Sailor Pair Ready for Another Battle of Bay : Division IV: Newport Harbor’s biggest linemen, Ralphs and Bloomberg, want to avenge a frustrating regular-season loss to rival Corona del Mar.

Phil Bloomberg offers a word of advice for any opponent who is about to face teammate Beau Ralphs.

“When the game is over, you’ll know that Beau got off the ball first and they’ll wonder how he moves so quickly,” Bloomberg said.

Ralphs returns the favor, saying, “Phil is too strong for most linemen to handle one-on-one. He’s been double-teamed most of the year, but he never gets blocked off the ball.”

Welcome to Newport Harbor High School’s mutual admiration club, better known as the Beau and Phil Show. The two are the biggest linemen on the Sailors’ team, which faces Sea View League rival Corona del Mar in a Southern Section Division IV semifinal tonight.

Bloomberg, 6 feet 2, 255 pounds, is the team’s biggest player. He missed three games with a knee injury suffered against University but the Sailors are undefeated with him in the lineup.

“I tried not to feel sorry for myself when I got hurt and came out to practice every day,” he said. “We played Corona del Mar the week after I got hurt, so I’m really looking forward to this game.”

Bloomberg was on the sideline when Corona del Mar won the first meeting, 17-0, and he has a simple explanation for the loss.

“They (Corona del Mar) came out and flat out beat us,” he said. “They were more ready to play. We made too many mental mistakes.”

Ralphs, 6-2, 245, who was named the top defensive player in the Sea View League, felt Newport Harbor “got caught up in the Battle of the Bay hype” in the first meeting.

“It was the most frustrating game I’ve ever played,” he said. “We had a rally that day at school and the team was shaking with adrenaline when it was over.

“It’s a game you never want to lose. Never. Now, we’ve got another shot at them. This time, we’re taking a completely different approach to this game. We’ll keep a level head this time.”

Ralphs is a two-way starter--at right offensive tackle and defensive end. He takes great pride in the Sailors’ defense that has five shutouts and allowed an average of three yards per rush.

“We lost three key players off last year’s team, but we figured we would be good defensively,” he said. “(Irvine’s) Scott Seal was the only back who has gained over 100 yards against us this year.”

Ralphs is also a standout shotputter who figures to be among the state’s best this season. He had a personal best of 53 feet 11 inches last year as junior. Ralphs credits assistant Tony Ciarelli for most of his success.

“He’s my inspiration,” he said. “He does everything with us. He lifts, runs and always has us mentally prepared.”

Ciarelli credits Ralphs’ competitive drive for most of his success, and he offered evidence from Ralphs’ freshman season.

“He couldn’t jump rope as a freshman,” Ciarelli said. “He got mad and threw down the rope. But he took the rope into the weight room for two hours and then asked if he could take it home.

“The next day, he comes up to the coaches and says, ‘Watch this.’ He looked like a champion boxer jumping rope. He hates to fail.”

Bloomberg impressed the coaching staff when he asked to be on the kickoff team and was the second defender to reach the return man. Bloomberg started an intensive weightlifting program after the 1991 season ended and blossomed into one of Newport Harbor’s best players.

“Phil is huge by our team’s standards and is very strong,” Ciarelli said. “He put in a lot of hours in the weight room before this season, and then he had to overcome a knee injury.

“Both Beau and Phil are very bright kids who are quality players on and off the field.”