Newport Harbor flag football stifles rival Corona del Mar in shutout win
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Newport Harbor High girls’ flag football coach Jason Guyser had a message for his players prior to Monday night’s first Battle of the Bay showdown at rival Corona del Mar.
It was the Sailors’ ninth meeting against the Sea Kings all-time, and they’ve never given up more than one touchdown.
“I told them, ‘Tonight’s not going to be any different,’” Guyser said.
Three interceptions later, the Sailors had made their coach’s prediction come true.
Newport Harbor rolled to a 25-0 victory in the Sunset League game and remains undefeated all-time against CdM.
Jocelyn DeTemple had a pair of interceptions for the Sailors (15-2, 5-0 in league), and fellow junior Blakely Irvine also recorded one. Each time, they came either in the end zone or deep in the Newport Harbor side of the field.
“Getting those interceptions and being able to shut them down right then and there, it gives a sense of security on the field,” DeTemple said. “It makes sure everyone’s locked in, and it brings the energy back up. It takes everybody from the mindset of, ‘Oh gosh, they’re about to score on us,’ to, ‘OK, let’s go score on them now.’ My teammates were so hype after those two plays, and it was really great.”
Junior quarterback Scarlett Guyser threw a pair of touchdown passes, one each to DeTemple and Irvine. She also had a 35-yard pitch to speedy junior Skylie Cid for a score, and Guyser added the final touchdown with a 5-yard keeper in the fourth quarter.
Newport Harbor, ranked No. 3 in the country by MaxPreps.com, was coming off Saturday’s runner-up finish in the inaugural MaxPreps Flag Football Showdown in Chula Vista. The Sailors advanced to the final with a 14-13 comeback win over Carlsbad and an 8-7 overtime triumph over league rival Huntington Beach, before falling 21-6 to top-ranked JSerra.
The win over Carlsbad featured a 66-yard touchdown pass from Guyser to DeTemple in the final minute.
“I know that feeling, running from the defenders behind me with my entire team cheering me on on the sideline, was definitely one of the scariest but best moments of my entire football career,” DeTemple said. “It was so amazing. To reach the end zone, it was like immediate fulfillment. I know I had a couple of rough plays on defense that game, but that play made up for it. That was the best feeling in the world, and to be able to do that for my team was amazing.”
Guyser said she appreciated DeTemple’s emergence into a two-way standout role that was fulfilled last year by graduate Cooper Dick. Guyser was named the MaxPreps Tournament’s Outstanding Defensive Player, while Cid also made the all-tournament team.
Senior Aliyah Chappell and freshman Emma Yokoi were also reliable receivers for the Sailors, and Yokoi’s long punt return in the first quarter gave her team a short field that ultimately led to the game’s first touchdown.
After Monday night’s win at CdM, one Newport Harbor player yelled, “Turn the scoreboard back on!” before the Sailors took their team picture. Though they didn’t have that physical documentation of the shutout in the picture, it was still fresh in the players’ minds.
“It felt really good,” Scarlett Guyser said. “From the beginning, we knew that our defense was going to stand out. It’s always helped us through games. Even if our offense is a little sloppy, our defense helps us just to stay in the game.”
Sailors freshman Jordan Sanders had three quarterback sacks and also deflected a red zone pass on fourth down, resulting in a turnover on downs.
Corona del Mar’s longest play from scrimmage was a 27-yard pass from quarterback Addi Stern to AnnaSofia Dickens in the first half. But on the next play, the Sea Kings (9-3, 3-1 in league) again tried to go deep, and DeTemple came up with the interception.
CdM coach Theo Rokos said he still believes his team, which earned a big league win over Huntington Beach earlier this season can beat anyone when it is at its best. But that was clearly not the case on Monday night.
“We’re young and we’re trying to figure it out, but I feel like this could be the best CdM team we’ve had,” Rokos said. “I just think they need a little bit of that toughness, and that’s good. I don’t mind getting our clock cleaned. It’s good for them. We’re young, and our goal is to win the league. That’s still in front of us, and we’ve just got to play better. That’s the bottom line.”
CdM continues league play at Los Alamitos (1-3 in league) on Wednesday, while Newport Harbor hosts Huntington Beach (4-1 in league) in a key matchup.
The Sailors already have two close tournament wins this year over the Oilers, who are ranked No. 7 in the country by MaxPreps. Last year, the teams shared the Sunset League title.
“It’s not easy,” Jason Guyser said. “You’re going to expect another really tight, close game. It’s going to come down to who can make more plays, because they’re really good. They know us, and we know them.”
The second Battle of the Bay game in league will be at Newport Harbor on Oct. 7.
