Prep football: Sea Kings slip

Barry Faulkner

CORONA DEL MAR - The Corona del Mar High football team got an idea

Thursday night of how little slack there is in the tightrope walk that is

the Pacific Coast League schedule this season.

Though putting together what Coach Dick Freeman termed its most

physically punishing rushing performance of the season and holding

University all-purpose back Scott Pickett nearly 57 yards less than his

per-game rushing-receiving average, the Sea Kings came out on the short

end of a 37-10 verdict against the Trojans.

Much of the damage was self-inflicted for CdM (4-2-1, 1-1 in league),

which lost fumbles at its 15- and 41-yard line, which led to two Uni

touchdowns. Additionally, a low punt snap downed by the CdM punter and a

22-yard punt, helped set up touchdown drives of 13 and 40 yards for the

opportunistic Trojans (5-1, 2-0).

“Defensively, we did a pretty decent job and offensively, you can’t do

much more than we did,” Freeman said. “But we made the kind of mistakes

you can’t afford to make against a good football team. Our two fumbles

were missed handoffs where we just flat dropped the ball. It looked like

that Harlem Globetrotters play where the ball stays stationary and the

players are running around it.”

Even Uni Coach Mark Cunningham acknowledged the score was not

indicative of the competition on the field at Irvine High.

CdM junior Mark Cianciulli did most of the work on the ground, rushing

for a career-high 227 yards on 33 carries.

Conversely, Pickett, who came in with 853 rushing yards and 18

receptions for 382 more, collected 138 on the ground and caught only one

pass for 11 yards.

“And he got most of his rushing yards on two carries,” Freeman said of

a 34-yard first-quarter burst and a 38-yard fourth-quarter run, both of

which kick-started the only two Uni touchdown marches not set up by CdM

misfortune.

On the injury front, Freeman was pleased by the continued

contributions made by recent returners John Daley (broken hand), Tyler

McClellan (rib cage) and Jeff Reed (collarbone).

Daley saw spot duty at guard and linebacker, while McClellan had a

game-high three receptions for 30 yards at tight end and also played some

at defensive end.

Reed rotated at outside linebacker, helping fill a void left by junior

Kris Cooper, who was not in uniform, nursing a torn knee ligament.

Cooper, who had also filled in at tight end for McClellan, will have

postseason surgery. Freeman said he could still play this season, but his

return would be conditional on his mobility.

Freeman said junior cornerback Jonathan Hubbard sustained what is

believed to be a mild concussion, so his availability for Friday’s clash

with PCL visitor Laguna Beach will be determined this week.