NEWPORT BEACH – Sam Darnold is not perfect.
He threw an interception.
But Darnold was darned close to perfection otherwise. He passed for 295 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown to lead San Clemente to a 47-24 win over Newport Harbor in a nonleague game Friday night at Newport Harbor High.
Darnold, a 6-foot-5, 215-pound senior who committed to USC, completed 20 of 27 throws. The interception came on his 116th pass of the season.
San Clemente, not in the Orange County top 10 (but perhaps included next week), is ranked No. 2 in the CIF-Southern Section Southwest Division. The Tritons are 5-0. They are averaging 45 points a game.
San Clemente, 2-8 last year, plays at Tesoro on Thursday. Tesoro beat Corona del Mar on Friday to end the Sea Kings’ winning streak at 30 games.
Vlad Dzhabiyev, a junior, rushed for 93 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries for San Clemente. Brandon Reaves, a sophomore, had seven receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown and also ran for a touchdown. Senior receiver/defensive back Jacob Russell had a touchdown reception and an interception.
Russell was pleased with the win.
“I thought our offense really executed well in just about every aspect of the game,” Russell said. “Our offensive line dominated pretty much the entire game, our running backs ran hard, and Sam did a great job of distributing the ball to everyone. Our defense flew to the ball all game.”
As for next week, Russell said, “Tesoro is going to be a very tough challenge. We’re excited for it.”
Newport Harbor quarterback Cole Norris had a fine game. He completed 21 of 35 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown. The Sailors’ Booker Hoey scored on a 99-yard kickoff return,
The Sailors, a CIF finalist last year, have lost three in a row and are 1-3. They play at Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach on Friday.
Newport Harbor took a 7-0 lead with a touchdown on its first possession. A 5-yard touchdown pass from Norris to Jack Rapillo ended a 10-play drive that started at the 50-yard line and featured five Norris completions.
San Clemente tied it on its first possession. Darnold had six completions, including one of 19 yards to Russell that put the Tritons at the Sailors’ 1-yard line. Reaves bashed it in from there to make it 7-7.
The Tritons took the lead for good on the final play of the first quarter. Darnold connected with Reaves on a shorts sideline pass that Reaves turned into a 56-yard touchdown. The kick for the extra point hit the right upright to leave the San Clemente advantage at 13-7.
Michael Schultz of Newport Harbor kicked a 47-yard field goal to cut the Sailors’ deficit to 13-10.
The Tritons, on the first play of their ensuing possession, ran a flea flicker with Darnold firing the ball to Russell for a 59-yard touchdown pass to increase San Clemente’s lead to 20-10.
The Sailors lost a fumble at the San Clemente 12-yard line. The Tritons then rambled 88 yards on 16 plays, with Dzhabiyev scoring on a 2-yard run to push the lead to 27-10.
In the final moments of the half, Darnold threw his first interception of the season , with Newport’s Riley Gaddis snagging the deflected throw. Russell made an interception for San Clemente on the final play of the half.
Newport Harbor scored first in the second half on a 2-yard run by Gaddis to make it 27-17. Darnold’s 2-yard touchdown run made it 33-17 (the extra-point kick missed and his 4-yard touchdown pass to Cole Harlos extended the lead to 40-17.
Hoey’s 99-yard kickoff return made it 40-24. Dzhabiyev’s 1-yard run midway through the fourth quarter created the final 47-24 tally.
Contact the writer: sfryer@ocregister.com
