Sailors stun Aztecs, 21-13

NEWPORT BEACH — In wet, slippery, muddy conditions that contributed to the ball squirting about like a freshly hooked tuna, it appeared the most difficult thing to hold onto Friday night at Newport Harbor High was going to be the Sailors’ surprising 14-0 halftime lead.

But the hosts not only managed to retain possession of the lead and the ball, they eventually held the latter aloft, a metaphoric antidote to assumption, by upsetting heavily favored Esperanza, 21-13, in the Sunset League football opener for both.

“We shocked Orange County and it feels good,” said senior noseguard and running back Charles Vickery, after the unranked Sailors (4-2) handed the Aztecs, ranked No. 5 in the CIF Southern Section Pac-5 Division (formerly known as Division I), their first loss in six games this season.

“We knew we were underdogs, but we played our hearts out,” Vickery added. “This is the best team win ever.”

Others around as long as Newport Harbor Coach Jeff Brinkley, in his 21st season, might struggle to recall a more unlikely — or important — regular-season victory.

“I think this is our biggest win ever, outside of the playoffs, said Boys’ Athletic Director Eric Tweit, who has served more than two decades.

“[Esperanza] is a great freakin’ team and we knew [the Aztecs] would be tough,” Newport Harbor senior offensive tackle Frank Muscatello said. “They’re a top-10 team in this whole state.”

A deluge that began just before kickoff and continued for most of the first quarter, left the field in a rather shoddy state.

The conditions, which created a wet, slippery ball, made passing appear difficult. In addition, merely handling the ball, already a complex task in the deceptive, wing T scheme used by the Aztecs, became problematic.

Esperanza fumbled five times, losing four, to help the Sailors prevail.

Newport Harbor seized momentum with a blocked punt for a touchdown with 9:52 left in the first quarter.

Brett Houten, the Tars’ senior strong safety, blocked the punt off the foot of Sean Wren, near the goal line. The ball ricocheted into the end zone, where sophomore cornerback J.B. Green fell on it for a touchdown.

The conversion kick failed, but Newport Harbor achieved affirmation it belonged in the game before its offense had even taken the field.

“We saw something on their punt and I told our coaches we were going to block one,” Brinkley said.

“This is the first week we’ve ran an all-out punt block,” Houten said. “It seemed to work pretty well. I just happened to shoot through the line and I just stuck my hand up.”

Esperanza, which came in averaging 44.6 points per game, fumbled the ball away on its next two possessions.

Newport Harbor failed to move the ball, however, and punted both times.

After the two teams exchanged punts, Newport Harbor defensive end Bryce Jardine recovered an Aztecs fumble at midfield.

Newport Harbor overcame two procedure penalties to cash in the third of four Esperanza turnovers.

Ben Frazier, operating behind a line that often used two tight ends, shifting Moscatello to the left side to line up next to fellow tackle Nathan Castillo, did most of the work. He carried 21 yards on the first snap of the possession, then capped the five-play mini-drive with a 23-yard touchdown run around the right side.

Newport called timeout to set up its two-point conversion attempt, on which quarterback Kevin Williams hit tight end Dustin Campbell, who drove through a tackle to break the plane and up the lead to 14-0 with 2:31 left in the half.

The Sailors’ defense, which had made each of the team’s first three wins shutouts, came up big yet again after Esperanza tailback Charles Neal raced 73 yards with the ensuing kickoff to the Sailors’ 25-yard line.

After three plays gained just five yards, the Aztecs went for it on fourth-and-five, only to have quarterback Kevin Jablonsky stumble after a one-yard scramble.

It was Jablonsky, a difficult target for tacklers on frequent option keeps, who sparked the visitors on their second possession after halftime.

Esperanza’s first possession of the third quarter ended after three plays when senior end Andrew Ward poked the ball out of Neal’s grasp on a fly sweep and Newport Harbor middle linebacker Nick Frazier recovered at midfield.

But after forcing the second straight three-and-out by the Newport offense, Esperanza took over at its own 16.

On second down, Jablonsky bolted around the right side for 58 yards to the Tars’ 21.

On the next snap, Hugh Thompson darted up the middle for a TD that brought a sudden gloom to the Newport Harbor homecoming crowd. The conversion kick made it 14-7 with 6:54 left in the third quarter.

Esperanza halted the ensuing Sailors’ possession, then marched 80 yards on 15 plays, including three third-down conversions. Neal capped the nearly eight-minute drive with a two-yard touchdown run with 8:02 left in the game.

But the wet conditions surfaced again, as a wobbly snap on the would-be PAT attempt led to a sloppy hold and a low line drive into the line, keeping the lead at 14-13, with 8:02 left.

The Sailors then took the pressure off their defense by churning 72 yards on 11 plays for the clinching touchdown.

The drive began poorly for Newport, as Ben Frazier, who carried 19 times for 89 hard-earned yards, was sidelined by a right-ankle injury.

Senior receiver Jarrett Daniel rescued the drive on third-and-three, tipping a would-be interception out of the hands of a defensive back, then snatching it for a reception and a crucial first down at the Sailors’ 38.

A roughing-the-passer penalty on the play moved it to the Esperanza 47 and Vickery, stepping in for Ben Frazier, took four carries to move it to the 29.

On third-and-four, Williams threw on play-action to Daniel for 20 yards to the nine.

On third-and-goal at the four, Brinkley called for a naked bootleg that Williams turned into an exclamation TD with 1:59 left.

Esperanza, which had completed its only pass to that point, had three incomplete passes on the ensuing possession to give the ball back to the Sailors.

Green and Vickery had additional fumble recoveries, while Mike Calabrese, Brandon Kula, Enzo Weber, Brice Stillman and Henry Pyle rounded out the strong defensive effort for the winners.

“This is a big win for us,” said a beaming Brinkley. “We needed that last drive, because we were weary on defense. [The Aztecs had] a potent offense with a lot of weapons and they were tough to slow down.”

Said Vickery: “I hope [people] think of us as a Division I team, now.”