| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newport Harbor | 0 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 24 |
| Aliso Niguel | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
It wasn’t anywhere near perfect, but the Newport Harbor football team had plenty of perseverance and enough big play capability to take a come-from-behind 24-14 non-league win at Aliso Niguel High Friday night. With the victory, the Sailors remain unbeaten and match their win total of a year ago. It’s the first 3-0 start for Tar football since the 2011 season.
Junior running back Justin McCoy rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns including a 38-yard scoring burst late in the 4th quarter to put the game on ice. The offense that mostly sputtered into the third quarter found its rhythm to score three unanswered touchdowns in the final 13 minutes of regulation. Junior quarterback Cole Lavin threw for 114 yards on 9 of 16 passing while rushing for 115 yards including a 43-yard burst and a 9-yard TD run.
Of course when a team scores 21 straight points to close out the win, the defense claims a large share of the credit. Once again, the unit spearheaded by senior linebacker Chad Koste (11 tackles and 2 assists) was consistent throughout and grew tougher in critical situations.
Koste was the team’s leading tackler and recovered a fumble, one of four turnovers the Sailors’ defense forced in the game. Fellow senior captain Johnny Brigandi dazzled the crowd with a big hit on a Wolverines receiver, then scooped the fumble for 68-yard return. Junior Mason DePoy’s 4th quarter recovery of a Wolverines muffed punt set up the Sailors final touchdown and junior Spencer O’Bryan’s leaping interception with just over two minutes to play crushed Aliso Niguel’s last hope. It was O’Bryan’s team-leading second interception of the season, both coming in game-closing situations.
“The defense played a phenomenal game tonight,” said proud second-year Head Coach Peter Lofthouse. “They were lights out.”
“No matter what the score is, we know that when it comes to crunch time we’ll get it done,” Koste added. “I don’t think we ever thought we were going to lose that game.”
The Harbor offense had a rough start, turning the ball over on two of its first three possessions. An errant backward pass recovered by the Wolverines killed the first possession and a rare McCoy fumble on the first play of the third possession added to the frustration. The Wolverines took a 7-3 lead on a 6-yard touchdown pass in the closing seconds of the first half, then extended it to 14-3 on a short scoring run to cap a 9-play drive opening the third quarter.
The Sailors finally got untracked in their second possession of the half, an 8-play drive featuring Lavin finding senior receiver Aidan Goltz for a pair of first down receptions leading to McCoy’s 2-yd touchdown run to pull within 4.
Trailing 14-10 to start the fourth quarter, Lavin and Goltz connected on two straight completions of 23 and 22 yards to spark the 7-play drive that put the Sailors on top when Lavin took it over the goal line on a 9-yard keeper.
“That’s just my reads. If the ends crash, then I pull the ball and I just kept doing that,” Lavin said of his effective decision making that opened up the passing game. “The linebackers had to play the run more and that obviously opened up Aidan… then I just get the ball to the athlete out there.”
Goltz had his most effective game of the season so far, finishing with five receptions for 69 yards, all in the second half. The returning first-team All-Sunset League receiver was just happy the offense was able to correct itself.
“We started out a little rough, but we finally figured it out and found some momentum. It turned out good,” Goltz reflected.
In the wake of the victory, three straight wins, and a bye week ahead, Lofthouse rewarded his team with a rare Saturday off. The post-game announcement was met with wild excitement by the Sailors rank & file.
Newport Harbor will play its first home game of the season in two weeks when it takes on Santa Monica High on Friday night, September 20th. Kickoff at Davidson Field is set for 7:00 pm.
-Matt Morrison