Two-minute drill

* Newport Harbor High and Corona del Mar both posted impressive

victories in the first week of the season, but both teams lost key

players throughout the game to leg cramps.

In the Sailors’ game Thursday, Spencer Link, Trevor Theriot,

Thomas Martin and Greg Miner all suffered from leg cramps. At one

point, three different Newport Harbor players exited the game on

three successive plays.

In the Sea Kings’ contest Friday, Wess Presson, Austin Brawner,

Tyler Lance and Kevin Welch also missed time because of leg cramps.

Both Corona del Mar Coach Dick Freeman and Newport Harbor Coach

Jeff Brinkley will pay closer attention to their players intake of

fluids this week.

“We just have to drink more water throughout the week,” Brinkley

said. “The day of, it’s too late.”

Corona del Mar’s coaching staff identified the problem with their

players after the game: too much sodium.

All four Sea Kings players had pasta for lunch. They then took

Pedialyte, which is designed to promote fluid absorption and prevent

dehydration. They followed that up with two 20-ounce bottles of

Gatorade each.

* With the Sailors backed up in their own territory midway through

the third quarter, running back Matt Encinias came running off the

field, shouting, “I need a helmet.”

Problems with Encinias’ own head gear forced him to try on Anthony

Santos’ helmet, which didn’t prove to be a good fit. He settled on

backup quarterback Michael Green’s helmet and reentered the game,

missing just one play.

* Kevin Welch scored two touchdowns in Corona del Mar’s victory

Friday, but he did it wearing No. 9 and was one of only a few Sea

Kings without his name on the back of his jersey.

Welch is listed as No. 2 on the roster. But the Sea Kings couldn’t

find that jersey before the season. Coach Dick Freeman threw him a

No. 9 jersey and Welch expects to wear that for the first three weeks

of the year.

* In its preseason scrimmage, Costa Mesa worked on a pair of

gadget plays: a fake punt and the swinging gate two-point conversion.

Both plays worked in the scrimmage and they both were successful

again in the season opener against Newport Harbor.

Punter Ryan Bagwell completed a 21-yard pass for a first down to

Jorge Quiroz on the fake punt after upback Gary Gonzalez called for

the fake. On the conversion attempt, quarterback Bruce Wilkinson read

the defense correctly and took a direct snap into the end zone for

two points.

* Estancia running back Bubba Kapko admitted he was somewhat

pooped after carrying 22 times for a career-high 160 yards. But,

despite being drenched with sweat and markedly winded when he came

off the field for the final time in the final minute, he mustered

enough air to declare to an Estancia assistant: “Whew! That was fun!”

* The victory pulled Estancia close to the break-even mark in

season openers. The Eagles are now 19-20.

* Sage Hill junior Amy Werblin, who is on the girls soccer team,

booted a 31-yard field goal with three seconds left in the first half

GAMEBUSTERS

*--*

High school plays of 30 yards or more

* 69 -- Eddie Huang (Sage Hill) touchdown run

* 65 -- Kevin Welch (Corona del Mar) touchdown pass from Tom Welch

* 54 -- Spencer Link (Newport Harbor) TD pass from Kasey Peters

* 44 -- Shane Collins (Corona del Mar) TD pass from Tom Welch

* 39 -- Eddie Huang (Sage Hill) run

* 34 -- Saami Khalifian (Newport Harbor) fumble return for touchdown

* 34 -- Jorge Quiroz (Costa Mesa) pass from Bruce Wilkinson

* 32 -- Eddie Huang (Sage Hill) run

* 30 -- Jason Johnston (Estancia) pass from Brad Young

*--*

GAMESTOPPERS

Last week’s big defensive plays

* ESTANCIA -- End Chad Serrell records a 7-yard sack ...

linebacker Cullen Crom pressures the quarterback into an incomplete

pass ... Cornerback Geo Macias provides blanket coverage on several

occasions ... Cornerback Kalani Teo strips a receiver after a catch

and Serrell recovers ... End Landon Pulizzi falls on a fumble ...

Macias makes a touchdown-saving tackle on a long pass play ... Inside

linebacker Mike Cahill drills quarterback in the chest for a 6-yard

sack ... Safety Jason Johnston wrestles an interception away from a

receiver ... Gary Jones and Clayton Mills combine to stuff a run for

a 6-yard loss.

* CORONA DEL MAR -- Zach Wishengrad sacks the quarterback ...

Brian Dunn picks up the second Sea Kings’ sack ... Mordy Ornguze

records a sack with an assist from Dunn ... Austin Brawner tips away

a pass ... Shaun Mohler sprints across the field to throw ball

carrier for a 3-yard loss ... John Shanahan recovers a fumble ...

Tyler Lance holds a Mustangs’ ball carrier to no gain ... Wishengrad

records his second sack ... Brawner fully extends himself to tip away

a pass ... Dunn and John Fairbanks combine on a sack ... Lance’s hard

hit causes a fumble, which Kevin Welch recovers ... Tom Welch knocks

away a pass ... Mohler, Shanahan and Wishengrad combine on a sack ...

Andy Lujan and Fairbanks lead a host of Sea Kings who stop a

fourth-down attempt in the final minutes.

* NEWPORT HARBOR -- Linebacker Greg Miner sacks the quarterback,

causing a fumble, which Saami Khalifian scoops up and returns for a

touchdown ... Peter Hoyt causes a fumble, which Khalifian pounces on

... Hoyt adds a sack ... Taylor Young holds the running back to a

1-yard gain at the goal line... Young then combines with Sean Rowe to

stop the ball carrier for no gain ... On fourth down, Hoyt and

Khalifian stop a quarterback sneak short of the goal line ... Miner

recovers a fumble ... Matt Erickson intercepts a pass ... Khalifian

adds a sack ... Defensive back Brett Vosseller breaks up a potential

touchdown pass ... Rowe throws the ball carrier for a loss ...

Charles Schultz recovers a fumble.

* COSTA MESA -- Gary Gonzalez stops the running back for a 3-yard

loss ... Al Rodriguez just misses an interception ... Tony Krikorian

pounces on a Sea Kings’ fumble ... Qualic Vargas puts a big hit on

the quarterback, forcing a fumble and Jeff Waldron recovers ...

Gonzalez throws the ball carrier for a 4-yard loss ... Gonzalez

blocks a PAT kick ... Waldron and Junior Epenesa combine to throw a

ball carrier for a 2-yard loss.

* SAGE HILL -- Peter Haderlein strips the ball from a receiver at

the 1-yard line and Don Ayres recovers the fumble ... Morgan Brief

and Nick Sohl both recover fumbles ... Marcel Sohl drops running back

for a 9-yard loss ... Alex Cochran and Haderlein drop tailback for a

4-yard loss ... Ayres grabs the ankles of a receiver and brings him

down for a 2-yard loss.