Football: CdM gets back on track, wallops Warriors

With seven turnovers, one loss and an underwhelming win in the two previous games, Corona del Mar High football coach Scott Meyer was hoping the Sea Kings’ offense could clean up some mistakes.

It cleaned up all right.

The host Sea Kings, three-time defending CIF Southern Section division champions who share the No. 1 ranking this season in the Southwest Division, produced touchdowns on all six first-half possessions to run away from Woodbridge, 41-3, in a Pacific Coast League game Friday at Newport Harbor High.

Sophomore quarterback Chase Garbers, who started in place of junior Peter Bush (sidelined with a sprained ankle), completed 15 of 20 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns.

Senior Barrett Barbato made his debut at tailback and amassed 114 yards and two TDs on only eight rushing attempts to add an unexpected highlight for the winners (6-1, 2-0 in league).

Barbato bolted 62 yards up the middle for a touchdown on the Sea Kings’ first offensive play, enabling them to provide a quick answer to the Warriors’ opening drive that got to the CdM six-yard line, before the Warriors (4-3, 1-1) took the lead with a 28-yard field goal by Ryan Eisendrath.

A two-yard punt set CdM up on its next possession, on which it went 45 yards on seven plays, capped by the first of two one-yard touchdown runs by Garbers.

When Woodbridge fumbled two plays after the ensuing kickoff and CdM senior defensive end Harrison Carter recovered at the Warriors’ 26-yard line, the hosts, who have now won 12 straight league games and 14 in a row against PCL opponents including playoffs, cashed in again.

This time, it was a six-play march capped by a four-yard scoring flip from Garbers to senior receiver Cole Collins. Jason Neiger’s conversion kick put CdM up, 20-3, with 9:38 left in the half.

But a CdM offense that played without its top two running backs in senior Cole Martin (concussion) and sophomore Jaydin Moses (strained foot tendon), was just getting started.

A 70-yard Garbers bomb to sophomore Billy Shaw on a flea-flicker, gave the Sea Kings another one-play scoring strike midway through the second quarter.

And two more scoring drives followed to alleviate any suspense other than the halftime announcement of the homecoming queen.

CdM’s six first-half touchdown drives averaged five plays and 84 seconds of elapsed time.

“We cleaned it up,” Meyer said. “We had been talking about needing to do it on offense the last couple weeks and tonight It was pretty clean. I was pretty proud of the way [the Sea Kings] played on offense, defense and special teams.”

After the Warriors’ used 12 plays, including a 33-yard sideline bomb to cross midfield, to set up its field goal, the CdM defense cinched things down.

Senior end Chase Parker had two quarterback sacks to give him 12 for the season and 28 the last two years. He also tipped a pass at the line that junior outside linebacker Blake Kormos dived to intercept to halt Woodbridge’s opening possession of the second half.

Sophomore backup cornerback Cameron Kormos intercepted on Woodbridge’s next possession and sophomore backup tackle Teddy Barber had a pair of sacks and another tackle for a four-yard loss after halftime to exemplify the Sea Kings’ comprehensive dominance.

Barbato, who had been starting at safety, displayed determined running. On a third-quarter gain of 12 yards, he appeared to be stopped three times, before breaking loose along the right sideline. It seemed as if every member of the defense had a shot at him on the play.

“We worked him in the summer [at running back] and he got a few carries in our scrimmage,” Meyer said of 6-foot-1, 202-pounder. “But tonight was the first time out for him [on offense].”

Shaw had four receptions for 132 yards, while senior Bo St. Geme posted six catches for 37 yards to help Garbers and the Sea Kings consistently move the chains and find the end zone.

“That’s who we are,” Meyer told his players in the postgame gathering in the end zone. “That’s a great, freakin’ job.”

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Corona del Mar 41, Woodbridge 3

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Woodbridge 3 – 0 – 0 – 0 —3

CdM 7 – 34 – 0 – 0 — 41

FIRST QUARTER

Wood – Eisenrath 28 FG, 6:32.

CdM – Barbato 62 run (Neiger kick), 6:12.

SECOND QUARTER

CdM – Garbers 1 run (kick failed), 11:56.

CdM – Collins 4 pass from Garbers (Neiger kick), 9:38.

CdM – Shaw 70 pass from Garbers (Neiger kick), 6:22.

CdM – Barbato 1 run (Neiger kick), 2:13.

CdM – Garbers 1 run (Neiger kick), 0:12.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

Wood – Young, 11-65.

CdM – Barbato 8-114, 2 TDs; .

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

Wood – Pritchett, 6-14-1, 70.

CdM – Garbers, 15-20-0,140, 2 TDs.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

Wood – McBride, 2-29.

CdM – St. Geme, 6-39; Shaw, 4-132, 1 TD.