Tars lose one the hard way

What was supposed to be a hard count, turned out to be an awfully

hard way to lose for the Newport Harbor High football team Friday

night.

But the Sailors didn’t go down without first finding a miraculous

way to push visiting Mira Costa into overtime as the Mustangs came

away with a 23-20 nonleague triumph.

Newport Harbor went 84 yards on 12 plays after falling behind,

20-12, with 3:05 left to tie the game in dramatic fashion.

Tom Jackson’s pass went into and out of the hands of Mira Costa

defender Kevin Romero at the Mustangs’ 5-yard line, and Jarrett

Daniel hauled it in and ran into the end zone. The 36-yard scoring

play pulled the hosts (3-2), ranked No. 7 in CIF Southern Section

Division VI, to within 20-18.

Jackson then threaded the ball through to Daniel in the back of

the end zone to tie the game.

Mira Costa’s final regulation possession produced little and the

Mustangs’ offense opened the college-format overtime on offense at

the Sailors’ 25.

The Mustangs moved to the 11, before a penalty moved them back 5

yards, forcing a 31-yard field goal by Romero that gave the visitors

the lead.

Newport used five plays in its overtime possession to reach the

Mustangs’ 7, but was forced to try a 24-yard field goal attempt that

sailed wide left.

The win allowed Mira Costa, ranked No. 4 in CIF Division III, to

improve to 5-0.

But victory for the Mustangs may not have been possible without an

unusual miscue by the Sailors early in the fourth quarter.

Newport’s defense had just held on fourth down to take possession

at its own 6. Three plays later, it was fourth-and-an-inch at the

Tars’ own 15 and the offense broke the huddle, appearing poised to go

for the first down.

In reality, the call was for Jackson to bark a hard cadence, in an

attempt to draw Mira Costa offside.

“We wanted to freeze the ball and call a timeout, then maybe go

for the first with a sneak,” Newport Harbor Coach Jeff Brinkley said.

After several seconds of barking signals however, the ball was

snapped, appearing to surprise Jackson, who fell backward for a

1-yard loss.

“We shot ourselves in the foot,” Brinkley said of the play, which

set Mira Costa up on the Sailors’ 14.

Two plays later, Charles Wolfgramm went up the middle for an

8-yard touchdown run and Romero, who took over kicking duties after a

missed conversion kick by another Mustang earlier in the game, booted

the conversion to give the visitors a 13-12 lead with 8:59 left in

regulation.

An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Sailors’ bench on the

ensuing possession forced the Sailors to punt from their own 10 and

Mira Costa regained possession at the Tars’ 38 with 6:53 left in

regulation.

Four keepers by Romero, operating out of the shotgun spread, were

followed by three Wolfgramm runs to produce the game’s final

touchdown. Romero again added the PAT for a 20-12 lead with 3:05

left.

But the Sailors, who drove 73 yards on four plays in the final

1:01 to beat Marina, Sept. 16, showed they had more fourth-quarter

heroics in them.

A diving catch on third down by James Coder picked up 20 yards to

begin the march, then a 14-yard catch and run by senior tailback Ryan

Rippon moved the ball to the Mira Costa 49.

Jackson hit Daniel for 15 yards, but a scramble, two incompletions

and a procedure penalty created fourth-and-13 at the 36. That’s when

Jackson’s fortuitous connection caromed off Romero to Daniel to give

the Sailors hope.

Newport took a 6-0 lead into halftime after Jack Tracy capped a

10-play, 60-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:07 left in

the second quarter.

But the conversion kick went wide left, the first of three missed

kicks by Newport, which was without senior kicker Travis Duffield,

who said he has torn quadriceps.

Mira Costa tied it with a 71-yard pass from Romero to Will Bullock

midway through the third quarter, but the Tars retook the lead when

Coder caught a 4-yard out from Jackson with 2:07 left in the third

period.

This time, Newport’s conversion kick was blocked.

Rippon, playing for the first time since having reconstructive

knee surgery in the summer, rushed for 102 yards on 17 carries,

visibly sparking the Sailors’ offense.

Jackson finished 17 of 33 for 208 yards, while both Tracy and

Coder had five catches for the hosts.

Wolfgramm finished with 159 yards on 17 carries for the Mustangs,

who were also keyed by Romero. The senior rushed 16 times for 64

yards and completed 13 of 24 passes for 177 yards.

“It was anything but easy,” Mira Costa Coach Don Morrow said.

Mira Costa 23, Newport Harbor 20 (OT)

SCORE BY QUARTERS

*--*

Mira Costa 0 0 6 14 - 23

Newport 0 6 6 8 - 20

*--*

SECOND QUARTER

NH -- Tracy 1 run (kick failed), 1:07.

THIRD QUARTER

MC -- Bullock 71 pass from Romero (kick failed), 7:47.

NH -- Coder 4 pass from Jackson (kick blocked), 2:07.

FOURTH QUARTER

MC -- Wolfgramm 8 run (Romero kick), 8:59.

MC -- Wolfgramm 8 r un (Romero kick), 3:05.

NH -- Daniel 36 pass Jackson (Daniel pass from Jackson), 0:33.

OVERTIME

MC -- Romero 31 FG.

A -- 3,500 (est.)

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

MC -- Wolfgramm, 17-159, 2 TDs; Romero, 16-64; Robinson, 3-7.

NH -- Rippon, 17-102; Tracy, 8-31, 1 TD; Eldridge, 1-8; Jackson,

6-1.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

MC -- Romero, 13-24-0, 177, 1 TD; team, 0-1-0.

NH -- Jackson, 17-33-2, 208, 2 TDs.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

MC -- Bullock, 3-91, 1 TD; Douboff, 4-50; Robinson, 4-21;

Wolfgramm, 1-14; Tibone, 1-1.

NH -- Tracy, 5-47; Coder, 5-44, 1 TD; Daniel, 2-51, 1 TD; Rippon, 2-25; Brown, 2-22; Stillman, 1-14.

GAME STATISTICS

*--*

MC NH

First downs 15 17

Rushes-yardage 36-130 32-142

Passing yardage 177 208

Passing 13-25-0 17-33-2 Net return yards* 34 0

Sacks-yardage 1-6 0-0

Net yardage 341 350

Punts 3-33 4-36.5

Fumbles-fumbles lost 5-1 2-0

Flags-net yardage 6-40 2-20

Time of possession 24:18 23:42

*--*