The Sea Kings played their best defensive half of the season Friday, allowing just 45 yards and leaving the field at halftime leading 6-0. But penalties and a larger defensive line stifled CdM’s second half offense.
“We did a real good job against them in the first half,” Freeman said. “We didn’t play bad the whole game. That was probably the best defensive effort we had.”
After the Sea Kings win over South El Monte, linebacker Noah Molnar said the win was important because it marked a turnaround in the season for CdM, which had a three-game losing streak entering the contest.
“We were disappointed after the Villa Park loss because we thought we would win, especially after the first half that we had,” Abbott said.
The defensive fronts CdM will face in league should be smaller, he said.
“We knew we could compete against them,” Freeman said. “They’re a pretty good defensive team. We knew they played some good teams.”
With a number of players on the sidelines padless and in jeans because of various injuries, it was going to take a player like Newport Harbor’s Danny Miller to keep the Sailors in the game against Mira Costa.
That’s because Miller had mastered his mental repetitions, according to Coach Jeff Brinkley.
“You never know when you’re number’s going to be called,” Brinkley said, recalling Saturday’s UCLA-Notre Dame game.
Bruins’ starting quarterback Ben Olson left the game with a knee injury late in the first quarter and freshman redshirt McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who’d never played a college game, was pressured into mistakes the rest of the game.
