Corona del Mar Kicker Willard Gets Chance for Redemption in Playoffs : Football: A missed field goal nearly ended the Sea Kings’ season. But an at-large bid has given him another shot.

Jerrott Willard will always remember the bus ride back to Corona del Mar High School on Nov. 10.

It was a short ride, a mere five miles from Newport Harbor. But for Willard, it seemed to take an eternity.

A linebacker by trade, a running back on request and a kicker out of necessity, Willard blamed himself for the Sea Kings’ 8-7 loss to Sea View League rival Newport Harbor. With nine seconds left, his 44-yard field goal attempt had hooked wide to the left.

The consequences of the miss were devastating to Willard.

By winning, Newport Harbor had assured itself the No. 3 spot in the Southern Section Division VI playoffs. The Sea Kings, on the other hand, dropped to fourth place and their playoff hopes were in limbo.

“All I could think about on the way home was that we weren’t going to the playoffs and it was my fault,” Willard said. “Coach (Dave) Holland always tells us we shouldn’t leave a game wondering if we could have done more. I was going to spend the rest of my life wondering about that kick.”

Willard, though, was given a reprieve. The Sea Kings, the defending Division VI champions, received an at-large bid into the playoffs.

The Sea Kings (9-3) will try to extend their season tonight when they play Sunny Hills (12-0) in the semifinals (7:30 p.m. at Buena Park High School). It’s a second chance that Willard doesn’t want to waste.

“The Newport Harbor game will always bother me,” Willard said. “They’re our rivals and I had a chance to beat them. But at least I won’t have to wonder what would have happened in the playoffs. Thankfully, we got there anyway.”

And Willard is a big reason why the Sea Kings are in the semifinals.

As a junior, he was part of a linebacker corps that was the best in Orange County last season. However, Brandon Bento, Pat Callaghan and John Kastovsich graduated, leaving Willard to fend for himself.

Now a senior, Willard has responded not only on defense but on offense. As the Sea Kings’ fullback, he has gained 348 yards, mostly in short-yardage situations.

And then there is the kicking.

Callaghan left two holes to fill. Besides playing linebacker last season, he was the team’s kicker for two seasons. Willard has accepted that responsibility as well, kicking field goals of 47, 45 and 43 yards this season.

But the miss against the Sailors is the only one he remembers.

“That’s the thing that makes Jerrott a good football player,” Holland said. “He doesn’t remember the great plays that he makes. He only remembers the things he could have done better.”

The Sea Kings returned few players on offense from last season’s team, which finished 12-0-2 and beat Valencia, 17-7, in the title game. It was left up to the defense, with Willard in the middle, to keep Corona del Mar competitive until the offense developed.

The defense has done the job for the most part. Corona del Mar has allowed 118 points this season, and only 16 in its past four games.

Still, the Sea Kings struggled in league play. Estancia and Tustin beat them before the loss to Newport Harbor.

“We had so many new players, it took us time to find ourselves as a team,” Willard said. “We were starting to roll during the preseason and then we had a bunch of injuries right when league started. We just didn’t have the depth we had last season.”

This was not how Willard envisioned his senior year. Until this season, he had lost only one high school football game.

Willard’s class was 9-1 as freshmen, losing only to Saddleback. The following year, the Corona del Mar sophomore team was undefeated.

The Sea Kings went beyond Willard’s expectations in 1988. With 12 players returning who had played together since they were freshmen, he felt another undefeated season was on the way.

“We never thought we would lose,” Willard said. “Last year was a surprise. I thought we would be good, but not undefeated. This was the year I figured we would go undefeated.”

Said Holland: “I think that was part of the problem. The slow start brought everyone back to reality. They realized we needed to get some of the new players some experience.”

Willard, too, was getting used to a new position or two.

He played outside linebacker in 1988 but moved inside this season. Willard prefers the inside position because teams can’t run away from him and he can get to the ball more often.

Willard is among the team’s leading tacklers. Against Saddleback, he made 16 solo tackles.

This season, Willard is playing more on offense. He is the team’s starting fullback, and his main responsibility is blocking for tailback Brian Lucas.

“Jerrott has that linebacker mentality,” Holland said. “He has that intensity about him and he loves the contact. That made him perfect as a blocking back. His blocks are vicious sometimes.”

But the extra work has been exhausting at times. Playing both ways has given Willard little chance to catch his breath.

“It was a little bit of a problem earlier in the year,” Willard said. “I would run off the field and someone would have to spray me with water. But my stamina has improved.”

And then there is the kicking.

Willard had only limited experience at the position. As a sophomore, he filled in for two weeks when the team’s kicker had a sprained ankle.

Willard has made six of nine attempts this season. But since the Newport Harbor game, every kick has been an adventure.

In Corona del Mar’s 10-0 victory over Pacifica in the first round, Willard kicked a 31-yard field goal in the first quarter for a 3-0 lead. He also missed one, had one blocked and a third was foiled by a bad snap.

“I didn’t know what’s been happening,” Willard said. “Every time we lined up to kick one, I wondered ‘what’s going to go wrong this time.’ ”

Last week in a 10-0 victory over Brea-Olinda, the Sea Kings worked the bugs out of their kicking game. Willard made a 26-yard kick in his only attempt.

“It’s difficult for Jerrott because he’s playing the whole game,” Holland said. “Most kickers get a chance to warm up before going out there to kick. Against Newport Harbor, he carried the ball three times and then had to kick.”

Although kicking for a living is not what Willard has in mind, he would like one more shot at a game-winner. He has had only one opportunity--against Newport Harbor.

“If I could kick one game-winner, then maybe I can forget the Newport Harbor game,” Willard said.