Sailors square off against Tustin

NH football pre vs. TustinA win over Tillers would give Newport Harbor its seventh trip to CIF finals in 14 seasons.Tustin High football Coach Myron Miller has always admired Newport Harbor and Coach Jeff Brinkley from afar.

For the first time in his 11 seasons with the Tillers, the former Costa Mesa High head man will get to observe Brinkley from the opposing sideline, when the two teams square off in a CIF Southern Section Division VI semifinal tonight at 7:30 at Tustin High.

“The thing that scares me about Newport Harbor is Brinkley,” said Miller, whose Tillers (6-6) upset No. 2-seeded Orange Lutheran in the first round. “His program is always at the top level in anything it does. [The Sailors] do all the things great programs do.”

The Sailors (9-3), tri-champions of the Sea View League, have yet to establish their greatness this season. But Brinkley, in his 20th season at the helm, has the Tars in the CIF semifinals for the ninth time in the last 14 years.

A victory would propel the Sailors into their seventh championship game in those 14 years. They won section titles in 1994 and 1999.

Tustin, making its fifth trip to the semifinals in the last 10 seasons, has been to only one final in that span. It was defeated by Carson Palmer-led Santa Margarita in the 1997 Division V championship game.

The Tillers run the smashmouth double wing offense, a scheme Miller utilized to help lead Costa Mesa to the Division VIII title game in 1993. It’s an alignment Brinkley has never faced in his tenure at Newport.

“Honestly, it’s a bear,” Brinkley said of the offense, which typically funnels a pack of blockers into the off-tackle hole, hoping the tailback can eventually pop out of the pile.

“You don’t see it, and there are a lot of gaps to cover,” Brinkley said. “We’ve got to find a way to: A, match up with them physically; and, B, make sure we’re in an alignment that gives us a chance.”

Newport Harbor defensive coordinator Tony Ciarelli has some experience preparing for the double wing. Ciarelli, then the head coach at Huntington Beach, was defeated by Tustin, 35-20, in a nonleague game in 1997.

“That wasn’t fair, though,” Miller said of the ’97 win over Huntington, “because I had DeShaun [Foster, a star running back who went on to UCLA and the Carolina Panthers].”

“They always have athletes,” Brinkley said of the Tillers. “Hopefully, we can match up.”

The matchup should present some difficulty for Tustin, as well. Newport Harbor has shown the ability to beat opposing defenses with the run and the pass.

Defensively, the Sailors turned No. 3-seeded Charter Oak away seven times in the red zone without a point in last week’s 28-7 quarterfinal triumph. Newport edged El Dorado, 32-31, in overtime in the first round.

The Sailors’ ground game features senior tailback Ryan Rippon. Senior quarterback Tom Jackson triggers the aerial attack.

Rippon, who missed the first four games recovering from reconstructive knee surgery, has 1,328 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on 174 carries.

Jackson has thrown for 1,289 yards and 19 touchdowns, completing 98 of 194 passes with six interceptions.

The Sailors’ leading receivers are senior James Coder (35 catches for 362 yards and three touchdowns) and junior Jarrett Daniel (512 yards and 10 touchdowns on 29 receptions).

The Sailors’ offensive line is led by left tackle Charles Schultz, a 6-foot-4, 332-pound senior.

Tustin has four ballcarriers with at least 500 rushing yards, led by 6-0, 205-pound senior Jeff Quinn -- who rushed for 1,639 yards en route to All-CIF honors last season. This season, plagued by a pulled hamstring sustained in a season-opening loss to Foothill, Quinn has 843 yards and 13 touchdowns on 158 rushing attempts in 2005.

“He is still not 100%,” Miller said.

Junior Javis Lewis has split time at wingback and quarterback this season, but has played quarterback in the playoffs, Miller said. Lewis has 720 yards and 11 touchdowns on 113 carries. He has completed 9 of 21 passes for 178 yards. He has not thrown an interception or a touchdown pass.

Miller said senior Vontrell Lewis (504 yards on 74 carries) is also a talented runner. His numbers are down due to missing time due to various injuries, Miller said.

Turnovers figure to be a big factor. Miller said most of Tustin’s losses have resulted from his team’s propensity for fumbling. Newport Harbor is plus-eight in turnover margin this season, and a whopping plus-seven in its two playoff wins.

“Time of possession will be very important,” Brinkley said. “We try to emphasize that anyway, but it will be especially important this week. We can’t have a lot of three-and-outs.”

Miller is 1-8 against Sea View League teams while at Tustin. The Tillers’ first win over a Sea View foe came last week, a 28-10 triumph over Aliso Niguel.

Tonight’s winner advances to the title game Friday against Valencia (12-1) at a site to be determined. Valencia advanced with a 19-13 semifinal win Friday.

CHALK TALK

PILOT PICKS

Tonight’s game

Newport Harbor vs. Tustin

7:30 p.m. at Tustin High

- Newport Harbor by 6

Last week’s record: 2-1

This season: 41-11

NEWPORT HARBOR STARTERS