Sage Hill relishes 3-0 start

With Newport-Mesa high school football teams having faced three

opponents (three games or two games and one scrimmage), coaches have

had ample time to evaluate personnel, adjust schemes and generally

get a feel for their units.

Nowhere among the local squads is that feeling as positive as at

Sage Hill, where Coach Tom Monarch and his Lightning players are

reveling in their 3-0 start.

Newport Harbor (2-0) is also unbeaten, while Corona del Mar (2-1)

was dealt its first loss Friday night. But, oddly, CdM may have come

away from Friday’s action with a better sense of accomplishment.

Costa Mesa and Estancia, meanwhile, are still looking for their

first victories as the preleague campaign is rapidly drawing to a

close.

* SAGE HILL: The Lightning defeated host Midway Baptist, 32-8,

Friday to improve to 3-0, the best start in the program’s four

varsity seasons.

And while a potential unbeaten preleague season has those in and

around the Sage Hill program hopeful for a banner year, Monarch and

his assistants have taken to raising a metaphorical red flag.

“Complacency is one of my concerns,” said Monarch, who was

disappointed that said shortcoming befell his team against Midway

Baptist.

“I thought we were a little flat in this last game,” Monarch said.

“I told one of my assistants I thought we had the disease of

mediocrity throughout that game. We had some dropped passes and I

thought the offensive linemen could have sustained their blocks a

little better. For us to compete, I’ve told the kids we can’t just

show up and go through the motions. Whatever record we have, when the

ball is kicked off, that record is behind us. Anything that happens

before kickoff is meaningless.”

That being said, Monarch is pleased with his team’s progress thus

far. He wanted to increase the team’s passing production and

sophomore quarterback Jamie McGee obliged. McGee completed 9 of 19

for 160 yards and two touchdowns. And, Monarch said, without four or

five balls that clanked off the hands of receivers, McGee might have

added 100 more yards.

Yet another plus this season has been a lack of serious injuries,

an issue that has plagued the program throughout its young history.

“I’ve done some yoga, medidtating, and I light incense,” Monarch

said of his team’s medical good fortune. “It’s a zen thing.”

Monarch quickly added that the Lightning are stronger and in

better condition, thanks to a more challenging off-season

weightlifting program and the consistent efforts of assistant coach

Pete Anderson, who is in charge of conditioning.

While generally satisfied with the play of his offense and

defense, Monarch said there is ample room to improve on special

teams.

The Lightning will hope to show improvement there Friday, when

they play host to Sherman Indian in another nonleague clash at 7 p.m.

* NEWPORT HARBOR: Coach Jeff Brinkley called Friday’s 21-17

come-from-behind nonleague win over Marina one of the most

disappointing victories he has ever had.

But, amidst the gloom over nearly losing to a winless Viking squad

that had been outscored, 78-13, its first two games, Brinkley pointed

to one ultimate silver lining.

“That was one of the good things,” Brinkley said of the

last-minute, four-play, 73-yard scoring drive that turned a 17-14

deficit into a victory. “We had a nice two-minute offense going, Tom

[Jackson, senior quarterback] made some big plays for us and a couple

other guys made some good catches. In that situation, it was really

good to see us operate in that fashion.”

It was the third time in the last 14 games that the Sailors have

won games late with offensive heroics. They earned a 24-17 win over

Mayfair in the CIF Southern Section Division VI semifinals last

season on a 30-yard scoring pass from Kasey Peters to Alex Orth with

four seconds left.

That play came after Travis Duffield’s 28-yard field goal had tied

it with 25 seconds remaining.

Also last season, the Tars snatched victory from defeat against

Back Bay rival Corona del Mar when Peters hit Spencer Link for a

46-yard TD pass with 1:07 remaining.

Brinkley said the big play of the final possession was a 34-yard

Jackson-to-James Coder pass that put the Sailors at the Marina

39-yard line.

“That really kind of set the stage for things,” Brinkley said. “I

think it put us in a position where we thought, ‘OK, we’ve got a good

shot at the end zone here.’ ”

Jackson’s late heroics were magnified since they came just moments

after he badly sprained his left ankle.

Brinkley said Jackson was hobbling Saturday and even if he can

play in Friday’s Battle of the Bay against CdM (7 p.m. at Orange

Coast College), he will have limited work in practice this week to

prepare.

