Prep football: Irvine takes decision

Barry Faulkner

IRVINE - Twice in the last nine seasons, the prep football

pugilists from Newport Harbor High and Irvine have squared off for a

second round. But, after Friday’s 19-14 Irvine victory to open Sea View

League play at the winners’ field, only the fans could look forward to a

rematch.

“I hope we never see Newport again this year, I’ll tell you that,”

said satisfied, but spent Irvine Coach Terry Henigan, whose team lost

both rounds to the Sailors last season, including the CIF Southern

Section Division VI title game, by a combined three points.

Sailors Coach Jeff Brinkley, now 5-6 against the Vaqueros in his

illustrious career, was also hesitant to talk about a rematch, but for a

different reason.

“We’ve got to regroup and take care of some problems of our own,” said

Brinkley, who was openly critical of his team’s poor special teams play,

which led directly to three Irvine scores. “We’ve got Laguna Hills next

week, so we need to take care of some breakdowns on special teams before

we can ever worry about these (Vaqueros) again.”

Irvine (6-0 and ranked No. 3 in Division VI and No. 5 in Orange

County, made Harbor, No. 3 in Division VI, worry about coming from

behind. The Vaqs cashed in a pair of ill-fated punts to seize a 9-0

cushion with 4:29 left in the first quarter.

The Vaqs’ first possession began at the Harbor 42, after a 19-yard

punt. Eight plays later, Godfrey Young, one of only three non-seniors on

the team, scored on a 1-yard run.

After the Tars went three-and-out a second straight time, senior Dan

Beuchat blocked a Harbor punt to set the hosts up at the Newport 20.

David Doomey, who missed the first conversion kick, made amends with a

37-yard field goal and the Sailors, who rallied for both wins over Irvine

last fall, were in a hole.

Harbor, led by hammerhead tailback Chris Manderino (172 yards on 34

carries), drove 79 yards on 15 plays to get on the board. Manderino, who

carried 10 times on the drive, capped it with a 1-yard touchdown and

Brian Gaeta added the PAT with 9:36 left before halftime.

The Vaqs answered back, however, eating nearly 7 1/2 minutes on a 13-play procession that ended in a 31-yard Doomey field goal.

What Brinkley termed poor kickoff coverage put the Vaqs in business to

start the second half as Young, who had already returned two kickoffs or

TDs this season, burst 69 yards to the Harbor 24 to open the third

period.

Two plays later, Travis Otott (11 for 16 for 132 yards) hit Josh Short

on a 15-yard corner route to help build a 19-7 cushion.

An overthrown pass on an Irvine fake punt attempt set up Harbor’s

final scoring drive, an 11-play, 40-yard march capped by Manderino’s

1-yard TD run with 10:41 left in the game.

The Tars (4-2) had two final tries to take the lead, but three

straight incompletions ended their final drive at the Irvine 28 with 1:24

left and the Vaqs simply ran out the clock.

After Irvine scored on its first four possessions, the Harbor defense

held Irvine to 37 yards the final 23 minutes.

But Irvine’s defense was also stingy.

“Manderino was awesome, but we kept hitting him, and hitting him,”

Henigan said. “Our defense played hard. This one is sweet but it’s one

game. Newport always brings out the best in us. I don’t think we could

play much better than that.”