Football: CdM’s Barbato can play offense too
Leading up to last week’s football game, Corona del Mar High’s Barrett Barbato switched sides. He went from strong safety to lining up at tailback in practice.
All week CdM’s defense gave Barbato an earful before its Pacific Coast League game against Woodbridge.
“They kept calling me a traitor,” Barbato said with a laugh.
The defense understood why it lost Barbato to offense, but it lost a leader. Barbato is the player who runs his mouth, leading the team’s pregame chant. The Sea Kings now needed Barbato to run the ball.
Injuries have ravaged the Sea Kings’ backfield. Their No. 1 running back, Cole Martin, suffered a knee injury and concussion, knocking him out for the second time. Their No. 2 running back, Jaydin Moses, was going to miss time for the second consecutive game with a foot injury. Their No. 3 running back, Hugh Crance, tweaked his knee and he wasn’t going to carry the ball for the second straight game.
With three backs down, Barbato made his first varsity start at running back last week. The senior, who is also a sprinter on the CdM boys’ track and field team, is used to fast starts. He bolted to one against Woodbridge at Newport Harbor High.
On his first carry, Barbato rushed for a 62-yard touchdown. He touched the ball eight more times on offense, finishing with eight carries for 114 yards and two touchdowns, and one catch for 14 yards. The Sea Kings sat him in the second half because they were on their way to a 41-3 rout of Woodbridge and their 12th straight win in league play.
The Sea Kings (6-1, 2-0 in league), ranked No. 1 in the CIF Southern Section Southwest Division, are finding ways to win, even with their top two running backs out of action and their No. 1 quarterback, Peter Bush, nursing an ankle injury. Barbato wasn’t the only player making his first start on offense last week. Chase Garbers, a sophomore, started at quarterback for Bush, and he matched Barbato’s touchdown total on the ground, while completing 15 of 20 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns.
The exchange from Garbers to Barbato in the zone-read offense worked to perfection. It isn’t as easy as it seems, but Barbato credits the smooth transition to the repetitions in practice. Barbato said he knows the ball is his to run with when the quarterback pulls one hand off the ball. When the quarterback uses both hands to pull the ball out, the ball belongs to the quarterback.
On CdM’s first offensive play, Barbato figured the ball would stay with him. The Sea Kings came out with a formation featuring two wide receivers on each side. Woodbridge played man-to-man defense, the cornerbacks covering the two outside receivers and the safeties the two receivers inside. With no high safety in the middle, once Barbato popped through the line of scrimmage, no one was going to catch the 6-foot-1, 195-pounder.
“It was a great feeling,” Barbato said of scoring his first offensive touchdown on varsity, a year after returning an interception 58 yards for a touchdown in CdM’s 27-15 win against Atherton Sacred Heart Prep in the CIF State Division III Bowl Game. “I like playing safety. I also still like playing running back, though.”
Barbato, who has Yale interested in him as a defensive player, is going to keep carrying the ball for CdM.
With Martin and Moses not ready to return Friday, Sea Kings Coach Scott Meyer said Barbato will play running back when CdM plays host to University (3-4, 0-2) at Davidson Field at 7 p.m. Meyer said he hopes Martin can make it back next week against Beckman, and Moses for the league finale in two weeks against Northwood.
The contest with Northwood might be for the league crown.
Both CdM and Northwood enter Friday with identical overall and league records. Barbato said the two-time defending league champion Sea Kings aren’t looking past University, which they have beaten in each of the last four years, and Beckman, which they have defeated in three of the last four meetings.
“Beside the injuries, I like where we’re at,” said Meyer, who also plans to run Dylan Tucker for the second straight week. “If for some reason [Martin and Moses] don’t come back, [Barbato has showed he is] more than capable.
“We’re just lucky to have him. He’s done a great job on defense, and having him step up on offense for us with the injuries is huge.”
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Barrett Barbato
Born: Oct. 2, 1996
Hometown: Newport Beach
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 195 pounds
Sport: Football
Year: Senior
Coach: Scott Meyer
Favorite food: His dad’s pasta
Favorite movie: “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy”
Favorite athletic moment: “Winning state last year.”
Week in review: Barbato made his first varsity start at running back, rushing eight times for 114 yards and two touchdowns, while catching one pass for 14 yards in the Sea Kings’ 41-3 win against Woodbridge.