Football: Newport Harbor Can't Keep Up With Poly in Playoffs, 49-14

Newport Harbor running back Titus Hasson scored a touchdown on a 46-yard run and also returned a kickoff 80 yards to set up another touchdown, but the Sailors were outmatched in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Pac-5 Division playoffs losing, 49-14, to Long Beach Poly Friday night at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach.

The Sailors (5-6), who finished third in the Sunset League, struggled mightily against the Jackrabbits (10-1), the Moore League Champions and the division's third-seeded team. Newport Harbor managed to gain only 77 yards of total offense for the entire game.

In fact, the Sailors' biggest play on offense came on a sack that was fumbled by senior quarterback Cole Blower on a pass attempt. The ball was scooped up by Hasson 10 yards behind the line scrimmage and he took it 46 yards for a touchdown, breaking three tackles along the way.

“I just saw the ball lying on the ground and I picked it up,” said Hasson, a senior who rushed for 798 yards on the season while leading the Sailors in scoring with 12 touchdowns. “And when I looked up I saw a big lane down the sideline and then just ducked my head at the five and ended up in the end-zone. It was a great feeling to score against a team like Long Beach Poly.”

Poly scored on its first six offensive possessions while the Jackrabbits' defense held the Sailors to only two yards of offense before Hasson returned a kick 80 yards to the 15-yard line and, on the ensuing play, Blower hit senior wide receiver Blake Bell in the corner of the end zone.

Blower, who was under pressure all night, completed six of 13 passes for 22 yards and was sacked twice while being hurried all night. He finished the season throwing for 1,058 yards and 14 touchdowns while leading the Sailors to their third straight playoff appearance.

“I never really had much time to do anything back there tonight,” Blower said of the defensive pressure applied by the Jackrabbits. “They are a very good team, probably the best team we have faced all year.”

Junior receiver Landon Gyulay had a team-high three catches for 13 yards. Senior running back AJ Sweis rushed for two yards on four carries and had one catch for one yard for the Sailors.

“They are a great football team,” Newport Harbor Coach Jeff Brinkley said of Poly, which will play host to Santa Margarita (9-2), a 45-21 winner over Bishop Amat on Friday, in the quarterfinals on Nov. 25 at Veterans Stadium.

“They have so much speed and are so deep. We knew we had a tough task against these guys but even when we were down 42 points, our guys still fought hard. I’m proud of this group of young men. They were a fun bunch to coach this season.”

SCORING

           1    2   3   4  --  T

LB       21  21  7   0  -- 49

NH        0  14  0   0  -- 14