PREP EXTRA: ORANGE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL : Newport Harbor Back on Course

No need to panic, Newport Harbor fans. Season-opening defeats don’t always signal doom, and the Sailors aren’t done yet.

This much is apparent after Newport Harbor rebounded from defeat last week to rout visiting Marina, 32-13, Friday night in a nonleague game in front of 1,500.

Orange defeated Newport Harbor, the defending Southern Section Division V champion, 20-7, last week, prompting some concern among fans. Marina helped the Sailor supporters feel good again.

Running back Jeremy Mason did much of the damage for Newport Harbor (1-1), rushing for 125 yards in 12 carries and scoring two first-half touchdowns. It was just what he, and the fans, hoped for.

“I’m sure some of them were worried, but we knew what we could do,” Mason said. “We just had to go back and focus more. We did that this week and our practices were great.”

They looked pretty good in the game too.

Given ample time to work because of the offensive line’s solid effort, quarterback Justin Giordani completed six of 10 passes for 125 yards and combined with receiver Danny Pulido on touchdown passes of 84 and 14 yards. Pulido, who caught six passes for 150 yards, teamed with backup quarterback Josiah Fredriksen in the fourth quarter on a 25-yard touchdown pass.

Mason opened the scoring with an eight-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. He took the handoff from Giordani and slammed smack into the middle of the Vikings’ defensive line, dragging several would-be tacklers into the end zone.

A successful conversion attempt by Justin Kerr gave the Sailors a 7-0 lead. But with the Vikings’ offense, it might as well have been 70-0.

The Vikings (0-2) didn’t display much skill in that area last week. Marina started the season with a 42-0 loss to Corona del Mar, committing six turnovers in eight first-half possessions.

It didn’t look much better against Newport Harbor.

However, Viking running back Mike Williams distinguished himself in both games. He rushed for 166 yards in 26 carries against the Sailors and scored both Marina touchdowns.

“We knew they were going to be fired up because they lost their first game,” Mason said. “We knew we had to be ready--and we were.”