Final thoughts on Newport Harbor-Notre Dame

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I arrived at Friday’s Pac-5 Division playoff between Newport Harbor and Notre Dame so early that the main entry gate to the stadium was locked and under heavy protection by yellow-jacketed security guards. It actually marked the first time I had to wait outside a locked gate for a sporting event since Paul Lo Duca bobblehead day at Dodger Stadium (curse you DePodesta!).

At least I wasn’t the only one waiting on the dimly lit sidewalks of Sherman Oaks. About a dozen parents and grandparents were already waiting in line when I arrived and were engaged in a friendly chat about their respective schools’ chances. Thanks to my sophisticated eavesdropping skills, I heard a couple Newport Harbor fans say it took 3 1/2 hours to make the drive up to the San Fernando Valley.

Well, the game was definitely worth the trip for the Sailors road crew because Newport Harbor overcame all the doubters (including me) to pull off a 7-3 victory against those over-hyped Knights. The Sailors didn’t necessarily swab the deck with Notre Dame, but I was still impressed by their gutsy defensive performance.

They held RB Thaddeus Brown to only 18 second-half yards and recorded four sacks, thanks to the collective efforts of linemen Brandon Davis and Chase Obenauer and LB Ned Lyon. In all, they held the Knights to only 49 yards of total offense in the final 24 minutes.

That’s pretty impressive, especially when you consider they outshined all the recruiting jaw-droppers on Notre Dame’s defense (you know, that four-headed, Horton-McDonald-Barrett-Hunter monster). Newport Harbor’s second-half stance seemed to force the Knights into survival mode rather than winning mode.

The Sailors, however, were always fighting for the win. And now they are survivors for at least one more week in the nation’s toughest division.

-- Austin Knoblauch