PREP EXTRA / SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS : DIVISION V : Saddleback Tough, but Sailors Win

Brian Johnson’s 183 rushing yards and two blocked punts by Scott Sandstrom carried top-seeded Newport Harbor past stubborn Saddleback, 28-14, in a Southern Section Division V first-round playoff game Friday night at Newport Harbor.

The undefeated Sailors matched the school record for victories with 11, but it wasn’t easy.

Newport Harbor surged to a 21-7 halftime lead despite an offense that featured Johnson and little else. He rushed for 111 first-half yards, including a 56-yard score on the game’s first play. The rest of the team accounted for three yards in the half.

Saddleback countered Johnson’s score with a 66-yard, 10-play drive, capped by Danny Verino’s 29-yard run. That gave the Roadrunners a 7-6 lead, but then Sandstrom struck, setting up Newport Harbor’s next two scores. His first block at the end of the first quarter gave the the Sailors the ball at the Roadrunner 30. After five Johnson runs, Jeremy Mason bulled in from the two.

On Saddleback’s next possession, Sandstrom again stormed over left end for a block, this time leaving the offense at the Roadrunner 20. Again, Johnson got everything but the score, carrying three times for 15 yards before John Giordani connected on a five-yarder to Danny Pulido.

Danny Rodriguez’s eight-yard pass to Jose Roman made things interesting at 21-14 with nine minutes left, but the Sailors tore downfield and put the game away on a seven-yard pass from Giordani to Matt Riggle.