The words challenged: If you don’t play with all your heart in this game, it will haunt you for the rest of your life.
Newport Harbor’s freshmen needed that reminder at Corona del Mar Thursday, when the Sailors put together just enough big plays to hold on for a 22-15 win.
Brinkley had received the Williams letter from a parent before the season and he was waiting for this game to share it with the team. It was good timing for the varsity, who scored a 37-7 win Thursday night, and the freshmen, whose defense turned away the Sea Kings late in the game.
Corona del Mar appeared to have grabbed the momentum with 2 minutes, 40 seconds remaining, just after Kai Wilson scored from eight yards out and brought the Sea Kings (2-2) to within, 22-15.
Shortly after Newport Harbor (2-1) started on offense, the Sailors fumbled the ball and Blake Grable recovered at the Sea King 48. But that’s when Newport’s defense stepped up as it had throughout the game.
The Sea Kings were able to earn a first down and drive to the Newport Harbor 36, but on fourth-and-six, the Sailors’ Nathan Frank and Tyler Palmquist teamed up to sack the quarterback, crushing CdM’s hopes of a comeback. The Sailors then ran out the clock for the win.
“The kids played with a lot of heart,” Urban said. “I read them a letter actually from a player that played in 1989, that Coach Brinkley gave me. It talks about this [Battle of the Bay] game how important it was to him. It just said, what wins this game is a bunch of guys that play hard with a lot of heart. I think [Derek Kula and Ritter Hagedorn], along with the rest of the team, really exemplified that.”
