NEWPORT BEACH – Whether it was David Arredondo with his arm or Omar Morrison with his legs, Newport Harbor didn’t have an answer for a powerful Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach offense.
Arredondo and Morrison accounted for 316 yards and five touchdowns as Mira Costa handed the Sailors their third straight loss, 35-14, Friday night at Newport Harbor High.
“We did not play well in any area of the game tonight,” Sailors coach Jeff Brinkley said. “Offense, defense, special teams; we did bad.”
The poor offense and defense were evident from the outset.
Newport Harbor (2-3) was forced to punt on all five of its first-half possessions, with the Sailors’ deepest offensive drive getting them as far as Mira Costa’s 41.
Arredondo, meanwhile, was poised in the pocket, facing little to no pressure.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound junior completed 8 of his 10 passes – to seven different receivers – for 127 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, guiding the Mustangs to a 21-0 lead.
Mira Costa (5-0) continued the onslaught to begin the third quarter as Arredondo engineered an 11-play, 69-yard scoring drive. It was capped by a 19-yard touchdown pass to Ta’utino Sione, giving the Mustangs a 28-0 advantage.
“They do a good job of spreading the ball around,” Brinkley said of the Mira Costa offense. “There were no surprises on what they did; they physically whipped us.”
Newport Harbor found some life late in the third after a 65-yard run from Cole Kinder set up a Michael Bonds 20-yard touchdown pass to Reed Rutter.
The Sailors then capitalized on a Mira Costa mistake when Tom Phillips recovered a muffed punt at the Mustangs 26 yard-line which led to a 31-yard touchdown pass from Bonds to Kinder, cutting the Mira Costa lead to 28-14 with 11:09 remaining in the fourth.
But Mira Costa’s Morrison put the finishing touches on a 140-yard rushing night on the Mustangs ensuing possession with a 65-yard touchdown run.
Bonds completed 13 of his 20 passing attempts for 119 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
Kinder had 83 yards on the ground and 66 more receiving.
