Newport Harbor football hangs on for win over La Habra

Another week, another close game for the Newport Harbor High football team.

Each of the Sailors’ first three games has been decided by less than a touchdown, including Friday night’s nonleague showdown against La Habra.

“The schedule we have is a very strong one, we feel, and every team is giving us their best shot,” Newport Harbor coach Peter Lofthouse said. “We’ve got to match that intensity.”

The Sailors, who earned their first win the previous week on Jon Richardson’s late field goal, again sent their fans home from Davidson Field happy.

Sophomore quarterback Jaden O’Neal threw for three touchdowns and ran for another as Newport Harbor earned a 33-28 home victory over the Highlanders.

Senior receivers Josiah Lamarque and Jordan Anderson, as well as junior Bode Stefano, each caught a touchdown pass for the Sailors (2-1).

O’Neal won a quarterback battle with Stefano over the summer, but Stefano continues to make an impact. He had seven catches for 81 yards and the score on Friday night from the tight end position, and also came in at quarterback in the last two series with the Sailors trying to run out the clock.

“He got the job, which I respected,” said Stefano of O’Neal, a transfer from Los Alamitos. “They put me at tight end because we had an open spot there, and immediately I loved the position. Jaden’s my guy, so we just connected really well. It’s great to play with him.”

Stefano’s seven-yard touchdown catch gave the Sailors a 24-20 lead with 8:13 left in the fourth quarter, dragging a couple of would-be tacklers into the end zone to do it.

“It’s awesome to see him so active in the game, doing all sorts of stuff at tight end, at receiver, even at quarterback at the end,” Lofthouse said. “He’s a kid who’s really worked hard this offseason and getting opportunities to just help the team any way he can. He’s kind of our Swiss army knife.”

The next possession ended in disaster for La Habra (1-2), as a fourth-down snap went over the head of the punter. The Sailors got the ball at the one-yard line, and O’Neal’s keeper put the home team up, 31-20.

La Habra’s Damian Gomez struck with a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown on the next play, and also caught the two-point conversion pass to pull the Highlanders within three points.

After a Newport Harbor punt, La Habra was in position to take back the lead. But a fumbled second-down snap, amid pressure by Sailors captain Cam Denoon, led to a safety with 1:42 to play.

The Sailors took the ensuing kick and ran out the rest of the clock.

“I read it and we got the safety,” Denoon said. “It was awesome … The first game we played, we didn’t have that chemistry, and now we’re building it and we’re putting points on the board. We’re slowly getting there, but we’re making progress. I feel pretty confident.”

Newport Harbor’s Josiah Lamarque, shown competing in the Battle of the Bay game last year, had 122 yards receiving and a touchdown on Friday night against La Habra.

(File photo)

The Sailors defense had helped them earn a 14-13 halftime advantage with a goal-line stand, as La Habra couldn’t score on a first-and-goal situation at the one-yard line late in the half.

After a first-down run was stuffed, senior linebacker Tanner Muir made a touchdown-saving tackle on second down. La Habra fumbled the third-down snap. On fourth down, Anderson was able to pry the ball away from the receiver in the end zone.

“Our defense has been big for us the whole season,” Lofthouse said. “They continue to get better. We’ve still got to clean up some things stopping the run. If we can do that, I feel like we’re going to be very stout week in and week out on defense.”

To Lofthouse’s point, Brandon Giron had a 76-yard touchdown run in the first half for La Habra.

Lamarque had 10 catches for 122 yards and the score for Newport Harbor.

The Sailors play at San Juan Hills (3-0) on Friday night.

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Nonleague

Newport Harbor 33, La Habra 28

SCORE BY QUARTERS

La Habra 6 - 7 - 0 - 15 — 28

Newport 0 - 14 - 3 - 16 — 33

FIRST QUARTER

LH — Giron 2 run (kick failed), 8:33.

SECOND QUARTER

NH — Lamarque 15 pass from O’Neal (Richardson kick), 11:50.

LH — Giron 76 run (Cansino kick), 11:29.

NH — Anderson 2 pass from O’Neal (Richardson kick), 6:38.

THIRD QUARTER

NH — Richardson 20 FG, 8:51.

FOURTH QUARTER

LH — Gomez 16 pass from Saucedo (Cansino kick), 11:03.

NH — Stefano 7 pass from O’Neal (Richardson kick), 8:13.

NH — O’Neal 1 run, 5:25.

LH — Gomez 97 kickoff return (Gomez pass from Mitchell), 5:12.

NH — Safety (quarterback tackled in end zone), 1:42.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

LH — Giron, 10-139, 2 TDs.

NH — Blauwkamp, 5-18.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

LH — Saucedo, 5-13-0, 59, 1 TD.

NH — O’Neal, 22-34-2, 244, 3 TDs.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

LH — Gomez, 2-42, 1 TD.

NH — Lamarque, 10-122, 1 TD; Stefano, 7-81, 1 TD.