Two-Minute Drill: Norris set to break NHHS record
Cole Norris should set the school’s all-time passing yardage mark when Newport Harbor High plays its last nonleague game of the season at Mira Costa on Friday night.
Norris needs just 81 more yards to break the record, as he now has 5,284 career passing yards. The Newport Harbor mark is held by former USC quarterback Shane Foley, who finished with 5,364 yards.
Norris completed 21 of 35 passes for 221 yards against San Clemente, with a five-yard touchdown pass to Jack Rapillo and an interception that came on a Hail Mary to end the first half. For the season, the Northern Arizona commit has 862 passing yards, 10 touchdown passes and just two interceptions, both of which came on deflected passes.
— Matt Szabo
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•The long field meant a long evening for the Costa Mesa High offense in a 13-8 nonleague loss to Savanna on Friday at Jim Scott Stadium.
After a shanked punt on Savanna’s first possession set the Mustangs up at the Rebels’ 43-yard line, Costa Mesa’s average starting position on its remaining eighth possessions was its own 20-yard line. The Mustangs never again began a drive beyond their own 30-yard line.
Savanna’s field position was only slightly better, as its average starting position on six of its nine possessions was its own 28-yard line. But the Rebels recovered two fumbles at the Mesa 23 and 14, the latter leading to a field goal.
The visitors also benefited from a 30-yard loss on an errant punt snap to the Mesa seven-yard line that set up the visitors’ winning touchdown with 1:39 left.
— Barry Faulkner
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•Costa Mesa Coach Wally Grant said his players were devastated by the loss, which ended when the final play from the Savanna three-yard line resulted in a sack to run out the clock.
When asked how crushing the defeat was for his players, Grant said: “Very. They knew they had a chance to win this game.”
— Barry Faulkner
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•The Sea Kings lost at Tesoro, 28-14, last Friday, suffering their first setback since Sept. 21, 2012. Four turnovers and miscues on special teams killed any hope CdM had of extending its impressive run.
“Honestly, we never talked about, you know, a number,” said CdM Coach Scott Meyer, whose program holds the fourth longest winning streak in Orange County history and matched Norco for the 10th longest winning streak in CIF Southern Section history. “Really, a lot of times we didn’t even know what the number was. Honestly, [we] never said, ‘Hey, let’s get No. 29 or 30.’ It was really always about the next opponent.
“When you think about [how many games in a row we won], it’s a pretty good number.”
The team won big games during the stretch, two CIF Southern Section Southern Section titles and a CIF State Division III crown. More than half of the streak’s triumphs came last year during CdM’s 16-0 historic season.
The Sea Kings outscored the opposition, 1,038-278 during their 30-game winning streak, which used to be the longest active one for an 11-man program in California. The title now belongs to Romoland Heritage, which has ripped off 15 straight victories.
The Sea Kings (4-1) have to wait before they can return to their winning ways. They’re on a bye this week. Their Pacific Coast League opener is at Irvine on Oct. 10.
The Sea Kings enter the matchup having won their past 10 league contests.
— David Carrillo Peñaloza
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•Senior Riley Gaddis was the starting tailback for the Newport Harbor High football team in Friday night’s 47-24 nonleague loss to San Clemente at Davidson Field.
With senior Chance Siemonsma out for the season with a torn ACL and MCL suffered the week before against Corona del Mar, Brinkley went with Gaddis in the backfield. He had 11 carries for 27 yards, including a two-yard rushing touchdown. Gaddis also caught six passes for 69 yards.
Brinkley said he also wanted to feature sophomore Cole Kinder in the running game, but the opportunity didn’t present itself when the Sailors (1-3) fell behind San Clemente early. Kinder did not get into the game at running back until the Sailors’ final possession of the game, when sophomore Michael Bonds replaced senior Cole Norris at quarterback.
Kinder, listed at 6-foot-1 and 184 pounds, ran hard. He totalled 88 yards on just 10 carries. That included runs of 32, 20 and 14 yards.
“We really wanted to get his feet wet tonight, but the game just didn’t play out that way,” Brinkley said. “If we can get him int he mix, obviously he can run it ... He was running against the JV guys [on that last drive], but he runs the ball hard and he’s got a little speed. He’s a big kid.”
— Matt Szabo
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•The Sea Kings are hurting in the backfield.
Cole Martin made his return last week from a right sprained knee injury, a quick recovery since CdM expected the senior to be out at least three more weeks. Martin only missed one game, the Battle of the Bay at Newport Harbor.
“He didn’t really practice all week [leading up to Tesoro],” Meyer said. “He got fitted for that brace late in the week. He felt pretty good.”
Martin replaced sophomore Jaydin Moses 25 seconds after Moses fumbled late in the first quarter. Meyer said Moses went into the game with an injured foot, and he only carried the ball once more after his fumble. Moses left early in the second quarter, finishing with four carries for 10 yards.
