Westminster Wins in a Whirlwind

It took just three minutes, spanning the last 45 seconds of the first half and the first six plays of the second, for Westminster to score three touchdowns against Corona del Mar on its way to a 21-14 nonleague victory Friday at Newport Harbor High.

The Sea Kings dropped to 0-5, their first such start since 1965.

“We’re inventing new ways to lose football games,” said Corona del Mar Coach Dick Freeman, visibly frustrated after a fourth-quarter comeback bid fell short when Westminster’s Tony Flores intercepted on third-and-16 at the Sea Kings’ 41-yard line.

“We’re playing hard and we didn’t quit on it,” Freeman said. “I don’t know what to do.”

What the Sea Kings failed to do was protect their biggest lead of the season--a 7-0 cushion earned when Mike Hayes ran four yards for a touchdown with 4:57 left in the first quarter. The touchdown capped a four-play, 42-yard drive.

Westminster (2-3) marched 80 yards on 12 plays in the second quarter. All-Golden West League quarterback Kelly Coburn hit Vince Laurel for a four-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal.

It was the second fourth-down conversion of the possession and was a fitting display of how the Lions’ short passing game moved the chains and drained the clock all night. Westminster finished with a more-than 18-minute edge in time of possession.

Westminster’s defense came up big on the first snap after the kickoff, as a defender drove his helmet through the ball, separating it from the Corona del Mar ballcarrier. Christian Chamberlain scooped up the loose ball and cruised 26 yards to the end zone. The second of three Jenkins conversion kicks gave the Lions 14 points in 17 seconds.

Westminster seized the momentum completely on its first second-half possession when Hector Colunga hauled in a screen pass and raced 72 yards to expand the lead to 21-7.

That’s the way things stayed, until Grant Estabrook bounced 16 yards around the right side for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.