Sea Kings top Eagles

NEWPORT BEACH - Noah  Molnar was in the right place at the right time all night Friday. The junior from Corona del Mar intercepted four passes to steady the defense and help the host Sea Kings edge South El Monte, 22-14, in a nonleague game at Newport Harbor.

After Hunter Alder scored on a 16-yard run with 8:20 left in the game to give Corona del Mar (2-3) a 15-14 lead, Molnar picked off three passes to end three of South El Monte’s final four drives.

Molnar’s third interception led to J.D. Abbott's second touchdown of the game on a 22-yard run.

The Sea Kings were in a hole after South El Monte (0-4) scored on its first possession of the game and Alder threw an interception on Corona del Mar’s ensuing drive.
Molnar ended an Eagles threat on the next drive when he picked off an errant pass in the end zone.

The Sea Kings got a little luck to get on the board in the second quarter. Corona del Mar forced the Eagles to punt and Max Haase recovered a short punt on the South El Monte 22. Abbott scored two plays later on a 4-yard run. The hike on the point-after attempt was low, so holder Tyler Haly passed to Ali Meshkin for a two-point conversion to make the score 14-8.

Contact the writer: efields@ocregister.com