Newport Harbor Handles Fountain Valley, 33-7, in Sunset League Opener

Fountain Valley was struggling to keep pace with Newport Harbor though much of the first half, but after the Sailors scored 10 points in the final 26.5 seconds of the second quarter, they took a 26-0 lead into halftime and cruised to a 33-7 victory in the Sunset League opener for both teams Friday night at Newport Harbor High.

Newport Harbor (3-3 overall, 1-0 in league) had a 12-play drive that ended with a 34-yard field goal by senior kicker Christian Ochoa that gave the Sailors a 19-0 lead. After the ensuing kickoff went out of bounds, the Barons were able to return the re-kick to the 41 yard line with 15.5 seconds still on the clock.

Trying to salvage something out of their good field position, the Barons tried a pass down the middle, but junior linebacker Marty Taylor made a leaping interception at midfield. Taylor retuned the ball down the right side and found a group of blockers who cleared a path for him for 53-yard touchdown return.

The Sailors' defense kept the Barons from any big drives for most of the night, holding them scoreless until the first play of the fourth quarter. Earlier in the second quarter, the Barons had a low snap on a punt and before the punter could recover, senior Dalton Jensen tackled him in the end zone for a safety.

“Marty made a great pick at the end of the half, which really swung the momentum, obviously, to our side even more," Newport Harbor coach Jeff Brinkley said. "That was a big play.”

Brinkley said he was also pleased with his team's offense, which is getting healthy with the return of senior lineman Ted Barry and junior running back/safety Talalelei Teaupa, both of whom saw limited play. Guard Hamilton Randle could return next week and give the Sailors another boost heading into their game at Huntington Beach.

Senior Titus Hasson carried the bulk of the rushing load with 77 yards and a touchdown. Senior quarterback Cole Blower had 76 yards passing, including a third-quarter, 33-yard touchdown pass to senior Blake Bell that was tipped by a defender. That gave the Sailors a 33-0 lead.

Fountain Valley was able to mount a scoring drive late in the third quarter that was aided by a 42-yard run by Cristian Calvillo to the Sailors' 10-yard line. Two plays later, junior Luke Togafau barreled in from nine yards for the Barons’ only score on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Fountain Valley is still without some key players and trying to compete in a tough league without a lot of depth. “Offensively, we did not give our team a chance,” Baron coach John Shipp said. “Our defense played pretty well, but the same guys on defense are playing offense, so we point the fingers at ourselves. We’re a team and we’ve got to get better, bottom line.”

The Barons (3-3, 0-1) have a short week before they meet Los Alamitos on Thursday at Long Beach Veteran Stadium. The Griffins (4-2, 0-1) are likely to be motivated by a missed opportunity to defeat Edison in the closing seconds on Thursday, losing 10-7.

The Sailors travel to Huntington Beach (5-1, 1-0) on Friday against an Oiler team that thumped Marina, 54-3, Friday night. The Oilers were predicted to be among the league's top three teams this season.

“They’re definitely a good team," Brinkley said. "We know they’re good and they have all their guys back and I know they’re expecting big things this year.”