Sailors, Knights collide

Assuming Newport Harbor High can find a way to sneak past at Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks tonight at 7:30, there’s a 50% chance the Sailors could face a familiar opponent in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Pac-5 Division football playoffs.

The Sailors (7-3) lost to Long Beach Poly, 34-7, Sept. 14. Top-seeded Poly plays Santa Margarita tonight in its first-round game.

But Newport Harbor Coach Jeff Brinkley has focused so much this week on preparing for Notre Dame and their über-potent quarterback, he wasn’t concerned about a potential rematch with Long Beach Poly.

Senior quarterback Dayne Crist, another pesky dual-threat, has committed to the University of Notre Dame.

“We’ve got our hands full this week,” Brinkley said. “The only thing we know this week is that if we win, we’re home next week. If we’re fortunate to get by this one, we’ll regroup Saturday and think about the next one.”

Crist, defensive end Wes Horton, and linebacker Anthony McDonald were all selected for the 2008 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

“You’ve got to stop the quarterback,” Brinkley said. “He’s like the Los Alamitos guy [Clark Evans]. He can run and throw. He’s definitely a double threat in terms of that. He can present problems scrambling around if we don’t keep him contained.”

Horton also presents challenges on defense since the Knights (8-2) don’t just play him outside, but shift him around the line.

It means that the Sailors can’t force the run when Notre Dame stacks the box, and that much of the Tars’ offensive success depends on junior quarterback Andrew McDonald making quick, effective reads before anyone gets to him.

“He’s done a good job of recognizing things,” Brinkley said. “He gets better every week. He’s really starting to figure things out. I think we’ve given him a package this week that he feels comfortable with.”

If McDonald can get into a rhythm and find his second and third options, the Sailors have a better chance of moving the ball and not getting stuck in long-yardage situations on second and third downs.

“Hopefully Andrew can get us into a pass play and exploit their man coverage,” Brinkley said. “A lot of it’s going to be us recognizing the pass-run ratio that they give us. We’re going to have to check into a pass play and give ourselves a chance to be successful.”

The winners from the two games will face off in the quarterfinals, Nov. 23.

Part of the reasoning behind playing Poly in the preseason wasn’t just to prepare the Tars for a tough Sunset League schedule, it was also because the Jackrabbits represented the caliber of teams Newport Harbor would face assuming the team made it into the playoffs.

The Sailors went to the playoffs for seven straight years before missing the postseason last year, which was their first year playing in the shakeup that took them out of Division V and the Sea View League and put them in the much-tougher Pac-5 Division and the Sunset League.

Brinkley has said before that the Tars were victims of their own success.

This is Newport Harbor’s 17th trip to the playoffs under Brinkley, who’s in his 22nd year.

The Sailors have a 27-18 postseason record under Brinkley. Newport Harbor has won three CIF championships in seven title-game appearances, under Brinkley, whose teams have been eliminated twice in the semifinals and four times in the quarterfinals.

SORAYA NADIA McDONALD may be reached at (714) 966-4613 or at soraya.mcdonald@latimes.com.