CdM rules the Bay

After three quarters, the Battle of the Bay featured a measly 10 points. The last time the rivalry football game finished that way was 20 years ago, and Newport Harbor High was on the winning side back then.

Oh how things have changed in the Back Bay.

Corona del Mar slugged it out for three quarters with the Sailors, and it pulled away in the fourth for a 24-3 win in front of a sold-out crowd of 7,600 at Orange Coast College on Thursday night. The 54th edition of the Battle of the Bay went to CdM, making it three straight wins against Newport Harbor.

Fans have to go back to the start of the Jeff Brinkley era with the Sailors for the previous time the Sea Kings have won three in a row in the rivalry.

The 62-year-old Brinkley, who is in his 30th season in charge of Newport Harbor, had his team in the game through the first three quarters, Newport Harbor trailed, 7-3. The play that broke the visiting team’s back was the one that ended the third quarter.

Faced with a fourth-and-four on the Sailors’ 43, CdM decided to go for it and quarterback Chase Garbers delivered a pass to wideout Billy Shaw, who broke a tackle at the 38 and raced all the way down to the five for a 38-yard pick up. The play gave CdM (3-1), ranked No. 8 in the CIF Southern Section Southwest Division poll, the momentum, opening the fourth quarter ready to add to its lead.

Garbers wound up rushing for his second two-yard touchdown, on a sneak 35 seconds into the fourth. Garbers, who hasn’t thrown a touchdown in the last eight quarters he has played in, including CdM’s 13-7 loss at El Toro last week, showed he could beat teams with his legs as well.

“This week, especially after last week, where he hasn’t run the ball all year, we asked him this week, ‘Chase, we need you to carry the ball, rather than throw the ball,’ and he answered the [call],” Sea Kings Coach Dan O’Shea said. “That was the one advantage we had against Newport Harbor is running our quarterback, and we needed him to do it and he manned up.”

Garbers proved to be a dual threat against the Sailors, preventing them from starting 3-0 for the first time in five years. The junior completed 23 of 36 passes for 238 yards, while rushing 15 times for 48 yards.

Another standout performer was tailback Thomas Walker, who ended CdM’s streak of not having a 100-yard rusher in its past four games dating back to last season. Walker finished with 14 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown. The two-yard score iced the game with 1:47 left.

The Sea Kings wound up scoring 17 points in the final 12 minutes. Jason Neiger provided three on a 32-yard field goal midway through the fourth. CdM still trails in the series with Newport Harbor, which holds a 38-16 edge.

“We were in the game [before that pass to end the third quarter], but we just stalled out offensively the first half when we had a couple of decent drives going,” said Brinkley, whose team finished with 81 rushing yards and 171 passing yards. “We did enough defensively to win the game. If we would’ve put some points on the board, I think it would’ve been a little tighter.”

The Sailors fell behind in the first quarter. After punter Riley Blake pinned CdM inside its five-yard line with a 40-yard punt, the Sea Kings moved in a hurry.

They drove 98 yards in 15 plays, using a little more than five minutes to find the end zone. Garbers capped the drive with his fifth run, and this one went for a two-yard touchdown. With 4:39 left in the opening quarter, CdM led, 7-0.

The score stayed that way for the next 15 minutes of action. The Sailors turned the ball over twice, each time when they got near CdM’s 30-yard line. They turned the ball over on downs late in the first quarter when tailback Cole Kinder was unable to hold onto a pass that would’ve moved the chains, and then midway through the second, quarterback Michael Bonds fumbled the exchange to receiver Reed Rutter.

The Sea Kings were unable to capitalize on either of the situations. Their best chance was after the fumble, which lineman Bryce Claybaugh recovered and returned 13 yards to near midfield. The Sea Kings wound up on Newport Harbor’s 24, but after a delay-of-game penalty on fourth down moved the ball five yards back. Instead of Neiger attempting a 46-yard field goal, CdM went for it on fourth down and Garbers threw an incomplete pass.

On the ensuing possession, the Sailors managed to put together their best drive. They ran 14 plays, reaching CdM’s five-yard line. Bonds moved the chains twice with his legs, scrambling out of the pocket for an 18-yard run on third-and-16, and three plays later, he gained 14 yards to set up the offense with a first down on the Sea Kings’ four.

Nevertheless, CdM’s defense held. Linebacker Blake Kormos stuffed Kinder for a one-yard loss on first down, and safety Sutton Barbato broke up a second-down pass. An incomplete on third down forced Newport Harbor to settle for a 22-yard field goal. Blake converted the field goal with 1:31 left before halftime, cutting CdM’s lead to 7-3.

The start of the second half CdM appeared to get good field position on Reece Perez’s 29-yard kickoff return. However, CdM’s seventh penalty, a holding call nullified the return and CdM began on its 13, not on the 37.

After recording a first down, CdM went three-and-out and punted. There wasn’t much offense in the third quarter. There sure was a lot of hitting.

For the second time on the night, Perez took a shot after hauling in a pass. Cornerback Levi Hooper nailed Perez with 7:58 to go in the third, and the receiver stayed down for a while before he walked off the field bracing the right side of his body.

With Perez (seven catches for 75 yards) out, Garbers went to four different receivers in the third quarter. The play that made the difference was his last one in the third.

“That was the game-changer right there,” Garbers said. “It was great to finally run the ball more, and instead of using my arm, [I used] my legs for once.”

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Battle of the Bay

Corona del Mar 24, Newport Harbor 3

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Newport 0 – 3 – 0 – 0 — 3

CdM 7 – 0 – 0 – 17 — 24

FIRST QUARTER

CdM – Garbers 2 run (Neiger kick), 4:39.

SECOND QUARTER

NH – Blake 22 FG, 1:31.

FOURTH QUARTER

CdM – Garbers 2 run (Neiger kick), 11:25.

CdM – Neiger 32 FG, 6:04.

CdM – Walker 2 run (Neiger kick), 1:47.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

NH – Kinder, 18-78.

CdM – Moses, 14-100.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

NH – Bonds, 15-32-0, 171.

CdM – Garbers, 23-36-0, 238.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

NH – Rapillo, 6-53.

CdM – Perez, 7-75.