High School Football: NHHS RB Kinder runs over El Rancho

The danger for Newport Harbor High in playing a lowly football team a week before it sees rival Corona del Mar is having a natural letdown. Coach Jeff Brinkley warned of this before his Sailors faced Pico Rivera El Rancho, which went into Thursday having lost 11 of its past 12 games dating back to last year.

“We’re not good enough to look ahead,” Brinkley said. “The day we put our guard down we’re going get our butts kicked. We’re not the kind of guys that can just walk out there and go through the motions, and still win. Some groups are maybe that talented, but we’re not one of them.”

The Sailors sure had no problems with the visiting Dons, beating them for the second straight season.

A year ago, Kinder ran wild at El Rancho, amassing 304 yards. He was on that type of torrid pace in the first half Thursday, rushing 13 times for 162 yards.

Midway through the second quarter, when Kinder recorded his fifth rushing touchdown, he left the game. It was over by then, as Newport Harbor thrashed El Rancho, 43-19, at Jim Scott Stadium.

No team has given the Sailors (2-0) a quality game in the first two contests of the year. One school that Brinkley said certainly will is CdM, ranked No. 6 in the CIF Southern Section Division 4 poll.

The Battle of the Bay is next week at Orange Coast College. The Sailors are the home team in the 55th edition. Usually when the game is at OCC, CdM is on the home side.

The Sea Kings have been on the winning side in the last three meetings with Newport Harbor.

“They’re good. They’re really good,” Brinkley said of the Sea Kings, adding that he plans to watch CdM live Friday against El Toro at Jim Scott Stadium. “We’ll have our work cut out for us. They’ve had a good run of talent in the last few years.”

The talent at CdM is superior to that of the Sailors’ first two opponents. Pacifica is in Division 10 and El Rancho is a Division 9 program, and none of those two managed to slow down Kinder, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound bruising running back.

Last week, the senior rushed for 152 yards and three touchdowns, and returned a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown against Pacifica in the season opener. In the first half against El Rancho, Kinder topped those yards on the ground and his touchdown total.

Kinder’s rushing touchdowns went for four, one, seven, 42 and nine yards. At halftime, Newport Harbor led El Rancho, 43-6, outgaining the Dons, 245-34, on the ground.

“We had them outmanned and our offensive line was handling them,” said Brinkley, referring to left tackle Mike Jarboe, left guard John Lamas, center Blake Terry, right guard Tucker Knipp and right tackle Alex Casillas. “We got all of those guys out.”

Everything that possibly could go wrong for the Dons (0-3) did in the first half. Newport Harbor safety Jake Bashore intercepted quarterback Adam Chandler twice and middle linebacker Gage Roberson picked him off once.

The Sailors limited Chandler to 81 passing yards. Chandler rushed for 46 yards and two touchdowns.

After watching Kinder score at will, the Dons gave the Sailors two more points. Their punter couldn’t handle the snap on fourth down and the ball bounced out of the back of the end zone for a safety to put Newport Harbor up, 36-6.

The next offensive series for Newport Harbor featured a new running back in Chris Bailey. Spencer Hook had taken over at quarterback for starter Sam Barela after Kinder’s last score. Kinder stayed on the sideline, along with Barela, who only attempted six passes with Kinder averaging 12.5 yards per carry.

Bailey and Hook played well the rest of the second quarter. Bailey had eight carries for 72 yards and a touchdown, while Hook completed both of his passes to wide receiver Levi Hooper for 36 yards and he ran for 10 yards.

Unless next week’s game with CdM is lopsided, don’t expect to see much of Bailey, who finished with 27 carries for 144 yards, or Hook next week. Hook is a junior transfer from CdM, where he rotated as the junior varsity quarterback last year.

With quarterback Chase Garbers, a Cal commit, at CdM, Hook wouldn’t have seen the field had he stayed with the Sea Kings.

Kinder and the Sailors are looking forward to CdM, hoping they will have the services of receiver Dayne Chalmers. The sophomore sat out Thursday’s game with an ankle injury he suffered last week.

“I know a lot of [the players at CdM]. I know some of the [members of the CdM] coaching staff. I mean, my cousin [Christopher Bartolic] goes to the school, so it’s always an interesting game,” Kinder said. “Last year, not to take anything away from them, I think we came out a little bit scared. I think that this year we’ll be ready for them.

“Outside of maybe [winning] a [CIF Southern Section Division 6] championship and a Sunset League championship, [beating the Sea Kings] would probably be the next best thing we can get. All of us want it.”

Nonleague

Newport Harbor 43, El Rancho 19

SCORE BY QUARTERS

El Rancho 6 – 0 – 7 – 6 — 19

Newport 20 – 23 – 0 – 0 — 43

FIRST QUARTER

NH – Kinder 4 run (run failed), 8:08.

ER – Chandler 4 run (kick failed), 4:57.

NH – Kinder 1 run (Schroeder kick), 4:13.

NH – Kinder 7 run (Schroeder kick), :00.

SECOND QUARTER

NH – Kinder 42 run (Schroeder kick), 8:57.

NH – Kinder 9 run (Schroeder kick), 6:39.

NH – Punter couldn’t handle snap and ball rolls out of the end zone for a safety, 5:13.

NH – Bailey 1 run (Schroeder kick), 3:27.

THIRD QUARTER

ER – Chandler 7 run (Silva kick), :44.

FOURTH QUARTER

ER – Amaya 5 run (kick failed), 4:40.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

ER – Vela, 14-73.

NH – Kinder, 13-162, 5 TDs.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

ER – Chandler, 18-27-3, 81.

NH – Barela, 3-6-0, 21.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

ER – Spindola, 4-52.

NH – Hooper, 2-36.