The 56-year-old Brinkley is three wins shy of recording a great milestone as well.
Brinkley, in his 24th year at Newport Harbor, is closing in on win No. 200 at the school. Only seven other coaches have recorded 200 career victories at county schools.
A junior transfer from the Bay Area led the Sailors in rushing.
Cedric Whitaker wasn’t even on Newport Harbor’s roster before the season, but he sure made his presence felt in the opener.
On his first carry, Whitaker went left and sped past the defense untouched for a 42-yard touchdown run 43 seconds into the second half.
“He moved in from Oakland,” Brinkley said of Whitaker, who rushed four times for 59 yards. “He’s got a little speed. He’s a good little football player [on] both sides of the ball.”
Whitaker also played cornerback. In the fourth quarter, he returned a fumble 72 yards for a touchdown.
With the 5-8, 160-pounder, the Sailors have a game-changer.
Corona del Mar High senior quarterback Michael Borchard took over at Laguna Beach High late in the first half Friday, helping give the Sea Kings a 21-20 halftime lead on their way to a 65-34 nonleague win.
With 43 seconds left in the second quarter, Borchard’s 45-yard pass to senior Justin Tam brought the ball to the Breakers’ five-yard line. After a penalty, Borchard scrambled in from 10 yards out. Borchard then made an athletic move by diving over the right pylon for a two-point-conversion run.
Corona del Mar also got the ball to open the second half and scored on J.D. Abbott’s eight-yard run, then scored again when Laguna Beach fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Alex Swigert ran it in from 14 yards out. The 22 straight points, in less than two minutes, gave the Sea Kings a 35-20 lead and Laguna Beach never recovered.
