High School Football Preview: Newport Harbor vs. Huntington Beach

Newport Harbor (5-4, 3-1) vs. Huntington Beach (4-5, 1-3)

When/where: Friday, 7 p.m. at Huntington Beach High

Key Sailors: Sr. OT-DT Ramsey Hufford; Sr. WR-CB-KR-PR Quest Truxton (49 catches for 832 yards and 10 TDs, two INTs returned for TDs); Jr. LB Riley Gaddis

Key Oilers: Sr. QB Kai Ross (1,603 yards, 17 TDs and five INTs on 115 of 214 passing); Jr. Maurice Barber (34 catches for 624 yards and seven TDs); So. RB Hunter Simmons (657 yards and three TDs on 91 carries)

Breakdown: Newport Harbor went into the week in a three-way tie for first place in the Sunset League with defending champion Edison and Los Alamitos … Sailors moved closer to clinching a berth into the CIF Southern Section Southwest Division playoffs with Fountain Valley’s 10-7 upset of No. 3-ranked Los Alamitos on Thursday … If No. 7 Newport Harbor loses to Huntington Beach and falls to 3-2 in league, it holds the head-to-head edge against both Fountain Valley and Los Alamitos, which each finished 3-2 … Sailors can claim a share of the league crown and one of the league’s three automatic postseason entries with a victory in the regular-season finale … Edison is expected to get past lowly Marina, which last won a league game in 2004 … Huntington Beach, which is in fifth place in league, was picked by coaches before the season to finish second in the league … Newport Harbor last won the league title in 2008, sharing it with four other teams … If Newport Harbor and Edison both lose, four teams would finish in a first-place tie at 3-2 … Edison has wins against Newport Harbor and Fountain Valley … Newport Harbor has wins against Los Alamitos and Fountain Valley … Los Alamitos has a win against Edison … Fountain Valley has a win against Los Alamitos.

— David Carrillo Peñaloza