Battle of the Bay could get crowded

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The annual Battle of the Bay between Newport Harbor and Corona del Mar figures to be especially crowded this season. CdM is the host, and the past three times or so when the Sea Kings have been the home team, the game has been played at spacious Orange Coast College, where the game would attract about 8,500.

That’s not the case this season. The school district told the schools they could not play on Friday because of Yom Kippur. OCC was already booked on Thursday by Santa Ana Calvary Chapel, which plays host to Irvine.

So CdM will be playing at its normal home site, Davidson Field, on the Newport Harbor High campus. But CdM, which is the smaller school by 800-900 students, will be on the home side, which seats more people. Newport, which typically attracts more fans, will be relegated to the smaller visitor’s side.

‘Based upon what we’ve seen the last couple of years, we’ll pack our side,’ said Paul Orris, CdM’s athletic director, who suffered a similar scheduling conflict last week for Rosh Hashanah and had to play Troy on Thursday at Laguna Beach.

There has been talk of having a standing-room-only area, and last week Newport took its band out of the bleachers and put it on the track surface for the first time ‘as a test run,’ Athletic Director Eric Tweit said.

Officials from both schools recommended that tickets be purchased ahead of time, and fans arrive early. Pre-sale tickets are available at both schools before school, during break and lunch, Orris said. At CdM, that’s 7:15-8 a.m., 10-10:25 a.m., and 12:15-1 p.m.

Though it may be fashionable to arrive late on many occasions, this is one time it definitely isn’t advised. Tardy fans should be prepared to be turned away from the stadium, which seats 5,500 to 6,000 fans.

‘In the past, we’d draw 8,500 at Coast,’ Tweit said. ‘If we draw that, it’s gonna be crowded.’

One advantage to being sent home: The game will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Net Prime Ticket as its high school game of the week.

- Martin Henderson