Kevin Williams is Jackson’s backup.

Jack Tracy finished with 137 rushing yards on 23 carries, having

shifted from fullback to tailback. The move was necessitated by an

injury to junior tailback Jasen Ruiz, who did not play against Marina

due to a hip flexor strain, Brinkley said.

* COSTA MESA: Mustangs Coach Jay Johnson said one of the many

positives that came out of Thursday’s 37-14 nonleague loss at

Huntington Beach was the emergence of two bonafide team leaders.

Senior quarterback Tony Krikorian, starting for the second

straight week in place of returning senior Ryan French (shoulder

separation) inspired his teammates with his skill and tenacity,

Johnson said.

And senior two-way lineman Juan Diaz also stepped forward by

asking Johnson to run behind him on offense in second-half

short-yardage situations.

“As coaches, we’ve been waiting around to see who the team leaders

would be,” Johnson said. “With his play Thursday, Tony came to the

forefront. I think kids are going to listen to him and follow him

because of how hard he’s playing.”

Krikorian led the team with 49 rushing yards and 19 passing yards.

He threw one TD and ran for another.

“And with Juan, I was very proud of his attitude,” Johnson said of

the 6-foot-1, 300-pound offensive and defensive tackle. “An ability

to lead the team really came to the surface against Huntington

Beach.”

Mesa (0-3) bids for its first win Friday at future Orange Coast

League rival Laguna Beach (2-0-1) at 7 p.m.

* CORONA DEL MAR: Sea Kings Coach Dick Freeman said he learned

more about his team in Friday’s 25-18 nonleague loss to Troy than he

did in previous wins over Costa Mesa and Estancia.

“It was stiffer competition,” Freeman said of the Warriors (1-1),

who scored with 8:52 left to break an 18-18 tie at Newport Harbor

High.

Freeman said his players continually fought through adversity --

mistakes, penalties and big plays by Troy running backs Derrick

Coleman and Chris Ramirez, who combined for 260 rushing yards on 53

carries -- to stay in the game.

Senior Colin Wigley, who had been alternating with senior starter

Shaun Mohler at quarterback the first two games, started and played

the whole way. He completed 6 of 13 for 87 yards and one TD.

Freeman said the decision to go with Wigley was based on the fact

that Mohler (6-3, 200 and a returning all-league linebacker) could

contribute offensively at fullback and receiver.

Mohler, who was in on 16 tackles defensively, rushed for 32 yards

and played some in the second half at wideout.

Senior tailback Matt Loyd continued his impressive start, adding

205 rushing yards to lift his season total to 483.

Freeman said one deficiency exposed by Troy was the Sea Kings’

difficulty with kick coverage.

“We gave up some big plays on special teams,” Freeman said. “We’ve

got to improve on that.”

* ESTANCIA: With a bye week ahead, following Friday’s 17-8

nonlegue loss at Buena Park (2-0), Coach Brian Barnes gave his player

and assistant coaches the weekend off.

Barnes, however, did not allow himself the luxury of a diversion

from his team’s early struggles, including a combined minus 22 yards

rushing in three straight losses.

“I finally slept in for the first time in months, but I have a lot

of football on my mind,” Barnes said. “The biggest problem for us is

finding an offensive line. It’s tough to run the ball and its tough

to pass the ball if you can’t block anyone. I don’t know how we can

revamp it, because we don’t have a lot of kids. But we’re going to

try to rearrange it and try to find ways to get kids in the right

spots. That’s our job as coaches.

As a former offensive lineman (Los Alamitos High and the

University of Nevada) who is working with the Eagles O-line as a

position coach, the 6-7, 300-pound Barnes said he can’t help but take

his blockers’ struggles personally.

“Those are my guys and I feel like I’m not doing my job as

offensive line coach,” he said. “But it helps having my dad [Los

Alamitos Coach John Barnes] around. When I’m frustrated, he reassures

me.”

Barnes said the play of his defense, including junior Matt Redding

and senior Clayton Mills, were among the positives. And Barnes said

he and his coaches have not been deterred from their positive plans

for the program’s future.

“We’re going to stay the course,” Barnes said. “We’ll use the bye

week to reorganize, regroup and refresh.”

The Eagles will also use it as extra time to prepare for their

Golden West League opener, Sept. 30 against crosstown rival Costa

Mesa.