Sailors avert a total disaster

Some players hung their heads and the coach called the whole evening

a total disaster. And that was the winning team.

Indeed, Friday night’s 21-17 nonleague triumph over a valiant

Marina High squad at Westminster High was far from typical for

Newport Harbor.

Newport Harbor senior quarterback Tom Jackson, however, prevented

even deeper gloom for the Sailors by triggering a dramatic

game-winning drive in the final 1:01.

It capped a strong performance by the 6-foot-1, 185-pound Jackson,

who threw three touchdown passes and also tossed a two-point

conversion. Jackson, who sprained his left ankle three plays before

Marina (0-3) took a 17-14 lead on a 32-yard Dustin Lockwood field

goal with 3:19 to play, saw his team fumble away a chance to rally

with 2:36 left at the Marina 40-yard line.

But the Vikings could not run out the clock and punted to the

Sailors’ 27 with 1:01 left, giving Jackson and his mates all the

chance they would need.

“We knew we could do it,” Jackson said.

Jackson threw for 34 yards on first down to James Coder, who

stepped out of bounds at the Marina 39.

Jackson then connected on short out routes near the sideline to

Jarrett Daniel for gains of 12 and 4 yards, though the second allowed

the clock to start after the officials reset the ball.

No problem, however, for Jackson, who abandoned the pocket on the

next snap, drifted to his left and found Daniel all alone behind the

secondary for the winning score. Daniel, backpedaling to protect his

separation from the defender, caught the ball just beyond the goal

line with his back to the scoreboard that suddenly produced happy

news for the visitors (3-0).

Travis Duffield added the conversion kick and Marina had just one

play after the ensuing kickoff, a desperation pass that fell

incomplete just beyond midfield.

But any euphoria -- and there was some -- experienced by the

Newport Harbor players, figures to be swallowed up by the categorical

disappointment expressed by Tars Coach Jeff Brinkley.

“I’m disappointed about everything; the whole night was a

disaster,” said Brinkley, who is seldom despondent after any victory.

“[The Vikings] played harder than we did. They outcoached us and

outplayed us. We made the plays we had to at the end, but this was as

disappointing a win as I’ve ever had. If we play like this again,

we’re going to struggle every week.”

Marina Coach Mike Dodd, along with his players and coaches, were

visibly devastated by the rally by the Sailors, ranked No. 3 in CIF

Southern Section Division VI and No. 8 in Orange County.

“It’s hard to talk right now,” said Dodd, who fielded hugs from

his family members, after being bent over, hands on knees, head

staring at the grass.

“I’m extremely proud of my team, but this was a tough one to lose.

Our kids thought they had it won when we kicked the field goal with

three minutes left, but we made some mistakes and didn’t finish it

out. We didn’t play our [defensive] assignments.”

Jackson acknowledged his team’s lackluster performance, but

stopped short of calling the victory disappointing.

“I wouldn’t call any win disappointing, but I absolutely agree

with coach that we definitely need to improve.”

The Sailors committed three turnovers, including fumbles on two

fourth-quarter possessions, the first setting up Marina’s go-ahead

field goal.

The Sailors, who scored first when Jackson found James Coder for a

16-yard pass with 5:00 left in the first quarter, rebounded from its

first turnover, an interception that ended an 11-play drive.

After Marina went three-and-out, and Coder returned a punt 17

yards to the Vikings’ 30, the Tars used just six plays to score.

Jackson hit Daniel in the end zone, just inside the sideline, for the

14-yard capper with 20 seconds left before halftime.

Newport’s first drive of the second half covered 15 plays, but

produced nothing and Marina pulled even on a 2-yard Josh Jordan sneak

with 7:00 left in the game.

Jackson finished 17 of 28 for 216 yards, all but two of the

completions going to Daniel and Coder.

Daniel had eight receptions for 86 yards and two TDs, while Coder

caught six passes for 112 yards and the other TD.

Senior Jack Tracy, shifted from fullback to tailback this week,

amassed 137 rushing yards on 23 carries.

Marina, which had been outscored, 78-13, in its first two games,

produced on the ground. Senior Andre Gatlin had 110 yards on 19

carries, while Viking sophomore Justin Steen chipped in 104 yards on

seven carries, including a 57-yard TD sprint that helped Marina take

a 7-6 lead with 2:36 left in the first period.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

*--*

Newport Harbor 6 8 0 7 - 21

Marina 7 0 0 10 - 17

*--*

FIRST QUARTER

NH -- Coder 16 pass from Jackson (kick failed), 5:00.

Mar -- Steen 57 run (Lockwood kick), 2:36.

SECOND QUARTER

NH -- Daniel 14 pass from Jackson (Coder pass from Jackson), 0:20.

FOURTH QUARTER

Mar -- Jordan 2 run (Lockwood kick), 7:08.

Mar -- Lockwood 32 FG, 3:19.

NH -- Daniel 23 pass from Jackson (Duffield kick), 0:12.

A -- 1,300 (est.)

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

NH -- Tracy, 23-137; Eldridge, 5-15; Frazier, 3-13; Jackson, 2-10.

Mar -- Gatlin, 19-110; Steen, 7-104, 1 TD; Jordan, 5-14, 1 TD;

team, 1-minus-1.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

NH -- Jackson, 17-28-1, 216, 3 TDs.

Mar -- Jordan, 4-13-0, 49; Rancour, 0-1-0.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

NH -- Daniel, 9-80, 2 TDs; Coder, 6-12, 112, 1 TD; Brown, 1-14;

Duffield, 1-4.

Mar -- Steen, 2-38; Lindsey-McIntyre, 2-11.

GAME STATISTICS

*--*

NH Mar

First downs 20 10

Rushes-yardage 33-175 32-227

Passing yardage 216 49

Passing 17-28-1 4-14-0

Net return yards* 22 13

Sacks-yardage 0-0 1-7

Net yardage 413 289

Punts 3-44 6-32.8

Fumbles-fumbles lost 3-2 1-0

Flags-net yardage 8-55 3-15

Time of possession 28:15 19:45

*Punt returns, interceptions, fumble returns

*--*