Lean and mean

Patrick Laverty

While the running back may grab most of the headlines, the

linebacking corps may make most of the tackles, and the all-league

wide receiver may dazzle the fans with his playmaking ability,

Newport Harbor High Coach Jeff Brinkley knows exactly what it’s going

to take to produce a successful season on the gridiron.

“I think we’ve got to get team contribution,” Brinkley said. “When

you don’t have a lot of depth, it takes everybody contributing for us

to be successful.”

Brinkley is lighter on bodies than in previous years, carrying

just 39 players on the roster. Those 39 players, composed of 14

seniors, 21 juniors and four sophomores, know that injuries and the

like will put all of them on the field at various times throughout

the season.

“I think they see they’re going to be guys who have to contribute,

whether it’s on special teams or somewhere else,” Brinkley said.

With just 39 players, it makes no difference if one is all-world

and another is walking on to a football field for the first time;

contributions will be needed by all of them.

Still, some of those contributions will be heavier than others.

Here’s a position-by-position breakdown of who is expected to

contribute where:

Quarterback: Junior Kasey Peters, who guided the Sailors’ junior

varsity squad to a league title last season, is expected to take over

under center.

With good size (6-foot-2, 198 pounds) and an accurate arm,

Brinkley believes Peters can fit well into Newport Harbor’s

pro-style, West Coast offense.

“He’s very accurate,” Brinkley said. “He’s kind of like a gym rat

of football. He just loves to throw the ball.”

Peters was 4 of 11 for 130 yards and no interceptions in a backup

role last fall.

Brinkley expects a high completion percentage and a low

interception rate out of his quarterbacks and Peters fits that mold.

Though not a vocal leader, Peters is respected by the rest of his

teammates, who know that he is their guy if they are to be

successful, Brinkley said.

Senior Michael Green, who quarterbacked the JV team two seasons

ago, will serve as Peters’ backup and sophomore Tom Jackson, a

quarterback on the freshman team last season, will also add depth.

Running back: Matt Encinias has provided a spark ever since he

joined the varsity team for the playoffs as a freshman four years

ago. He made a name for himself playing linebacker last season as a

junior, but now he is expected to become the weapon of choice in the

Sailors’ backfield.

Though he hasn’t been a full-time tailback -- he had just two

carries for 11 yards last season -- Encinias is expected to carry the

ball 20-plus times per game this season. Playing cornerback on

defense and returning kicks on special teams, Encinias will rarely

come off the field.

“We moved him to cornerback to take some of the beating off him,”

Brinkley said of the 5-10, 175-pound senior.

Because Encinias is small, Brinkley is likely to go to bigger

backs in short-yardage and goal-line situations. Peter Hoyt (6-1,

201) and Ryan Rippon (6-2, 198) will both back up Encinias, while

Thomas Martin (6-0, 215) is expected to carry the ball in

short-yardage situations.

Trevor Theriot is a returning starter at fullback, one of four

returning starters on the offense. He catches the ball well out of

the backfield and will see limited carries. Last season he ran for 51

yards on nine carries and caught four passes for 46 yards.

Receivers: Spencer Link earned first-team all-league honors as a

sophomore last season and should be Peters’ primary downfield target.

“[Link is] very athletic and very quick,” Brinkley said. “We need

to get him the ball in space because he’s tough to tackle.”

After catching 42 passes for 691 yards and nine touchdowns last

season, the Sailors will find a variety of ways to get the ball in

Link’s hands and let him make plays. Expect a few reverses in an

attempt to get him into the open field.

While defenses concentrate on Link, Brinkley expects his other

receivers to step forward and make plays. Junior Taylor Young has

moved from tight end to wideout. Alex Orth and Matt Erickson will

also attempt to spread the field. Brinkley was particularly impressed

with Young and Orth during summer workouts.

Tight end: Young is still expected to see some time at tight end,

particularly when the Sailors use a two-tight-end set. But the

position belongs primarily to Greg Miner now.

Brinkley expects Miner to catch a lot of balls. The 6-1,

190-pounder will be backed up by Zack Goodman.

Keeping Young in the mix is a bonus because opposing defenses will

not be able to make substitutions since Young can just as easily be

split out wide, creating a possible mismatch with a defender brought

in for a short-yardage situation.

Offensive line: After having a huge front line the past few years,

the Sailors are a bit undersized going into the 2003 season.

Eric Curtis (5-10, 209) returns at left guard and Nick Watkins

(6-3, 244) moves from right guard to left tackle, giving Newport

Harbor an experienced left side.

“It’s a little bit tougher to play the left side. You have to

protect the quarterback’s back side,” Brinkley said.

Daniel Packham (5-11, 212) is slated to start at center, with

Ellery Murphy (6-1, 218) at right guard and either Paul Camerzell

(6-2, 270) or Stephen Joslin (6-1, 256) at right tackle.

Despite the lack of size, Brinkley doesn’t expect to make any

scheme changes. He also has to hope for a healthy year out of his

linemen because of limited depth. Mark Temple and Efrain Castro are

slated as the only backups, in addition to either Camerzell or

Joslin.

Defensive line: Without a great deal of size, the Sailors will

rely on speed up front.

Ends Peter Hoyt and Saami Khalifian are among the quickest players

on the team. Noseguard Austin Nieto, a returning starter, is a quick,

stocky type, while Mark Temple also fits the bill for quickness up

front.

If Brinkley decides to use more size, Joslin and Nick Pfeifer

(6-2, 300) both serve as backups in the interior and Kaiona

Kalama-Dutro (6-foot, 210) is expected to see time on the outside.

Linebackers: The three starting linebackers are all juniors and

all first-year starters, but they have a chance to be a strong and

cohesive group.

Martin is expected to man the middle, while Theriot and Miner will

play on the outside.

“They’re all physical guys, between 195 and 212,” Brinkley said.

Sean Rowe, Castro and Goodman will provide the depth.

Combined with the lineman, the front seven provides loads of

athleticism.

“I think the strength of our defense is the quickness of our front

seven. They all move pretty well,” Brinkley said.

Secondary: After playing linebacker for two seasons, Encinias

moves to cornerback, which Brinkley believes is a more natural

position for him.

The other side of the field could be manned by junior Matt

Erickson. Senior Brian Campos and Grant Casserly are potential

backups.

At free safety, Orth is expected to start, backed up by sophomore

James Coder.

The strong safety starting job is yet to be decided as Rippon and

Young have been locked in a fierce battle over playing time during

the preseason.

“Both have been playing really well,” Brinkley said.

Kicking game: Campos returns as the Sailors’ punter for a second

year and will also take over the place-kicking duties.

“He did a nice job punting for us last year,” Brinkley said.

Newport Harbor will benefit on the receiving end of kicks with the

athleticism of return men Encinias and Link. Link returned a punt 57

yards for a touchdown against Marina last season.