Playoff hopes remain

monday morning quarterbacksNewport Harbor has clinched and eyes league title, while four other local teams still playing for postseason bids.Heading into the final week of the regular season, the Newport Harbor High football team has clinched a CIF Southern Section Division VI playoff berth.

The other four Newport-Mesa programs all have a chance to join the Sailors in the postseason, though either Costa Mesa or Estancia will definitely be denied a postseason berth.

Newport Harbor (6-3, 3-1 in the Sea View League), ranked No. 10 in CIF Division VI, can also claim a share of the league championship, should it beat Laguna Hills (5-4, 4-0) at 7 p.m. Thursday at Mission Viejo High.

Sage Hill (7-1, 1-1 in the Academy League), ranked No. 8 in CIF Division XIII, still has a chance at a league tri-championship. But that would involve a Lightning victory Friday over Capistrano Valley Christian, as well as a Brethren Christian upset of unbeaten St. Margaret’s. In that scenario, the three teams would all be 2-1 in league. Since they are all 1-1 against one another, coin flips would be used to determine the league’s No. 1 and No. 2 guaranteed playoff berths. A third-place team would be eligible for one of the division’s two at-large berths.

Should Sage Hill wind up third, its record and ranking all season in the Division top 10 would make it a likely at-large candidate. Other at-large candidates include freelance schools Villanova Prep (9-0) and JSerra (6-3).

Should Sage win and Brethren lose, the Lightning would finish alone in second place.

Things are clear-cut for Corona del Mar in the Pacific Coast League. The Sea Kings (4-5, 2-3) need a victory over University at 7 p.m. Friday at Irvine High to secure third place.

A loss and the Sea Kings could only receive an at-large playoff berth. For CdM to get the division’s lone at-large bid, at-large candidates from three other division leagues would need to finish with a losing overall record, which is extremely unlikely.

In the Golden West League, Estancia (2-7, 2-3) is in with a win over Santa Ana (at 7 p.m. Friday at Orange Coast College).

If Estancia wins, Costa Mesa (2-7, 2-3) would not make the playoffs, even with an upset over second-place Orange (at 1 p.m. Friday at El Modena High).

If Estancia and Mesa win, both would be in a three-way tie for third with Santa Ana. In that case, head-to-head records would make Estancia the league’s No. 3 playoff representative. Santa Ana would be No. 4 and Mesa would be out.

There is no at-large berth in Division VII.

Should Estancia lose and Costa Mesa win, the Mustangs would finish fourth and be in the playoffs.

If Estancia and Costa Mesa lose and Ocean View upsets first-place Westminster, there would be a three-way tie for fourth between Estancia, Mesa and Ocean View. Since head-to-head records are all 1-1, coin flips would decide the league’s No. 4 playoff representative.

Here’s a team-by-team update:

* ESTANCIA: Coach Brian Barnes said the key to the Eagles’ 34-7 league home win over Saddleback (2-7, 1-5) Thursday was confidence.

“I think the kids are buying into what we’ve been preaching to them all year,” Barnes said. “Our seniors stepped up and took the challenge. They want to take this team to the playoffs and they played like it.”

The Eagles amassed 219 rushing yards on 45 attempts, more than doubling their previous combined output on the ground in the first eight games (144 yards on 165 attempts).

Barnes said improved blocking was a factor, but putting senior receiver Ezequiel Villalvazo at running back was also vital.

Villalvazo rushed for 78 yards and one touchdown and caught six passes for 169 yards and another touchdown.

“We were calling him Reggie Bush,” Barnes said of Villalvazo, whose time on offense this season has been limited after he sustained two concussions early in the season.

“It was a great win and the kids really enjoyed it,” Barnes said.

* NEWPORT HARBOR: The Sailors’ 34-14 league win over visiting Irvine (3-6, 0-4) Thursday all began with the coin toss, Coach Jeff Brinkley said.

“We took the ball coming out,” said Brinkley, who typically defers to the second half if his team wins the coin toss. “We just thought that if we scored it might help us and put [the Vaqueros] in a psychological hole, because they’ve been struggling.”

The Sailors scored on their opening drive, led, 20-0, at the end of the first quarter and 27-7 at halftime. They then scored the only third-quarter touchdown and cruised to the victory.

A win Thursday over Laguna Hills would give the Sailors at least a share of the league title. It would mean the program’s first back-to-back league championships in Brinkley’s 20 seasons at the helm.

Newport Harbor has won consecutive league crowns only twice before (back-to-back in the Sunset League in 1973-74 and three straight in the Sea View League from 1983-85). A co-championship was involved in both of those streaks.

* CORONA DEL MAR: Not only did Friday’s 45-20 league win over Beckman help the Sea Kings get back into competition mode after a bye week, it gave Coach Dick Freman’s squad a chance to bone up on defending the Wing T, heading into Friday’s third-place league showdown with University.

Freeman said Uni’s Wing T scheme features different wrinkles than Beckman utilizes. But Friday’s win should still be instructive for the regular-season finale.

CdM, which has run a three-man defensive line this season, used some four-man fronts against Beckman. The Sea Kings also altered the alignment of their linebackers, Freeman said.

The result was a dominant opening for the Sea Kings, who led, 26-0, after just more than eight minutes had elapsed. They led, 45-0, less than a minute into the third quarter, enabling them to play all their reserves. * SAGE HILL: St. Margaret’s, ranked No. 1 in CIF Division XIII, pummeled the Lightning, 56-8, in Friday’s Academy League contest.

But, Sage Hill did take away some positives from the game, Coach Tom Monarch said.

“Obviously, to get beat that bad is disheartening,” Monarch said. “But you’ve got to keep things in perspective. They have superior athletes and they do a good job coaching. That combination is tough to beat.”

The lopsided loss provided a reality check for the previously unbeaten squad, Monarch said.

“If you go in as an undefeated team and get manhandled, it’s a reality check,” he said. “But we’re hoping we can use it as a tool to make us work harder.”

The Tartans (8-0, 2-0) racked up 360 yards on the ground, led by Steffien Hunter’s 189-yard, three-touchdown performance.

Senior tailback Keya Manshadi rushed for Sage Hill’s lone touchdown.

* COSTA MESA: Coach Jay Johnson said his team used its bye week to recover from the bumps and bruises that all players have this time of year.

The Mustangs were disheartened to see Estancia defeat Saddleback Thursday, a game many of the players attended, Johnson said.

“I think it took a little air out of the balloon,” Johnson said of the Estancia win that reduced his team’s chances of earning a CIF playoff berth.

-- Chris Yemma contributed to

this report