CdM healthy for stretch run

Patrick Laverty

Injuries often come in bunches and Corona del Mar High football coach

Dick Freeman has to hope the Sea Kings have finally seen the last of

their bunch.

Corona del Mar came out of its 36-21 Pacific Coast League victory

over Laguna Beach Thursday without any new injuries and the Sea Kings

finally began to see players who have missed time work their way back

into the rotation.

As the Sea Kings (4-2, 1-0 in league) prepare for a brutal finish

to the season -- road games against Northwood, Tesoro and University

-- they hope to finally field a full lineup Friday against Calvary

Chapel (1-3-2, 0-1).

Linemen Andrew Keligian, John Fairbanks and Sean Ellis, who had

all missed at least the previous game, if not more, played against

Laguna Beach and came out of the game in good condition.

“They look like they’re pretty well back,” Freeman said.

This week, lineman Andy Lujan, a second-team all-league selection

last season, is expected to return from a high ankle sprain after

missing two games and wide receiver and cornerback Kevin Welch could

return from a groin injury that kept him out of last week’s game.

“[Welch] felt pretty good at the end of the week,” Freeman said.

“But those things are one of those compound injuries. He really

needed a week off, even if he didn’t think so.”

Welch’s twin brother, Tom, bounced back from a strained left

shoulder suffered in Week 5 against La Habra with one of his best

performances of the season. The junior quarterback completed 7 of 9

passes for 208 yards and a touchdown. His two incompletions were

perfectly thrown, but knocked away on good defensive plays.

“Against La Habra, it was really the first time he saw a pass

rush,” Freeman said. “He paid a little too much attention to it. He’s

such a good athlete, this week he kind of coached himself and stayed

with his wide receivers. He threw the ball really well.”

While the Sea Kings are returning to full strength, there were

some positives to come out of the headaches created by the injuries.

The loss of players at key positions allowed others to step forward

and earn themselves playing time. Freeman singled out offensive guard

J.R. Saroyan and wide receiver/defensive back Matt Loyd as two

players who did just that.

* COSTA MESA: The Mustangs entered Friday’s game against Santiago

thinking they were going to get a preview of their next Golden West

League opponent, Orange.

But Santiago didn’t run the double-wing offense, which Costa Mesa

had prepared for all week, and switched its defensive formation from

a four-three to a four-six.

The changes didn’t make much of a difference in the end, with the

Mustangs (4-2, 1-1 in the Golden West League) winning, 56-21, but

Santiago running back Curtis Martin rushed for 83 yards, the most the

Mustangs had allowed to a running back this season. Still, with five

sacks for 42 yards, Costa Mesa limited the Cavaliers to 82 yards on

the ground. In six games, the Mustangs have given up just 243 rushing

yards.

“We expected them to come out and run the double-wing,” Perkins

said. “I think that had a lot to do with it. They were running things

our kids had never seen in practice. But, we’ve still had two weeks

to prepare for Orange.”

Orange (5-1, 3-0), which plays Costa Mesa Thursday at El Modena

High, is expected to run the double-wing and it will be strength

against strength as the Mustangs’ run defense matches up against a

team has rushed for more than 2,000 yards this season.

The game is a must-win for the Mustangs if they hope to defend

their 2002 league title. A loss would drop Costa Mesa two games

behind Orange with three to play.

“Absolutely,” Perkins said when asked if this week’s game is the

biggest of the season. “We have three games in a row that our huge.

It’s a cliche, but we’ve got to take it one game at a time. Orange is

very good.”

The Mustangs defeated Santiago without the services of offensive

tackle Zenri Kato (ankle sprain) and safety Al Rodriguez

(concussion). Rodriguez was cleared to play, but Perkins decided to

play it safe. Both players are expected to be at full speed Thursday.

Joe Ortiz started in place of Kato Friday and played well, Perkins

said. Jamison Morris performed admirably in place of Rodriguez.

“Joe Ortiz did a great job,” Perkins said. “It’s nice to have

people step in and do a good job. Now we have some depth along the

line.”

* NEWPORT HARBOR: Even two days later, the sting from the Sailors’

31-24 loss to Foothill could still be heard in Coach Jeff Brinkley’s

voice.

Losing a two-touchdown lead over the final 13 minutes, which

included two Knights touchdowns in the final 2:21, left Brinkley with

one of the most disappointing losses in his 18 years at Newport

Harbor.

“Without a doubt,” Brinkley said. “It definitely was very

devastating to the players and the staff. We pour our heart and soul

into this thing, working 12 to 15 hours a day. Even on Sunday, I’m

surrounded by papers getting ready for our next opponent. It was a

tough one. I feel for the kids and the community. It’s an emotional

thing. We’ve had great support. When we lose one like this, I feel

like I let them down.”

The Sailors (5-1, 0-1 in Sea View League play) had a chance to

knock off league favorite Foothill (5-1, 1-0), but now they must

bounce back from the difficult loss with four more league games

remaining, beginning Friday at Aliso Niguel (4-2, 1-0).

If anything, the loss to Foothill may have taught the Sailors, who

count 14 juniors and sophomores among their 22 starters, what it

takes to hold a lead against a top-quality opponent in a playoff-like

atmosphere. Brinkley, though, would have preferred an alternate means

of understanding that.

“I don’t know if there’s ever a good lesson in losing a game,

Brinkley said. “I really liked the way we got ready to play and our

focus for the game.”

The only significant injury suffered by a Harbor player Friday was

a high ankle sprain that took offensive guard Stephen Joslin out of

the game in the third quarter.

Brinkley said it is highly unlikely that Joslin will play this

week, with either Mark Temple or Ellery Murphy, both of whom played

after Joslin went out Friday, starting in his place.

* ESTANCIA: After the Eagles’ second straight loss Thursday, Craig

Fertig’s weekend was brightened by USC’s victory over Notre Dame

Saturday, but the first-year Estancia coach was having trouble in his

attempt to brighten the outlook for Santa Ana High quarterback Felix

Munoz.

The Eagles (3-3, 1-2 in Golden West League play) play the Saints

(3-3, 0-2) Friday at Orange Coast College, but Munoz won’t be on the

field. The junior underwent surgery to remove a blood clot on his

brain after he collapsed during Santa Ana’s homecoming Thursday.

Munoz appeared to be in stable condition over the weekend, but

Fertig was having trouble attempting to confirm Munoz’s location at

Western Medical Center in Santa Ana.

Fertig wanted to deliver a USC hat -- Santa Ana Coach Jesse Gomez,

like Fertig, went to USC -- and let Munoz know that he is in the

Eagles’ thoughts. But the hospital would not confirm that Munoz was

there.

“I was just trying to make the young guy feel better,” Fertig

said. “I thought it’d be a nice thing for our team to do.”

With all his years of experience as a player, coach and

broadcaster, Fertig knows there is no telling how the Saints will

respond to Munoz’s injury, which is sure to end his playing career.

“Every team has a different chemistry,” Fertig said. “Some will

rally around it and others will be in complete remorse, saying ‘What

do we do now?’ You don’t know how they’re going to react to it,

especially in high school. It’s probably the first time they’ve ever

seen a injury like this.”

Fertig was unsure of even his own players’ reaction.

“We’re concerned too,” Fertig said. “It could have been one of

us.”

The emotions of Friday night’s game should further level out the

playing field between two teams that have identical records.

Estancia will be attempting to end its first losing streak under

Fertig and with league games against Costa Mesa and Orange remaining,

it is a must-win if the Eagles are to have any hope of reaching the

CIF Southern Section Division VII playoffs for the first time since

2000.