TWO-MINUTE DRILL

The press box at Newport Harbor High was named after longtime Daily Pilot sports reporter/editor Roger Carlson on Thursday night, before Newport Harbor’s football game against Mira Costa.

After the Sailors won, 33-3, Newport Harbor Coach Jeff Brinkley said Carlson is definitely deserving of the honor.

“Roger’s a great guy,” Brinkley said. “I love Roger. When I got the job at Newport [in 1986], he was the first guy that took me out to lunch.”

Brinkley said he believes the lunch was at the now-gone The Barn, on Harbor Boulevard in Costa Mesa.

“We had a nice meeting and I felt we were close from that point on,” Brinkley said. “I’m really happy for him. He’s a good man.”

Estancia High came close to upsetting a second straight ranked team from the CIF Southern Section Southern Division.

The sixth-ranked Eagles lost at home to No. 2-ranked Beckman, 12-10, Thursday, but Coach Mike Bargas said the effort against a section finalist from last year gave Estancia confidence.

“Last year, we played them twice [both losses],” said Bargas, whose team was outscored by Beckman, 87-22, last year. “I’m just really proud of our kids for the way they battled.”

Next for Estancia (3-2) is the Orange Coast League opener.

The defending league champions visit No. 5-ranked Laguna Beach (5-0) Friday at 7 p.m.

For the second straight week, Sage Hill School was shut out.

The Lightning fell at Poly of Pasadena, 28-0, Friday, to suffer their fourth straight loss. Sage Hill (1-4) has been outscored, 171-21, during the skid.

This marks Sage Hill’s longest losing streak under Coach J.R. Tolver, who’s in his third year at the helm. Three of the losses have come against ranked opponents.

The last time Sage Hill dropped four games in a row was three years ago, when it went on to finish 2-8 and missed the CIF Southern Section East Valley Division playoffs.

The offensive line was an area of strength for Newport Harbor against Mira Costa.

This was true despite the Sailors still missing two regulars: senior guards Ted Barry and Hamilton Randle. Barry missed his third straight game with a broken fibula, while Randle is also out with a leg injury suffered against San Clemente.

Newport Harbor (2-3) has plugged in its usual fullback, senior Grant Frazier, on the line, as well as senior Hunter Durante. They joined left tackle Sam Bush, center Max Heilig and right tackle Ramsey Hufford. A week after rushing for just 34 yards on 26 carries in a loss to San Clemente, the Sailors gained 162 yards on 33 carries against Mira Costa.

Senior Titus Hasson had the lion’s share, with 110 yards and two touchdowns, though senior A.J. Swies produced 39 yards on eight carries in the second half.

Brinkley said Barry also could return for the league opener against Fountain Valley (3-2) on Friday at home.

Bargas said the Eagles lost standout junior Ben Beck in the second quarter with a foot injury.

Without Beck, a wide receiver, the offense struggled. The Eagles almost went 28 minutes without moving past midfield, a stretch from the first to the third quarter.

Beck went into the game leading the team with 17 catches for 294 yards and five touchdowns.

He finished with two catches for 12 yards. The team also missed Beck at free safety and returning punts.

Taylor Petty made his return for Sage Hill after missing the previous game with a leg injury.

The senior didn’t play quarterback, but he lined up at receiver and safety.

In the second half against Poly, Petty finished with two catches for 34 yards and he forced a fumble.

Tolver said Petty, his best player, would play more at home Friday in Sage Hill’s final nonleague game against Firebaugh of Lynwood (2-4).

Newport Harbor senior running back/defensive back Tala Teaupa likely will be back Friday, Brinkley said.

Teaupa, a junior, suffered a broken collarbone during practice on Aug. 25. The estimate was that Teaupa would be out six-to-eight weeks. This week is the seventh since the injury.

At the time of his injury, Teaupa was expected to compete for the starting tailback job after Buzzy Yokoyama transferred to Mission Viejo.

Newport Harbor did lose someone on the defensive side of the ball against Mira Costa, as senior lineman Cory Kroeger went down with a leg injury in the first quarter and did not return.

Robert Murtha runs the ball at Estancia, but he also punts it.

He ran it against Beckman, but Bargas said the junior was unavailable for his punting duties because his knee has been bugging him.

The backup punter punted six times, averaging 20 yards per boot. Two traveled only six yards, helping Beckman with field position.

The second six-yard punt led to a Patriots touchdown, giving them a 12-3 lead late in the third quarter.

Sage Hill’s Eric Cheng recovered an onside kick to open the game.

Eight minutes later, the senior injured his right leg. He missed a couple of series before returning.

Cheng, a running back, finished with 25 yards on nine carries.

— From staff reports