Sailors’ season done

For a photo gallery of the game, click here.

NEWPORT BEACH — Something about tattered, threadbare Davidson Field agrees with Melvin Richardson.

It’s where the Long Beach Poly High junior running back got his first start this year, rushing six times for 80 yards when Newport Harbor and Poly met for the first time.

Richardson’s encore performance Friday night was much more memorable. He rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns in the Jackrabbits’ 35-14 win over the Sailors (8-4) in the CIF Southern Section Pac-5 Division quarterfinals.

Even with the wind kicking up dust, there wasn’t much to obscure the sight of Richardson’s speedy legs and the back of his No. 29 jersey heading toward the outside, and then up the sidelines.

The Sailors were unable to contain the Jackrabbits’ run game or muster much of their own. Poly (12-1) accumulated 282 yards of rushing offense compared to just 20 for the Tars.

Junior running back Daveon Barner also found success, and finished with 126 yards and one touchdown on 18 carries, helping to extend Poly’s winning streak to 11 games.

Jackrabbits coach Raul Lara said he expected to see a more physical performance than the he did when the two schools met Sept. 14. Poly won 34-7.

But Poly’s front line still made things exceedingly difficult for the Sailors’ run game, and forced them to throw more than usual. Junior quarterback Andrew McDonald was 10 for 20 for 162 yards. The only time he threw more this season was against Poly in September, where he was 15 for 22 for 143 yards.

“We had trouble stopping the run and we had trouble running the ball,” said Newport Harbor coach Jeff Brinkley. “They’re really good up front. That’s one of their big strengths is their front people and they’re very difficult to run the ball on. Obviously, they run it very well.”

Poly will face Orange Lutheran in the semifinals Nov 30. Lutheran defeated Edison, 28-16, in a Pac-5 quarterfinal contest.

Early in the first half, Newport Harbor looked as though it retained the discipline that allowed the Sailors to beat Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks in the first round of the playoffs.

JB Green intercepted a pass from Poly quarterback Morgan Fennell and ran up the left sideline for a 44-yard return. Newport Harbor capitalized on the turnover after three straight Poly penalties moved the ball from the Jackrabbits’ nine-yard line to the one. McDonald ran the ball in for the score.

“He made the great pick and set us up in good position to get some points on the board,” Brinkley said. “It probably made them a little more conservative in that they really focused on the run.”

Despite the short momentum shift, Newport Harbor was scoreless for the next two quarters, and two turnovers resulted in touchdowns for the Jackrabbits.

Green fumbled a punt return late in the first half, and Poly recovered the ball inside the Newport Harbor five-yard line. It took three tries for Richardson to muscle the ball through for a touchdown. The Tars exited at halftime trailing 28-7.

Newport Harbor fumbled another punt return in the end zone, which Vaughn Telemaque recovered early in the fourth quarter. It was Poly’s last score of the game.

McDonald found Green with 4:08 left for Newport Harbor’s second and last touchdown, a 69-yard pass which Green ran up the right sideline.

The return to the quarterfinals was a marked improvement for the Tars, who missed the playoffs last season. They had made seven straight playoff appearances before missing the 2006 postseason.

“Our three losses going into tonight’s game were all with teams that were all still in the final eight of this division,” Brinkley said. “I think we made a step here. We made progress in terms of making it to the second round of this division. It’s a step in the right direction, and obviously, we’ve got to keep getting better. We’ve got a long way to go. You’ve got to really be able to put nine weeks in a row together really playing your very best in this division. There’s no down time.”

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

FIRST QUARTER

NH – McDonald 1 run (Freiberg kick), 5:59.

LBP – Barner 5 run (Heinze kick), 0:44.

SECOND QUARTER

LBP – Richardson 29 run (Heinze kick), 9:12.

LBP – Barner 38 run (Heinze kick), 5:18

LBP – Richardson 1 run (Heinze kick), 0:19.

FOURTH QUARTER

LBP – Telemaque recovers fumble in end zone (Heinze kick), 10:25.

NH – Green 69 pass from McDonald (Freiberg kick), 4:08.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

LBP – Richardson, 23-132, 2 TDs; Barner, 18-126, 1 TD; Fennell, 2-18; Martinez, 3-6.

NH – Miller, 1-12; Frazier, 9-7; McDonald, 1-1, 1 TD.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

LBP – Fennell, 4-10-1, 74.

NH – McDonald, 10-20-0, 162, 1 TD.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

LBP – Norrell, 4-74.

NH – Green 3-94, 1 TD; Pyle, 4-39; Kula, 1-12; Miller, 1-11; Frazier, 1-6.