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Football Preview: Newport Harbor vs. Los Alamitos

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Newport Harbor (3-3, 1-0) vs. Los Alamitos (5-1, 1-0)

When/where: Friday, 7 p.m. at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach

Key Sailors: Sr. QB Cole Norris (121 of 180 passing for 1,503 yards, 20 TDs and four INTs; Sr. WR-LB Keaton Cablay (48 catches for 626 yards and 10 TDs); Sr. LB-RB-WR Riley Gaddis (23 catches for 416 yards and six TDs); Sr. DE Brett Beaudette

Key Griffins: Jr. QB Jack Telenko (86 of 138 passing for 1,206 yards, 12 TDs and three INTs); Sr. RB Denzal Brantley (77 carries for 425 yards and two TDs); Jr. WR Jacob Gasser (23 catches for 309 yards and five TDs); Sr. LB Matt Locher (95 tackles, one sack)

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Breakdown: Newport Harbor faces Sunset League favorite Los Alamitos, which is looking for its first league title in four years … Griffins, ranked No. 8 in the CIF Southern Section West Valley Division poll, have dropped three straight to the Sailors, twice in overtime, 27-24 in 2013 and 31-28 in 2012 … Sailors are averaging 33.8 points per game, while allowing 32.3 points per game … Los Alamitos averages 34.3 points and gives up 11.3 points … Newport Harbor, which has finished runner-up in league the past two seasons, shared second place with Los Alamitos last year … Game features two head coaches who are in their 37th overall season … Griffins Coach John Barnes has won the fourth-most games (315) in California, while Sailors Coach Jeff Brinkley is tied for No. 21 (260) … A Newport Harbor victory most likely sets up a first-place showdown next week with defending league champion Edison, which the Sailors haven’t beaten in 35 years.

— David Carrillo Peñaloza

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