Trabuco Hills Whips Sailors, 35-14

With last season's starting tailback, Buzzy Yokoyama, gone to Mission Viejo via transfer, and this season's projected starting tailback, Tala Teaupa, sidelined with a broken collarbone, the Newport Harbor football team, a program steeped in rushing tradition, simply couldn't match the Trabuco Hills' run game on the road Thursday night, dropping its season-opener, 35-14.

For the suddenly 2-0 Mustangs, who welcome Santa Margarita Catholic to Trabuco Hills High's stadium next Thursday, the gameplan included a healthy dose of tailback Mitchell Simonsen. The 5-foot-9, 190-pound senior toted the rock for 207 yards in 30 carries, spearheading an efficient, ball-control attack that churned out 18 first downs and nearly 400 yards of total offense.

"I trust that my linemen can dominate any other team," Simonsen said. "I will go to war with them, line up against any other team, and have no doubts that they will dominate."

Dominate they did. Following a Simonsen tackle for loss that stalled Newport Harbor's initial drive, Trabuco Hills countered with an 81-yard scoring march that ran 5 1/2 minutes off the clock and racked up five first downs before quarterback Jonathan Newsom found Mathew Kirkland for a three-yard score that made it 7-0.

On 20 passing attempts, in which Newsom completed 11 for 151 yards, the senior signal-caller was sacked only once. While the Mustangs' defense matched with one sack of its own, it also collected four stops behind the line of scrimmage, three more than the Sailors, and picked up two turnovers, including a fumble recovery on Newport Harbor's ensuing drive, setting up Garret Hartman's three-yard plunge.

Sailors senior quarterback Cole Blower made it 14-7 early in the second quarter when he found Landon Gyulay (eight catches, 100 yards) on a well-placed corner route that the speedy receiver took 63 yards to the house. Blower finished the night with 143 yards on 13-of-23 passing, and added 30 yards on the ground.

All told, Newport Harbor finished with 127 yards rushing that included 55 in 13 carries by senior tailback AJ Sweis. Senior safety Titus Hasson, the Sailors' fastest back, finished with 34 yards on the ground, including an 18-yard touchdown that made it 21-14 with nine minutes to play in the third quarter.

"[Hasson] hasn't run very much, but he ran the ball well," Newport Harbor coach Jeff Brinkley said. "You know, we have to be able to threaten for easy scores. We can't grind out the 15-play drives with a young offensive line that includes two sophomores. We have to find a way to strike some lightning quickly, and [Hasson's] definitely got speed. There's not a lot of guys in the county faster."

With the Sailors threatening early in the second half, Trabuco Hills went back to its bread and butter, namely Simonsen, who carried the ball 20 times in the final 24 minutes.

On the Mustangs' ensuing drive, it was Simonsen's 36-yard scamper through traffic that set up his first scoring run. The bruising back then slammed the door shut early in the fourth, when he squirted free on a 17-yard romp.

Trabuco Hills' coach Scott Orloff was ecstatic with his team's first victory over a Pac-5 opponent this season, and was quick to heap praise on Newsom and the offensive line, as well his tailback.

"The offensive line deserves a lot of credit playing against a team that is usually very physical," he said. "The opened a lot of holes for Mitchell Simonsen, who ran hard. I'm proud of those guys. Newsom, he's a great kid, a great leader, and he's going to have a big year. This is just the start."

One tough test leads to another for the Mustangs, who must now contend with Santa Margarita, currently the No. 3 ranked team in the county according to the Orange County Register's media poll. Meanwhile, Newport Harbor (0-1) will look to regroup at home next Friday when Loyola of Los Angeles comes calling.

GAME STATISTICS

Newport Harbor     0     7     7     0     14
Trabuco Hills         14     7     7     7     35

First Downs: Newport Harbor 14, Trabuco Hills 16
Rushing Yards: Newport Harbor 127, Trabuco Hills 213
Passing Yards: Newport Harbor 143, Trabuco Hills 151
Total Yards: Newport Harbor 270, Trabuco Hills 364
Turnovers: Newport Harbor 2, Trabuco Hills 0
Penalties:Yards: Newport Harbor 5-50, Trabuco Hills, 8-52

SCORING

1st Quarter

TH -- Mathew Kirkland 3 pass from Jonathan Newsom; Blake Lucas kick, 3:25
TH -- Garret Hartman 3 run; Lucas kick, 1:39

2nd Quarter

NH -- Landon Gyulay 63 pass from Cole Blower; Christian Ochoa kick, 5:40
TH -- Tobias Dates 28 pass from Newsom; Lucas kick, 2:31

3rd Quarter

NH -- Titus Hasson 18 run; Ochoa kick, 8:14
TH -- Mitchell Simonsen 5 run; Lucas kick, 5:15

4th Quarter

TH -- Simonsen 17 run; Lucas kick, 9:32

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