Walz Leads Corona del Mar Past Newport Harbor

By the third quarter of its Sea View League game against Newport Harbor, Corona del Mar’s offense had become as complicated and exciting as a potato.

The Sea Kings’ playbook on their second third-quarter possession:

Hand the ball to J.R. Walz.

Hand the ball to J.R. Walz.

And, in case anybody missed it: Hand the ball to J.R. Walz.

The Sea Kings felt safest with the ball nestled deep in the arms of their senior fullback and, by that time, they could do whatever they wanted. They were well on their way toward leaving Newport Harbor dazed and confused, 23-0, in what they call the “Battle of the Bay,” to retain possession of the coveted Bell Trophy.

Walz, who runs like a John Deere crashes through wheat fields, carried 10 consecutive plays during that stretch. He finished with 33 carries for 146 yards and two touchdowns.

“The offensive line, man,” Walz said. “We came together tonight. No turnovers. Hardly any mistakes.

“It was a great win. I love these guys--I’ve got great respect for Newport Harbor. It’s great to beat guys like them.”

Newport Harbor (5-1, 2-1), ranked eighth, played poorly. The Sailors treated the football like an anchor, dropping it all over the place. They lost three fumbles--twice setting up Corona del Mar touchdowns--and two interceptions.

The first fumble came after Corona del Mar’s Chris Taylor had pulled in a seven-yard, first-quarter touchdown pass. Brian Johnson dropped the kickoff and the Sea Kings’ Scott Proud pounced on it. Five plays later, Walz pushed his way over from the one. The converstion kick was botched, but the score was 13-0.

The other post-fumble touchdown came in the fourth quarter, when Chris Edwards dropped the ball at Newport Harbor’s one-foot line. It took Walz only one play to find the end zone again.

“We’ve been playing good defense all year,” said Corona del Mar Coach Dave Holland, who singled out defensive ends Jeff Borland and Carter Wells for praise. “The guys up front, our rush really put some heat on them.”

Newport Harbor got off only nine plays from scrimmage in the first quarter, and those included two punts.

The Sailors’ second-quarter possessions, in order, were marred by an illegal procedure penalty on second-and-two (they ended up punting), an offensive pass interference call (another punt) and an interception.

On the other hand, Corona del Mar (4-2, 2-1) scored 13 first-quarter points--on its first two drives--and stayed in command the entire way.