Ten Sailors Earn All-Sunset League Honors; Justin McCoy is Co-Offensive Back of the Year
The resurgent Newport Harbor football team stamped an exclamation point on a turnaround 2019 season by placing ten players on the annual All-Sunset League football squad. Toss up a bunch of extra confetti for junior running back Justin McCoy as he was selected as the league’s Co- Running Back of the Year.
Under the guidance of second-year Head Coach Peter Lofthouse, the Sailors tripled their win total from the previous season, finishing with a 9-4 record after reaching the CIF Division IX semifinals.
McCoy’s outstanding season performance highlights a group of five first-team All-League selections with a handful more honorees underscoring the depth of a thrilling 2019 campaign.
Senior co-captains Johnny Brigandi (linebacker) and Aidan Goltz (receiver) are repeat first-team selections. Fellow senior co-captain Chad Koste – a three-time All-League selection – earned first-team honors for the second time in three sea-sons while senior co-captain offensive tackle Carter Mathisrud, a second-teamer in 2018, also earned first-team honors. In addition, Mathisrud (a Washington OL commit) was the only NHHS player named All-Orange County as a third-team offensive lineman and was nominated for South football team in OC All-Star Classic.
Three quarters of the Sailors’ defensive backfield including seniors Austin Muro and Michael Morrison along with junior Kaden Stowell were named second-team All-Sunset League as was junior defensive lineman Chris Jover and sophomore offensive tackle Grayson Simon.
“You know, it’s funny. Every coach, they go to clinics, they talk to so many people, and one of the things I learned from listening to (Alabama coach) Nick Saban speak is he said, ‘games are won by players, not by schemes’. He (Saban) said he learned early on, if you want to win a ballgame, get the ball to your best players”.
McCoy proved to be that dependable go-to guy throughout the 2019 season. He had plenty of offensive compliment from quarterbacks Cole Lavin and Nick Kim along with Goltz and an emerging group of talented skill players.
A smilingly-affable and much-tougher-and faster-than-he-may-look 185-pound junior, McCoy rushed for 1,200 yards (approximate) with another 400 yards receiving and scored 28 touchdowns for the Sailors. His consistent excellence in forward motion inspired the offense throughout the season.
“In the games we needed him, he showed up. He’s a downhill runner,” Loft-house reflected concerning the on-field aspect of a special performer. “Every-body… they see him with the yards and the touchdowns. What they don’t realize is, he’s a phenomenal kid. He works hard in the classroom, he works hard, just on campus, at being just a good person.”
McCoy shared league offensive back of the year honors with Braeden Boyles of Edison.
Goltz was equally the NHHS most inspirational offensive player from the standpoint of his clutch performances, both as a receiver and kickoff return man. His late-game crunch-time receptions were pivotal in no less than three wins during the campaign. The senior standout caught 68 passes for 832 yards while drawing the attention of each opponents’ most skilled pass defenders. Goltz’ well-earned reputation for excellence drew the distraction that allowed teammate-receivers Mason Walker, Joe Knipp, Jake Keliikoa, James Crowell and Muro to excel in their roles.
Mathisrud was the mainstay of an offensive line that was under construction from the first of the season. With senior Cole McCunniff, junior Cade Parks, and sophomores Simon and Brady Bradfield plus others, the unit congealed into a solid front for McCoy and the passing game to excel. Talented junior QB Cole Lavin led the team to a 5-0 start before a knee injury knocked him out for the remainder of the regular season. Sophomore Nick Kim stepped in and didn’t miss a beat, leading the offense with consistent passing as the Sailors reached the playoffs, and ultimately, the CIF semifinals. The team finished six wins better than the 2018 squad.
Simon was the pillar among a group of sophomores that made a significant contribution while developing throughout the season. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound and still growing Simon played every snap as the starting right tackle and Lofthouse envisions nothing but excellence in his future.
“He’s special, he really is,” the head coach gushed. “He’ll be one of the better linemen to ever come through Harbor, I bet. He’s got that kind of potential.”
Koste was the heart and Brigandi was the soul of the defense that rose to each challenge on a weekly basis. The senior co-captains provided on-field and side-line leadership through both performance and encouragement.
Koste was the team leader in tackles and was the Sailors’ most consistent defensive player through all thirteen games; Brigandi fought through a serious left shoulder injury that cost him all or parts of four contests – yet he remained an inspirational presence on the sidelines before retaking the field when possible. Fellow senior linebacker Brendan Duffy was injured & out early in the season yet remained an inspirational leader for his teammates during practices, pregame, and from the sideline during games.
Muro did double duty as both a talented pass-coverage cornerback and dependable wide-out on offense, collecting two interceptions on defense to compliment four touchdowns as a receiver. Morrison directed the team’s precision pass coverage from the safety position and was second on the team in total tackles behind Koste while also stepping in to handle the long-snapping chores. Stowell, a junior, exemplified a tough physical presence in the defensive backfield while serving as the team’s punter. Juniors Mason DePoy and Spencer O’Bryan were strong contributors in the secondary throughout the season.
Jover was the leader of an underrated defensive front that included a rotation of talented juniors Eric Hehl (converted linebacker) and Eriq Hilliard (both transfers from Edison High) that inspire a positive outlook for next season. The Sailors got consistent play from sophomore Nate Peters and tackle and will certainly miss the pass rush and quality play from three starting graduating seniors: Kris Kirnbauer, JJ Perez and Zach Debernarde.
“He’s an unsung hero. He’s stronger than he looks,” the head coach said of Jover. “He just plays hard. If you can get a team to just play hard, for four quarters, like Chris did, and these seniors did, they just kept playing, and playing and playing, and playing. What a great example for the future of this pro-gram.”
The kicking team performed well all season with junior Wade Tankersley and senior Jack Starnes platooning on the PATs and field goals, while Stowell handled every punt for the year.
Congratulations to the Newport Harbor All-Sunset League selections and carry on TAR FOOTBALL!
– Matt Morrison