Woodbridge Stuns Sailors, 17-10

Twice, Woodbridge is scheduled to play on the road during its Sea View League season. Both times, it is the homecoming opponent.

Bad scheduling move.

Woodbridge shocked unbeaten Newport Harbor on Saturday, 17-10, spoiling a festive evening with a conservative, mistake-free attack that signaled the return of the Warriors’ program.

Woodbridge (5-0-1, 1-0) won its first league game in 16 tries. After going 26 games without a victory, the Warriors have now gone six games without a loss.

“This is as big as it gets for us,” Woodbridge Coach Rick Gibson said. “This is right up there with the [1987 Southern Section] championship because we’ve been down a couple of years.”

Newport Harbor won last year’s game, 50-7, and played for the section championship. The Sailors (5-1, 0-1) are ranked third in the Division V poll to Woodbridge’s fourth. The last time these teams played a meaningful game was 1993, when Newport Harbor tied with Woodbridge and went to the playoffs as an at-large team on the strength of its 14-7 victory over the Warriors (then 7-3, 4-3), who were left out of the playoffs.

Shane Harris led Woodbridge with 137 yards in 25 carries and touchdown runs of 21 and nine yards. The latter came with 4 minutes 49 seconds left and capped a 63-yard drive spurred by two Zach Foster receptions from Scott Barlow of 20 and 13 yards. Harris, on a halfback pass, threw to Barlow for the two-point conversion.

The game-deciding series was set up when Newport Harbor punter Eddie Johnson, being chased by Mike Bennett after the snap sailed over Johnson’s head, threw the ball out of bounds in the end zone, taking a safety that protected a 10-9 Sailors’ lead.

“He did the right thing; he kept us in position where we could win the game,” Newport Harbor Coach Jeff Brinkley said.

But Woodbridge’s offensive line of Nick Shaeffer, Mortesa Malakoutian, Dan Rustad, Jason Geneau, Matt Hackett, Anthony Knutson and Foster chipped away.

Newport Harbor’s last chance to win ended on Eric Jensen’s leaping interception with 1:04 remaining.

Brett Baker rushed 21 times for 85 yards and a 26-yard touchdown to give the Sailors a first-quarter lead, and Johnson’s 24-yard field goal made it 10-7 at halftime.

Brinkley said the difference was Newport Harbor’s inability to score in the third quarter when it had possession three times in the Woodbridge end of the field.

“If we scored one more time and made it 17-7, that probably would have been it,” Brinkley said.

Answered Gibson: “The kids said they were going to shut them out in the second half. That was the key--I didn’t think Newport Harbor could be shut out for a half.”