Prep football: Battle of the Bay XL
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Barry Faulkner
COSTA MESA - High school football programs across the Southland
settle back more of a routine this week. For Back Bay rivals Corona del
Mar and Newport Harbor, there is nothing more familiar than squaring off
against one another in the Battle of the Bay.
Friday’s 7 p.m. contest at Orange Coast College marks the 40th game of
the classic and contentious series, renewed annually since 1963. The
Sailors and Sea Kings played twice in 1992, the second a classic showdown
in the CIF Southern Section Division IV semifinals.
Since the two schools entered separate leagues and CIF playoff
divisions last year, however, this has become truly a one-shot deal. Win
and savor the spoils -- the perpetual bell trophy and bragging rights --
for at least a year; for a lifetime if you graduate next spring.
Newport Harbor (1-0-1) enters ranked No. 7 in Orange County and No. 3
in the most recent CIF Division VI poll. The Sailors tied Orange Lutheran
in the opener, then crushed Marina, 28-0.
CdM, ranked No. 4 in the most recent CIF Division IX poll, rallied to
defeat Cypress, 42-17, in Week 1, then saw a 21-point lead vanish in a
34-34 tie against Troy last week.
Coach Dick Freeman’s Sea Kings rank No. 2 in Orange County in points
scored (76), while Coach Jeff Brinkley’s Sailors boast the county’s No. 1
scoring defense, yielding just 3.5 points per game.
Though much more prolific on the scoreboard, CdM holds just a slight
advantage over Harbor in total offense, 688 yards to 622, this fall.
The Sea Kings, however, have surrendered 694 yards, to only 490
accumulated by offenses which have opposed Newport.
As comparisons go, a big discrepancy can be found in the combined
sizes of the Newport offensive line and the CdM defensive front seven.
Harbor’s blocking wall led by All-CIF senior tackle Robert Chai and
including tight end Joe Foley, averages 6-foot-4, 252 pounds.
Conversely, CdM’s four defensive linemen and three linebackers average
6-0 1/2, 201 pounds.
“When you have 290-pound people blocking, you don’t have to do
anything fancy,” said Freeman. “But we can’t let them run over us. They
have lead blockers and guys pulling, but we’ve got to knock that first
row down. When Marina did have some type of success, it’s line kept
Harbor’s from coming off the ball.”
Freeman said emotion, a constant when these players, many of whom were
youth football teammates, collide, could help CdM overcome the colossal
size disadvantage.
“It’s the kind of game high school football should be about,” Freeman
said. “It’s like a packed gym in basketball. It’s something you want to
be a part of.”
Brinkley also acknowledges the special atmosphere that will prevail at
OCC.
“What kids do in this game is probably going to be brought up yearly
for the rest of their lives,” Brinkley said. “Whether it’s in the
newspaper, talking to one of their old teammates, or just somebody in the
community, there is going to be something to tie them in with whatever
year they played in this game.”
Among those attempting to distinguish themselves will be Newport
Harbor junior tailback Dartangan Johnson.
With 395 rushing yards on 54 carries, he ranks third among county
ground gainers. He rolled up 208 yards against Marina.
CdM counters with a diversified ground game, paced by juniors Mark
Cianciulli and Keith Long.
Cianciulli has 176 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries, while
Long has added 109 yards and two TDs on 19 attempts.
CdM’s passing game is triggered by senior Dylan Hendy, who has
completed 17 of 29 for 242 yards and two TDs. He has thrown two
interceptions.
The CdM offensive front is keyed by returning second-team All-Pacific
Coast League performers Steven Russell, a senior tackle, and John Daley,
a junior guard.
Newport’s offensive front is also spearheaded by senior guard Bryan
Breland and Montana-bound senior center Jeff Marshall.
Newport quarterback Morgan Craig is a returning All-Newport-Mesa
District performer, who connected on 12 of 14 and threw four TD passes
against Marina. He is 20 of 31 for 194 yards on the season, without an
interception.
Craig is without favorite receiver Brian Gaeta, who continues to be
sidelined by a sprained ankle. But the Sailor receiving corps should
benefit from the return of senior Jon Vandersloot, who missed the first
two games with a shin problem.
Senior Adam Kerns (three catches for 71 yards and two TDs) and junior
Mike McDonald (three catches for 31 yards and one TD) are the starting
wideouts for the Tars.
CdM’s receivers are headed by senior Steven Ward (four catches for 40
yards and one TD), senior Paul Jones (four catches for 81 yards) and
junior Jeff Reed (three catches for 55 yards and one TD).
“(The Sea Kings) are certainly scoring some points and they’re
balanced with the run and the pass,” Brinkley said. “They’ll come out in
multiple sets and shift a lot and they usually have one or two trick
plays lined up.
“Last week, our plan was to stop Marina’s veer and make them throw.
This week, it’s more a matter of choosing your poison.”
Defensively, the Sailors have been led by senior tackle Scott Kohan,
senior outside linebacker Tyler Miller, senior middle linebacker Cory Ray
and Kerns at cornerback.
CdM defensive standouts include junior tackle Jayson Skalla, Reed, who
made 13 tackles last week at outside linebacker, and junior inside
linebacker Matt Cooper.
Steve Shipman, a two-way starter in the trenches, joins Cooper and
Tyler McClellan as Sea Kings who pull consistent double duty.
Newport Harbor leads the series, 27-12, including two straight wins
and six victories in the last seven meetings. Newport has also won 17 of
20 when the two schools have met outside of league competition.
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