Tars’ win comes with reserve clause

Monday morning quarterbackNewport Harbor High’s scout team helps defense prepare for Tustin’s double wing scheme. Tillers are held scoreless for the first time all season.By blanking Tustin High in the CIF Southern Section Division VI football semifinal Saturday, it was clear the Newport Harbor defense knew a thing or two about the Tillers’ smashmouth double wing offense.

But there was another group of double wing experts on the Sailors’ sideline who Coach Jeff Brinkley said were equally responsible for the 28-0 triumph.

“I have to give a lot of credit to our scout team,” Brinkley said of the reserves who run the opposing team’s offense and defense against the starters in practice. “They did an unbelievable job of giving our defense a good look all week in practice. They are the heroes of this game.”

Brinkley said the scout team’s contribution -- while valuable all season -- was particularly crucial against Tustin, due to the unique nature of the double wing scheme.

“Any time you’re going to face an offense or defense that is not something similar to what you do, it can be difficult to get a good look [from the scout team],” Brinkley said. “But these guys did a great job of picking it up and were able to give our defense a very good look.

“We had an extra day of preparation [with a Saturday game], so we were able to introduce the Tustin offense to our guys on Monday. They were able to observe the offense on film. Then, whenever we did individual defensive drills, the scout team offense worked with a couple of coaches on running Tustin’s plays. By the time they were asked to run the offense against our defense, they were ready go.”

Brinkley also praised the work of the scout team defense in preparation for Tustin.

“Our scout teams have done a good job all season and it has been so critical to our preparation,” Brinkley said. “I told them after the game in the locker room Saturday that their job is not something people are going to notice from the stands. But our coaching staff appreciates it and it was something I wanted to make sure those guys knew did not go unnoticed.”

Another notable aspect of the victory, which propelled the Sailors (10-3) into the championship game against Valencia (12-1), was an altered defensive scheme.

Defensive coordinator Tony Ciarelli tinkered with alignment and personnel to create an approach that helped keep the Tillers (6-7) out of the Sailors’ red zone all night. Tustin’s deepest penetration was the Newport Harbor 27-yard line.

The Sailors traditional four-three defense became a four-five, with Brett Green and Jack Tracy joining the front seven as linebackers. The two linebackers, in effect, replaced the cornerbacks.

In addition, Jasen Ruiz filled in at linebacker to help the Tars’ shut down a Tiller squad that had averaged 35 points in playoff wins over Orange Lutheran and Aliso Niguel.

Ruiz, a 5-foot-8, 170-pound junior, was in on two crucial stops on Tustin’s first two possessions. He brought down a ballcarrier for a 3-yard loss on third-and-five to force a punt on Tustin’s first possession. Then, he was in on a stop on fourth-and-two that gave Newport the ball at its own 48.

The Sailors turned that defensive stand, one of four fourth-down denials, into a nine-play, 52-yard touchdown drive to take a 14-0 lead midway through the second quarter.

“Ruiz has been playing well on special teams all season,” Brinkley said. “He’s fearless flying down on the kickoff team.”

Without the need for cornerbacks, Newport Harbor utilized senior Fernando Lara at receiver against Tustin.

Lara, who starts at cornerback and had three interceptions and one fumble recovery in the Tars’ first two playoff wins over El Dorado and Charter Oak, caught two of quarterback Tom Jackson’s four completions for 16 yards.

But the Sailors’ passing game was merely an afterthought, thanks to a run game that featured senior tailback Ryan Rippon.

Rippon, running mostly between the tackles, amassed 300 rushing yards on 30 carries. He becomes only the second Sailor to reach the 300-yard plateau in a single game. The late Andre Stewart holds the school record with 310 yards in 1999.

Brinkley said the Sailors were prepared to go to the air against Tustin, but Rippon’s success on the ground rendered such a plan needless.

“We are always ready to be balanced and take what the defense gives us,” Brinkley said. “But we were blocking them up front and Ryan was running the ball well. As long as we kept making first downs and were able to put the ball in the end zone, we weren’t going to throw it.”20051205ir0407knWENDI KAMINSKY / DAILY PILOT(LA)Newport Harbor’s Ryan Rippon (1) rushed for 300 yards against Tustin on Saturday to produce the second-best single-game effort in school history. 20051205ir03anknWENDI KAMINSKI / DAILY PILOT(LA)Ryan Rippon (1) helped the Tars rumble over Tustin.