Sports
Football: Newport Harbor 32, Dana Hills 13
Southwest playoffs: Newport Harbor wins on the road at Dana Hills with a return to old-school Sailors football.
Newport Harbor got big performances from Garrett Hall and Cole Norris as the Sailors won a first-round game on the road as it pursues the Southern Section Southwest Division title.
For Newport Harbor, it was a return by the Sailors to their style of years ago when they were powered by a physical offensive line and a strong running game.
Dana Hills got an outstanding performance from Brian Scott in a losing effort.
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Score: Newport Harbor 32, Dana Hills 13
Key Stats: Garrett Hall filled in for injured Chance Siemonsma and rushed 23 times for 122 yards and touchdowns of 7 and 22 yards for Newport Harbor.
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Pivotal Moment: Dana Hills trailed 13-7 but had driven to the Newport 2-yard line. Quarterback Mack Vail tried to score on a sneak but fumbled and the Sailors' Eddie Nolan recovered. The Dolphins had missed their chance to push Newport.
Quotable: “We've always been known for long drives and pounding the football,” Newport Harbor coach Jeff Brinkley told OC Varsity. “That's what we did the last drive. We lined up and they knew we were going to run, we knew we were going to run and everyone in the stadium knew it. They couldn't stop it. That's a great feeling when you can do that and keep churning out the first downs."
Records: Newport Harbor (6-5), Dana Hills (5-6)
Notes: If the fumble at the 2 was pivotal, so too was a turnover in the third quarter by Dana Hills. The Dolphins were still within two touchdowns, and driving, late in the third quarter when they connected on a big play: Ted Fitzgerald’s reception gained 32 yards before he was stripped of the ball. The fumble was recovered by Riley Gaddis, and Newport drove 93 yards in 19 plays and held the ball for more than 9 1/2 minutes as Gaddis scored on a 9-yard run with 2:45 remaining. All but 6 yards of the drive came on the ground. ... Dana Hills scored first on Vail’s 1-yard run in the first five minutes of the game, but the Dolphins scored only once thereafter, on Brian Scott’s 1-yard run with 4:34 left in the third quarter. … Scott rushed for 153 yards for Dana Hills. … Cole Norris passed for 199 yards, including a 37-yard TD to Quest Truxton that pulled Newport to within 7-6 in the first quarter. … After Dana Hills’ initial score, Newport scored the next 20 points. … Newport Habor will play host to top-seeded La Habra in the second round.SOUTHWEST DIVISION
First Round
Top Bracket
La Habra 42, Canyon 21
Newport Harbor 32, Dana Hills 13
Los Alamitos 42, Foothill 0
Fullerton 29, Valencia 21
Bottom Bracket
Edison 35, Cypress 14
Villa Park 66, Buena Park 40
San Juan Hills 28, Foutain Valley 27
Huntington Beach 31, Yorba Linda 14
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