Sailors’ next big thing

Something big was missing from the first day of spring football practice at Newport Harbor High.

Where did the Sailors’ defensive front four go?

“Everyone will be asking,” Newport Harbor Coach Jeff Brinkley said. “We’ll be OK because we got our linebacker crew back.”

Making things easier last season for linebackers Brandon Kula and Cecil Whiteside, starting as a sophomore and freshman, respectively, were the linemen.

They’ve graduated. Gone is 6-foot-1, 224-pound defensive tackle Mike Calabrese, the Sunset League Defensive Player of the Year, along with quick nose guard Charles Vickery, and ends Bryce Jardine and Andrew Ward.

Calabrese, a two-time All-CIF honoree, Vickery and Jardine combined for 153 tackles and 21 sacks as all three made the Newport-Mesa Dream Team last year.

Now is a good time for Brinkley, whose team opened spring practice May 14, to assess who’s capable of digging into an area where coaches believe games are determined.

Plenty of time until the football season kicks off?

As of now, three weeks is all Brinkley, preparing for his 22nd season at the Sailors’ helm, and his staff have to evaluate a handful of prospects. They’re not wasting any time after missing the postseason in 2006 for the first time in eight seasons.

The Sailors won the CIF Southern Section Division VI championship in 2005, but joined the fierce Sunset League with the likes of Edison, Esperanza and Los Alamitos, in the Pac-5 Division, formerly Division I, in 2006.

Newport Harbor battled, with the help of the defensive line, but finished fourth in league at 3-2.

“A little disappointed,” said Brinkley, whose team finished 6-4 overall. “But I feel good about the group coming back.”

The line will be tough to replace, but there are some promising candidates.

Nate Castillo, a 6-foot-4, 270-pounder who was a second-team all-league offensive tackle, and Jerry Whitney (6-2, 240), a starting offensive guard as a junior, will be asked to go both ways.

“We’ve been lucky in the past to not have our linemen start on both sides of the ball,” Brinkley said. “They’ll have to now. Hopefully we’ll get them in shape.”

The Sailors have two more weeks left to show how conditioned they are. The big boys, Castillo and Whitney look good, Brinkley said.

Chase Obenauer, a 6-6, 287-pounder who will be a senior, is a candidate to start at offensive guard, Brinkley said.

Scott Ward (6-5, 245), who will be a senior, is a hopeful at the other offensive tackle spot.

The quarterback battle features Andrew McDonald, and Justin Jones. The two split duty on the junior varsity last year.

But Brinkley said Arizona transfer Spencer Stone is also in the mix.

“It looks like [Stone] throws the ball really well,” said Brinkley of the ex-JV player from Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix.

Whoever wins the quarterback job will have Ben Frazier and Michael Helfrich, both of whom played tailback last year as a junior and sophomore, respectively, to hand the ball off to next fall.

At receiver, Brinkley said Whiteside, the 6-3, 202-pounder will be featured in the slot in the West Coast offense, with Dustin Campbell (6-0, 225) returning at tight end for his senior year.

“They’re big, strong guys catching balls,” Brinkley said.

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at david.carrillo@latimes.com.