SOUTHERN SECTION FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS : Irvine Wins a Dream Game : Division IV: Vaqueros dominate defensively and Garcia throws for 254 yards to beat Newport Harbor, 30-8.

Newport Harbor Coach Dave Brinkley had a recurring nightmare all week. In it, his Sailors were decimated by Irvine in the Southern Section Division IV championship game.

“My biggest fear was they had another gear that no one had seen yet,” Brinkley said. “I worried they would kick it in.”

Those fears became all too real. Irvine kicked it in, then kicked the Sailors around.

The Vaqueros won convincingly, all right. Their 30-8 victory in front of 7,500 at Orange Coast College turned out to be more of an exhibition of their abilities rather than a game. Irvine had its act together and the Sailors got to play the straight man.

It was the the Vaqueros’ second consecutive championship, having won the Division II title a year ago.

“We’re a pretty well-rounded football team,” Irvine Coach Terry Henigan said.

Henigan went on to generalize and understate, but he spoke the truth. Irvine dominated all areas of the game, but was most impressive--not to mention vicious--on defense.

All week, the Vaqueros read and heard Newport Harbor players talk about the Sailor defense. The were especially irked about the Sailors being called the best in the Sea View League.

The Vaqueros, who happened to have won the Sea View League, were not thrilled about such chatter.

“All that stuff they were talking really fired us up,” defensive back Dave Bilek said. “Look at the scoreboard. There’s the best defense.”

The Vaqueros went to great lengths to get that point across.

Newport Harbor, which finished second in the league, had lost to the Vaqueros, 28-17, earlier this season. The Sailors were within four points with eight minutes left in that game.

“We didn’t want there to be any doubt about this one,” Bilek said. “We wanted to dominate.”

Newport Harbor was a running team, led by tailback Wade Tift. He had 1,476 yards going into the game. He was held to 39 yards.

Sailor quarterback Gregg Williams was billed as this clutch quarterback. He had brought the Sailors back from elimination in the semifinals, but was battered and bruised by the Vaqueros.

He finished 12 of 28 for 119 yards and had two passes intercepted, both by Ryan Patterson.

“We knew we had this one won after the first series,” linebacker Ryan Jones said. “It was evident.”

By halftime, the Sailors had only 54 total yards and had not gained an inch on the ground. They got 33 of those yards on the first play from scrimmage, a pass from Williams to Mike Freeman.

The Sailors’ only touchdown came on 72-yard drive, 45 of which came on Irvine penalties.

“Some people said we were only the third- or fourth-best defense in the league,” Henigan said. “Right.”

Meanwhile, the reputed best defense was being sliced and diced by quarterback Aron Garcia.

The Sailors were determined to take running back Scott Seal out of the game. A wise move, considering Seal had gained 1,827 yards and scored 27 touchdowns coming into the game.

Seal was held to 70 yards in 24 carries and forced Garcia to throw. He did.

He threw short, he threw long and he threw in between. He threw for 254 yards and two touchdowns.

Garcia hit Tony Arellano for a 23-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter the Vaqueros’ first score. He later hit Tony Mathis, who slipped a tackle, for a 45-yard touchdown pass.

“They were playing man-to-man defense most of the night,” Garcia said. “With our receivers, it was only a matter of time.”

Even Seal got into the act, as he hit Arellano on an option pass for a 54-yard touchdown play that gave the Vaqueros a 23-0 halftime lead.

“We played a perfect game,” Bilek said. “Everything we did worked perfectly. It was like a dream.”

A dream for some. A nightmare for others.

*

I--Arellano 23 pass from Garcia (Bilek kick)

I--Safety, ball snapped out of end zone

I--Seal 1 run (Bilek kick)

I--Arellano 54 pass from Seal (Bilek Kick)

I--Mathis 45 pass from Garcia (Bilek kick)

NH--La Bass 7 pass from Williams (Freeman pass from Williams)

LEADING RUSHERS--NH: Tift 11-39; I: Seal 24-70; LEADING PASSERS--NH: Williams 12-28-2, 119; I: Garcia 17-23-0, 247. LEADING RECEIVERS--NH: Tift 6-32; I: Thomas 6-94.

Attendance--7,500

* PROOF POSITIVE

Newport Harbor’s defense didn’t scare Irvine quarterback Aron Garcia, and he showed why. C12