Martin rushed 11 times for 44 yards, three of those carries coming in the third quarter. Martin never touched the ball in the fourth quarter, even though CdM trailed Tesoro, 21-14, in the first 8 minutes of the fourth.
“At that point, we were just going to keep [Martin] off,” Meyer said as to why he went with Hugh Crance at running back late, instead of Martin.
“[He] wasn’t the usual Cole Martin, but he’s a warrior. He played great for his condition.”
— David Carrillo Peñaloza
Before Coach Matt Poston led Tesoro past CdM last week, he was the last coach to beat the Sea Kings.
Both of his wins against CdM have come when his team is at home. The previous one was when Poston was in charge of Capistrano Valley, which beat CdM, 24-7, on Sept. 21, 2012.
— David Carrillo Peñaloza
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•Brinkley knew it would be tough to stop the offense of San Clemente (5-0), led by USC-bound senior quarterback Sam Darnold. Darnold passed for 291 yards and three touchdowns in the game, adding an interception that was deflected and grabbed by Gaddis.
San Clemente is averaging 47.4 points per game. Following Corona del Mar’s loss at Tesoro, the Tritons took over the top spot in the CIF Southern Section Southwest Division coaches’ poll.
Newport Harbor missed opportunites on offense to hang with San Clemente. The Sailors had the ball in Tritons territory on four of their six drives in the first half, yet the half ended with San Clemente up, 27-10.
The Sailors had a chance to cut their deficit to 20-17 midway through the second quarter, but fumbled the ball away at the San Clemente nine-yard line. On its next drive, Newport Harbor got the ball to the San Clemente eight-yard line.
But a big unsportsmanlike conduct penalty moved Newport Harbor back 15 yards. After two incomplete passes, a 40-yard field goal attempt was blocked with 1:01 remaining in the first half.
— Matt Szabo
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•Costa Mesa regained the services of Mason Mataafa against Savanna, after the junior running back and linebacker sat out the previous week against Los Amigos due to a concussion.
But Mataafa, who averaged 19 carries the first three games, had just three rushing attempts for seven yards on Friday. He did sparkle on defense, however, playing both inside and outside linebacker.
— Barry Faulkner
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•Sage Hill School missed a chance to move above .500 for the first time in three years, losing to Escondido Classical Academy, 29-21, at Orange Glen High last Saturday.
Sage Hill (2-3) also lost two tailbacks to injuries, senior Beau Roth and junior Dejongh Henry. Roth exited after going down for a one-yard loss on the first play from scrimmage and Henry went down on specials team late in the nonleague game.
Coach Tom Kirchmeyer didn’t disclose the injuries, only saying Roth and Henry were kept out for precautionary reasons. Henry led the Lighting in carries (eight) for 31 yards.
Next for Sage Hill is a home game against Walnut Southlands Christian (1-3) on Friday at 7 p.m. The team wraps up nonleague action, before its Academy League opener at home against rival St. Margaret’s on Oct. 10.
— David Carrillo Peñaloza
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•Sage Hill couldn’t stop Classical Academy’s ground game, allowing 373 yards and two touchdowns on 51 carries.
The biggest rushes came on fourth down, a fake punt going for a 59-yard touchdown in the third quarter and a quarterback sneak going for a 51-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Sage Hill, from the CIF Southern Section East Valley Division, played a CIF San Diego Section Division 5 team for the second time in as many weeks. Since 2006, Sage Hill is 5-10 against teams from the CIF San Diego Section.
— David Carrillo Peñaloza
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•Grant said he had only three seniors among 22 starters against Savanna, adding to the work-in-progress theme that will continue with a bye week before the Mustangs (0-5) open Orange Coast League play against Laguna Beach on Oct. 10 at Jim Scott Stadium.
Costa Mesa won the league championship last season.
— Barry Faulkner
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•Grant credited Savanna’s defensive game plan, which called for the Rebels to stack the box to stop the Mustangs’ smashmouth double-wing scheme that Mesa has adopted for the past two games.
Mesa, however, had completions for 36 and 34 yards on its final possession and a would-be 30-yard touchdown pass on fourth down of the Mustangs’ first possession was barely broken up in the end zone by a retreating Rebels defender in the end zone.
Costa Mesa junior quarterback Sammy Swanson, who had four completions for 29 yards and had not completed a pass in the previous two games, completed two of four passes for 70 yards Friday.
— Barry Faulkner
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•With its first loss since Sept. 21, 2012, CdM dropped to No. 2 in the CIF Southern Section Southwest Division poll.
San Clemente jumped ahead of the Sea Kings with its 47-24 win at Newport Harbor last week. The Tritons improved to 5-0.
— David Carrillo Peñaloza
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•Midway through Sage Hill’s regular season, quarterback CJ McCord is close to surpassing his stats from last year.
McCord, a senior, has passed for 974 yards and 11 touchdowns, with only two interceptions. He threw for 1,504 yards and 13 touchdowns with three interceptions as a junior.
McCord has almost doubled last year’s rushing yards, gaining 124 yards on 15 carries.
— David Carrillo Peñaloza