Tars in must-win situation

Just like the last two Major League Baseball All-Star games, tonight’s football clash between host Newport Harbor High and Marina could be promoted with the slogan “This one counts.”

The two schools have met the last 11 seasons in nonleague contests. But tonight’s meeting, which kicks off at 7, is a Sunset League game.

The Vikings (1-7, 0-3 in league) have fared about as poorly against Newport Harbor (4-4, 1-2) as they have against Sunset League competition in recent years.

Newport Harbor is 9-1-1 since 1995 against Marina, which is winless in its last 20 Sunset League games against an opponent other than Huntington Beach.

Newport Harbor replaced Huntington Beach in the league this season and looks to carry over its nonleague success against Coach Mike Dodd’s Vikings.

But Sailors Coach Jeff Brinkley said the Vikings have two reasons to conjure some confidence for this year’s meeting.

“They played the heck out of us last year,” Brinkley said of the first reason. “We beat them in the last second [actually with 12 seconds left when then-senior quarterback Tom Jackson hit current senior Jarrett Daniel with a 23-yard touchdown pass to erase a 17-14 deficit at Westminster High].”

The second reason Brinkley cited was the Sailors’ struggles last week in a 37-6 league thumping at the hands of Edison.

“I’m sure [the Vikings] are very optimistic after watching us play last week,” Brinkley said. “They want to get themselves a victory.”

Marina has just one win this season, a 39-28 verdict over Paramount. And the Vikings are 2-26 since the beginning of the 2004 campaign and are giving up just more than 34 points per game in 2006.

Newport will look to rebound after Brinkley said they were schooled by Edison in every phase of the game.

“We’re in the position Edison was last week,” Brinkley said, referring the Chargers coming off a 38-0 loss to Esperanza heading into last week’s game. “Let’s see how we respond.”

The Sailors had three first downs and 87 yards of total offense against the Chargers, who put up 449 yards against the Sailors’ previously vaunted defense.

Newport Harbor’s defense had yielded just five touchdowns in its first seven games, before Edison equaled that total, including four touchdown passes by Nick Crissman.

The loss dropped Newport Harbor into a fourth-place tie with Fountain Valley, with just two games left in the regular season.

“We no longer control our own destiny,” said Brinkley, whose team might miss the CIF Southern Section playoffs for the first time since 1998, even it if wins its next two.

“The only thing we can control is what we do,” Brinkley said. “And we need to have some help to get into the playoffs.”

A big help would be a Los Alamitos win over Esperanza tonight. Should Newport Harbor and the Aztecs tie for third place, Newport would get the league’s third guaranteed playoff berth by virtue of winning their Oct. 13 meeting, 21-13.

Marina is led by senior quarterback-defensive back Josh Jordan, who has thrown for 673 yards and rushed for 158 more. He is also tied for second on the team with 53 tackles.

Newport Harbor features returning All-CIF performers Mike Calabrese, Nick Frazier and Daniel.

Daniel is the team’s leading receiver with 22 catches for 299 yards and two touchdowns.

Frazier, a senior middle linebacker, leads the team with 74 tackles, while Calabrese is a powerful defensive tackle.

Another standout for the Sailors is senior Charles Vickery.