| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Alamitos | 14 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 44 |
| Newport Harbor | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
The Sailors were still simply blasted out of the water by Los Alamitos 44-3 Friday night at Davidson Field. It was a somber result on a night NHHS celebrated the silver anniversary of the 1994 undefeated team that went 14-0 and won a CIF championship.
Harbor (7-1, 2-1) absorbs its first loss after starting the year with a seven game win streak. The setback drops Tarball into a second-place tie with Los Alamitos (3-5, 2-1) and Edison (5-3, 2-1) behind Corona del Mar (8-0, 3-0) in the Sunset League standings. CdM and Edison are the remaining two games on the Harbor regular season schedule.
“This is going to be a learning experience,” reflected Harbor Head Coach Peter Lofthouse. “Ultimately, these three games are going to test us physically, mentally and emotionally.”
If this one were a sea battle, it’s as if Los Al showed up full speed ahead with cannons blazing while Harbor was still trying to shove off the dock. When the smoke cleared, the Sailors unbeaten status was tossed overboard but the ship is still afloat to navigate the remainder of what is already assured to be a winning season.
It’s a tough call to say whether Los Alamitos was more impressive on offense or defense. Behind running backs Jaiden Miller and Noah Shafton, the Griffins ran for 461 yards and six touchdowns including scoring bursts of 62, 76, 75, and 52 yards. Shafton, a sophomore, finished with 185 yards rushing and three TD’s while Miller, a senior, rushed for 184 with one score.
The Los Al defense was dominant in holding NHHS to a single field goal for their lowest point total of the season. The Sailors were held to just 19 total yards on the ground as the Griffins keyed on running back Justin McCoy to stifle both his rushing and receiving production. Sophomore quarterback Nick Kim finished with 198 yards passing, but on just 18 of 46 attempts with four interceptions.
Senior linebacker Chad Koste led the Tar defense with eleven solo tackles but it was hardly enough to stem the relentless Los Al attack. The only statistical advantage the Sailors can claim is in penalties and it still wasn’t pretty; with frustration building throughout, NHHS was penalized nine times for 95 yards, LA retaliated with 11 fouls for 135 yards.
“Ultimately we gotta go back and look at how we practice, the way we practice, what went right, what went wrong,” Lofthouse said, indicating his team did not prepare well for Los Al. “Obviously we have to make adjustments for next week.”
Asked if taking such a loss can be constructive in any way with the Battle of the Bay against CdM on deck, senior linebacker and co-captain Johnny Brigandi responded with an emphatic “Yes”.
“‘Cuz now we know,” Brigandi continued. “We know what it feels like. We don’t want to feel that again, we’re not gonna feel that again.”
– Matt Morrison