After a five-year drought, the Newport Harbor Football team returns to the post-season when the Sailors travel to take on St. Anthony of Long Beach in a first-round CIF Southern Section Division IX playoff game Friday night in Long Beach.
Download Newport’s bracket 
(2019-Division-9-Playoff-Bracket-newport-harbor)
Kickoff is set for 7:00 pm at Clark Field located at 4832 Clark Avenue in Long Beach, 90808. It should be noted for the traveling Tar faithful that the St. Anthony athletic field is located several miles northeast of the high school campus, just off Del Amo Boulevard south of Lakewood Boulevard.
Newport Harbor (7-3) earned its first playoff appearance since 2014 as an at-large selection after finishing 2-3, good for fourth place in the tough Sunset League. St. Anthony (5-5) finished second in the Del Rey League with a 3-1 mark, thus earning the home playoff game.
In his second season at the helm, Harbor Head Coach Peter Lofthouse has turned around the program that finished 3-6-1 a year ago and 2-8 in 2017. The Sailors won their first seven games this season on the foundation of a staunch defense and a fast-paced balanced offense with both ball control and quick-strike capabilities.
Junior running back Justin McCoy sparks the unit that averages 239 yards passing, 112 yards rushing and 26 points per game. McCoy has 653 yards rushing and 332 yards receiving on the season with 14 total touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Nick Kim averages 290 yards passing in five games since taking over for injured junior QB Cole Lavin in week six. In the first five games, all wins, Lavin threw over 1,000 yards with a .667 completion percentage with 11 touchdowns. Lavin is recovering from a left knee injury and his status for the first playoff game remains uncertain. Senior Aidan Goltz leads a deep and talented receiving corps that will likely see the return of senior Mason Walker (knee) for this week’s game.
Senior linebacker and co-captain Chad Koste leads the defense that has also been hit hard by injuries late in the season with several starters missing time over the last three games, all losses. Linebackers Johnny Brigandi (shoulder) and Brendan Duffy (sternum) remain questionable for this week, though starting cornerback Mason DePoy (shoulder) is expected to return. Senior safety Michael Morrison provides leadership as the team’s most experienced defensive back.
St. Anthony features a balanced offense averaging 185 yards passing, 168 yards rushing, and 26 points per game. Senior quarterback Lucas Lehmar averages 174 yards passing and 55 yards rushing per game. Lehmar has a .524 completion percentage with 15 touchdowns and ten interceptions. Sophomore Sone Aupiu is the Saints leading rusher with 902 yards and 10 total touchdowns, averaging 90 yards on the ground and 32 yards receiving per game. Senior Riley Jenkins is a deep-threat receiver, averaging over 19 yards per catch with nine touchdowns.
Newport Harbor is ranked #192 in the state of California and #2,581 in the nation by MaxPreps. St. Anthony is rated #370 in the state and #5,250 nationally by the same well-referenced high school sports website.
-Matt Morrison