Newport Harbor Recovers, Shuts Out Tustin
Newport Harbor found a remedy for the “Battle of the Bay Blues” Thursday night.
The Sailors, who were still smarting from a 17-0 loss last week to Corona del Mar, combined a strong defensive effort with the running of tailback Wade Tift to remain in the hunt for the Sea View League title.
Newport Harbor (5-1, 2-1) shut out Tustin, 10-0, in front of 1,300 and in the process likely eliminated the two-time Southern Section Division VI finalists from postseason play. It was the second consecutive victory for the Sailors over Tustin and the fourth in seven meetings in the series.
Tustin (2-4, 1-2) came close to scoring only once as the Tillers continued to have their problems generating any offense with Jason Reynolds at quarterback. Tustin managed only 112 yards rushing.
“Our team went through a character test this week,” said Newport Harbor Coach Jeff Brinkley. “There weren’t a lot of happy people around our school after a devastating loss to Corona del Mar.
“I thought we had just enough offense to win and didn’t make any mistakes that would have caused us to lose. If we didn’t win tonight, we were out of the hunt for the league title and scrambling for a playoff spot.”
Instead, Tift gave Newport Harbor a lift in the third quarter when he broke a tackle and raced 69 yards to set up the game’s only touchdown. The play was followed by an 11-yard run by Newport Harbor’s Bill Brandon for a score with 2:22 remaining in the quarter.
Tift was the most effective player in the game. He gained 131 yards in 20 carries, getting 116 yards in the second half when Newport Harbor dominated play.
Tustin wasted its only scoring opportunity when place kicker Jeff Stapleton’s 35-yard attempt was wide left late in the third quarter. Stapleton was replacing all-county kicker Zack Matthews, who remains sidelined with mononucleosis. Stapleton also had a 49-yard attempt blocked in the first quarter.
Reynolds, a converted running back, never looked comfortable at quarterback. He threw for 85 yards but also had two passes intercepted by Newport Harbor’s Brett Hlista.
Tustin also had problems with its special teams.
On successive punt attempts, the Tillers were cited for having too many men on the field and then roughing the receiver in the first quarter. They had a poor snap on an attempted punt that resulted in a seven yard loss in the third quarter and then had a punt partially blocked in the fourth quarter.
Newport Harbor played without Steve Gonzales, who starts at fullback and linebacker. Gonzales bruised his shoulder against Corona del Mar and is out indefinitely.
