first-team

offense’s final play of the controlled scrimmage.

Coder had two catches for 44 yards, but junior Jarrett Daniel may

have been the most impressive receiver for the hosts. He had four

receptions for 27 yards, including a sliding, finger-tip grab for a

13-yard pickup.

Senior Travis Duffield converted a 32-yard field goal, though a

second attempt from the opposite hash mark was blocked.

The two teams opened with special teams work, as both teams

attempted two kickoffs, two punts, three conversion kicks and tried

two field goals.

Each team then ran 10 offensive plays in game situation, moving

the chains and advancing down the field. They then ran 10 plays each,

split between starts at the opponent’s 25-yard line, 10 and 3.

Another 10-play series was devoted to third-down situations, while

the reserves finished up with 10 plays of offense and defense.

Newport defensive tackle Bryan Fiske and defensive end Bryce

Jardine both recovered fumbles, while outside linebacker Billy Brown,

middle linebacker Nick Frazier, and Ryan Uhl all stuffed Trabuco runs

for no gain.

End Jayme Ohlhaver had one sack and the front four combined to

produce a second sack for the Sailors. Ohlhaver also got his hand on

the quarterback’s arm to force an incompletion.