Sailors’ Miscues Taken Seriously by Saddleback

Of all the mistakes Newport Harbor made Thursday--and there were plenty--the most devastating was not taking Saddleback seriously. The Roadrunners made them pay for that, with a 21-10 victory at Newport Harbor.

There was a lot to be optimistic about for the Sailors heading into the game. Not only were they opening Sea View League play against a team that had won only one game, quarterback Mike Ofer was returning to the lineup after missing four weeks with a broken collarbone.

But not even his return could overcome five turnovers. In fact, Ofer was part of the problem, not part of the solution, as he had two passes intercepted.

“We talked to our kids all week about not taking Saddleback lightly,” Newport Harbor Coach Jeff Brinkley said. “Then we made every mistake possible in the first half.”

That isn’t an understatement. Besides having two passes intercepted, the Sailors fumbled twice and had a punt blocked.

Still, with all the give and take--Newport Harbor giving and Saddleback taking--the Sailors appeared to be on the verge of a comeback in the third quarter. They trailed, 14-10, after a safety and a 13-yard touchdown pass from Ofer to Coluccio.

But Saddleback, which had not been able to move the ball much, drove 74 yards for a touchdown. Quarterback Danny Ruvolo completed four passes on the drive, including a 26-yard touchdown pass to Larry Maruffo.

It didn’t always look pretty, but Ruvolo completed nine of 13 passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns. He was six of seven in the second half.

On the other side, his counterpart looked as if he hadn’t played in four weeks. Ofer was 14 of 30 for 160 yards, but was four of 15 in the fourth quarter.

Newport Harbor (3-3, 0-1 in league) had a hint of what was going to happen on its first possession, when kicker Gregg Kaiser missed--not a field goal, the ball. On the play, holder Chad LaBass never got the ball straight and Kaiser swung and missed.

The kicking woes continued for the Sailors. Late in the first quarter, Saddleback’s Joe Seuga blocked a punt, which was recovered in the end zone by Rudy Flores.

The Roadrunners (2-3-1, 1-0) also recovered a fumble and picked off an Ofer pass in the first half. Sal Aguilar’s interception set up a 23-yard touchdown pass from Ruvolo to George Arceo and Saddleback had a 14-0 lead.

“We were never in sync,” Brinkley said.