NEWPORT BEACH – At least Newport Harbor has something to work on.

If not for a flurry of penalties at the end of the first half, the Sailors would have entered halftime up six scores.

As it turned out, five touchdowns proved to be enough of a cushion. Newport Harbor coasted to a 58-7 opening night victory tonight, in front of a large home crowd that remained boisterous through the Sailors’ eight touchdowns.

Senior J.B. Green had scored three times, and the Sailors held a four-touchdown advantage, before Aliso Niguel gained a first down. The Wolverines did not score until the fourth quarter, when the Sailors had replaced their starting defense.

Green finished with four touchdowns, scoring four different ways. Along with a 5-yard pass and 4-yard run, he added the first return scores of his career. He took a second-quarter punt 51 yards for a touchdown, and followed a third-quarter safety with a 77-yard kickoff return.

“It’s a really good win to start off the season, but we’ve got a really tough week next week,” said Green, whose team will face Long Beach Poly.

Newport Harbor added two more special teams touchdowns, as senior Ned Lyon and junior Cecil Whiteside each blocked a punt and recovered it for a touchdown.

“We worked really hard in our fall camp on our special teams,” Sailors coach Jeff Brinkley said. “It’s good to see our kids rewarded.”

The Wolverines (0-2) finished with 123 yards of offense. Senior running back Daniel Hwang scored Aliso Niguel’s touchdown, and junior Jason Long led the team with 54 yards on 12 carries.

Sailors senior Danny Miller rushed for 115 yards on eight carries, including a 73-yard touchdown. Quarterback Andrew McDonald completed 6 of 7 passes for 61 yards.

Sophomore Keith Lawson took the opening kickoff for the Patriots (1-0) and ran it back for an 80-yard score, the first kickoff return for a touchdown in school history.

“It’s all about the wedge in kickoff returns,” Lawson said. “They all blocked for me and I was able to take it up the sideline.”

LAGUNA HILLS VS. EL TORO
AT LAGUNA HILLS HIGH

Laguna Hills was our No. 11 team in the county preseason top 25, and coaches made Laguna Hills the No. 1 team in the Southern Division preseason rankings. The Hawks have 17 returning starters, including quarterback Robert Refsnyder, the Pacific Coast League's MVP in 2007. The Hawks' entire starting offensive line is back, too, for a team that went 6-3 overall and won the Pacific Coast League championship. Laguna Hills has overall team speed, too, and has it where it really counts – on defense. Linebacker/running back Matt Giovinazzo is a two-way standout. El Toro, our preseason No. 16 in the county, has a good junior quarterback in Sean Kelly, who threw for 862 yards and five touchdowns last year. Another Chargers weapon is Vince D'Amato, one of the county's top kickers. He made a 52-yard field goal last year. D'Amato sends every kickoff deep into the end zone, so when some cheerleader yells "Everybody up for the kickoff," don't be suckered. It's going to be a touchback. It is El Toro's home game, but construction at Trabuco Hills, the Chargers' usual home field, has sent El Toro to Laguna Hills' excellent new facility for home games. This game will be a tough early-season test for both.

Next: Week 4

WESTERN VS. CANYON
AT EL MODENA HIGH

If you like offense, go to this game and hope the snack bar lines are short so you don't miss any of the big plays that are guaranteed in this one. Both of these teams are high-scoring outfits. You also will get a chance to see one of the county's top two-way players, Western running back/linebacker Ruben Ortega. He was the Orange League's most valuable player last year as a sophomore. Everyone knows that a league champion will automatically have its league MVP, but Ortega truly was the most outstanding player in 2007 in the Orange League. He is a hitter, and he is fast. Ortega rushed for 1,410 yards and 18 touchdowns in '07, and is among eight all-league returnees for the Pioneers. Canyon lost some key players to graduation, but the Comanches might have more team speed than ever. Coach Brent McKee is moving some guys to new positions; Tubotein Taylor, for example, moves from receiver to running back. Canyon is very deep and versatile at the skill positions, so producing points will not be a problem. And, as stated, Western is not going to get shut down very often, either.

Next: Week 2

TUSTIN VS. KENNEDY
AT WESTERN HIGH

We placed Tustin at No. 25 in our county preseason rankings because that Tillers offense might be that high-scoring outfit we became so accustomed to seeing for so long. They bring back an outstanding running back, Anthony Wilkerson, who rushed for 1,211 yards last year as a sophomore. He is part of a speedy group of Tillers who could get Tustin back into the playoffs after missing postseason play in 2007. Tustin coach Myron Miller thinks this team will run that double-wing offense the right way. He did pick the Tillers to finish out of the playoffs this year, but keep in mind that all coaches are worry warts and Miller is among the biggest worriers of all (although he sure can be refreshingly honest, too). Kennedy will be interesting this year. The Fighting Irish have a new head coach, Brit Johnson, who replaces longtime coach Mitch Olson, who left to pursue new coaching challenges and humidity in Georgia. Under Olson, Kennedy has been one of the more consistently winning programs in the county. It will be interesting to see how the Irish fare without Olson, and this is a heck of a test.

Next: Week 1