The Newport Harbor football team hosts Monrovia in second-round CIF playoff action Friday night at Davidson Field. Kickoff is set for 7:00 pm for what could be the Sailors final home game of the 2019 campaign.
Harbor (8-3) is coming off a thrilling 35-32 opening-round victory on the road over St. Anthony of Long Beach (5-6). Junior running back Justin McCoy rushed for 219 yards on 37 carries with four touchdowns and added an additional 39 yards on five pass receptions. Sophomore quarterback Nick Kim hit senior receiver Jake Keliikoa with a 15-yard touchdown pass for the game winner with :28 seconds remaining in the game.
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2019 Division 9 Playoff Bracket
Monrovia (10-1) shutout Santa Fe (3-8) 41-0 in their first-round match-up and is now riding an eight-game win streak. The Wildcats average 36 points per game while allowing opponents only 12 per contest. Among its ten wins, Monrovia defeated San Marino 35-0 on October 4th. Against their only common opponent, Newport Harbor beat San Marino 48-7 a week earlier.
In addition to a stingy defense, the Wildcats feature a speedy offense triggered by senior quarterback Nick Hernandez with a pair of deep-threat receivers in seniors Mario Minor and Daylen Wilson. Hernandez has a 64-percent completion rate, throwing for over 2,800 yards and 33 touchdowns with only five interceptions. Minor leads the team with 54 receptions for 1,133 yards and 14 touchdowns. Wilson has nearly 900 yards with 11 touchdowns. Both average about 21-yards per catch. Senior Tyree Myles is the team’s leading rusher averaging 58 yards per game with six total touchdowns.
Harbor scores an average of 27 and has allowed 26 points per game. McCoy leads the Sailors with 1,018 yards rushing with nearly 400 yards receiving and 20 total touchdowns. Senior Aidan Goltz is the Sailors leading receiver with 49 receptions for 625 yards, averaging just under 70 yards per contest. In six games since taking over for injured QB Cole Lavin (knee), Kim has thrown for 1,365 yards with six touchdowns and seven interceptions. Lavin suited up for the first time since week five in the St. Anthony win, seeing only limited duty on defense. He could see action at quarterback against Monrovia.
Monrovia finished 3rd in the regular season CIF Southern Section Division 9 rankings; Newport Harbor was 4th. The Sailors are currently ranked #193 in the state of California and #2,615 nationally by MaxPreps, the recognized standard of high school sports web sites in the country. MaxPreps ranks Monrovia #200 in California and #2,781 in the nation.
-Matt Morrison