Prep football: CdM balancing act impressive

Barry Faulkner

NEWPORT BEACH - It took the Corona del Mar High football team four

weeks to finally eke out a victory. Now, in its final Pacific Coast

League tuneup against visiting Westminster Friday at Newport Harbor High,

the Sea Kings have a blowout to to show for their preleague slate.

And, perhaps most importantly, CdM (2-3), which thumped the Lions,

38-15, has something to show opposing PCL defenses who aim to turn the

box into their own personal mosh pit.

CdM failed to complete a pass in six tries before halftime against

Westminster’s eight- and nine-man fronts. Thanks to a methodical and

explosive ground attack, however, the hosts did manage a 10-7 lead.

But, after making some blocking adjustments to pick up linebackers

flooding the center-guard gap on every other play, CdM junior quarterback

Dylan Hendy rolled out of the pocket and began rolling up the score,

connecting on two third-quarter touchdown passes which eventually allowed

CdM coaches to empty the bench.

Hendy hit Charlie Alshuler, who had maneuvered 10 yards behind the

secondary, for a 27-yard TD one play after senior outside linebacker Nick

Prosser intercepted a Lion pass in the flat.

The score, the first of four straight Hendy completions, gave CdM a

10-point cushion with 10:15 left in the third quarter. But the aerial

fireworks had just begun.

CdM fumbled the ball away on its next possession, the team’s third

lost fumble of the night. But, after one of Westminster’s six punts, CdM

needed just four plays to march 72 yards and make the outcome all but

academic.

After two runs and a short pass earned them a first down, the Sea

Kings again went to the air, as Hendy lofted a sideline strike to senior

wideout Matt Moore, who outran his toasted defender for a 57-yard

touchdown play.

Jon-Luke Del Fante, whose 42-yard field goal midway through the second

quarter broke a 7-7 deadlock, added the third of his five conversion

kicks and it was 24-7 with 46 seconds left in the third quarter.

Joe Barber came in for Hendy on the CdM’s subsequent possession and

completed all three of his passes, the final connection an 11-yard toss

to fullback Matt Cooper, who found paydirt to cap the five-play, 43-yard

procession.

It took the Sea Kings 35 offensive plays to get their 10 first-half

points, but, finding success through the air, they scored 21 points in 13

offensive snaps after halftime.

“We handled the pressure, which is something people have given us

trouble with over the years,” CdM Coach Dick Freeman said. “We made a

(blocking) adjustment and our quarterbacks finally relaxed back there and

made some throws. We have to establish we can not only throw, but we can

hurt teams doing it. I think we did that tonight.”

Hendy finished his perfect second half (4 of 4) with 129 passing

yards, while Barber (3 for 3) added 37 passing yards.

Moore had 77 yards on two catches while Alshuler chalked up 67 on his

two grabs to complement a running game anchored by the hard-charging

senior Blake Hacker.

Hacker, who went for 209 yards in last week’s 38-35 triumph over

Saddleback, had 133 of his 151 yards Friday night by halftime. His

42-yard scoring jaunt just 2:30 into the contest capped a possession

which began after a 91-yard Moore kickoff return to the end zone was

nullified by offsetting penalties.

Hacker carried seven times on a 12-play march that set up Del Fante’s

field goal.

But Westminster (0-4-1), which had not scored in three of its games

this fall, answered Hacker’s first score, set up when Tony Flores

recovered a CdM fumble at the Lions’ 45.

After a 15-yard run, Christian Chamberlain bolted 40 yards around the

left side, through some phantom CdM tackles, to knot the score with 5:47

left in the first period.

The CdM defense, however, turned Westminster away after the Lions

recovered another fumble at the Sea Kings’ 14 just more than a minute

later.

Prosser and tackle Jayson Skalla combined on to stuff a run for no

gain, then senior tackle Peter Skoutelas sacked Westminster’s Fidel

Gonzales for a 10-yard loss on second down. Bart Welch broke up a

third-down pass at the goal line and the Lions’ 46-yard field-goal

attempt came up short.

The CdM starting defense rose to every subsequent challenge as

Alshuler added an interception and senior middle linebacker Taumata Grey

recovered a fumble to highlight several big plays.

Westminster scored against CdM’s reserves late in the game.

Hendy said the offensive balance and the margin of victory should give

CdM more confidence head into Friday’s PCL opener against Costa Mesa,

with whom they shared the 1999 league crown, Friday at Newport Harbor.