Extending its season is far as it could, the Newport Harbor football team reached the end of the line on a chilly night in Palmdale where the aluminum bleachers at Highland High were as unwelcoming as the home football team. The seats were icy cold and the Bulldogs had too much firepower for the Sailors in the CIF Division IX semifinals.
The 58-17 final score in favor of the Bulldogs sent Harbor home with a 9-4 record for the 2019 campaign, still with an abundance of pride for a memorable season well played.
It was the first time in six years Harbor reached the CIF semifinals and the tears that flowed afterward were not of frustration. Senior players embraced one another, as well as younger teammates, in heartfelt appreciation of a special season shared among many.
For the 20 players participating in their final high school game, second-year Head Coach Peter Lofthouse had this message in the post-game huddle:
“When I first got here, we took over a 2-8 program that didn’t have much hope. I’m so proud of where we’ve come. You seniors have made an incredible difference, showing the way, what it takes to work hard, achieving results. We were a 9-3 team, now 9-4; a CIF semifinalist – you have every right to be proud. You’ve set a great example for the younger players and the future of this program.”
During the previous 48 minutes, Highland dominated. The Bulldogs scored touchdowns on their first five possessions, never needing to punt in the first half. Only a Jack Starnes 30-yard field goal and a Nick Kim to Joe Knipp four-yard touchdown pass, both in the second quarter, kept the game mildly interesting at 34-10 through the shivering halftime.
After stopping Highland for the first time defensively in the third quarter, Harbor appeared to grab some momentum when Kim, the Sailors sophomore quarterback, hit junior receiver James Crowell with a 16-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead in half at 34-17. But that’s as close as the Sailors would get. While the defense stiffened, the next NHHS possession ended with a missed field goal try heading toward the fourth quarter, and with it, the momentum drained.
Adding injury to insult, key Harbor offensive players Justin McCoy and Kim were knocked out of the game in the second half, both with head injuries. McCoy, the standout junior running back, finished with only 18 yards rushing on 11 carries; Kim was 24-for-46 passing for 279 yards and two touchdowns. Both players were alert and participatory under concussion protocol during the post-game farewell.
Defensively, Harbor had no answer for Highland’s standout senior running back Isaiah Creech, who rushed for 219 yards and four touchdowns on sprints of 17, 52, 4, and 33 yards. A Highland defensive score on a 56-yard interception return in the fourth quarter was the dagger. Receiver Jaycob Spiteri found the end zone twice for Highland scoring the first and last touchdowns of the night.
Sailors senior receiver and co-captain Aidan Goltz caught eight passes for 62 yards. Senior Mason Walker had three receptions for 83 yards. Senior linebacker and co-captain Chad Koste was the defensive leader with 8 solo tackles.
The loss was difficult but not devastating in the context of a season that saw the Sailors triple their win total from a year ago.
“It’s an unfortunate way to go out. Nobody ever wants to end their season with a loss,” Lofthouse reflected. “These seniors had a heck of a season, a heck of a run. To be a CIF semifinalist is nothing to be disappointed about.”
After the team broke from its final huddle, players and coaches embraced and posed for pictures with the Tar faithful, supportive family members and friends, who made the long trip to the Antelope Valley. The longer journey through the entire 2019 Harbor football season is a ride none of them will ever forget.
-Matt Morrison