Newport Harbor rallies back against Temecula Valley to win CIF championship

Temecula Valley – After trailing by as many as 21, the Newport Harbor football team had the lead late in the fourth quarter with less than two minutes to go and all they needed was to get a stop. With Temecula Valley driving and making one last push to score, McKay Ketchum jumped in the passing lane and picked off quarterback Zach Zella, which eventually led to the Sailors picking up the first down on the offensive end.

And after that, the celebration was on.

Newport Harbor defeated Temecula Valley 42-35 on Saturday at Temecula Valley High School in the CIF-SS Division 6 final, winning its fourth championship and first since 2005. The Sailors also won their first championship in the Peter Lofthouse era, as they made their first finals appearance with him at the helm.

“Right now, I’m so proud of our players, our coaching staff and our entire program as a whole. To face so much adversity in the football game and to overcome that adversity and be able to put such a great effort on the field in the second, third and fourth quarter and finish it off with a win is a tremendous feeling,” Lofthouse said.

The win didn’t come easy for Newport Harbor (7-7), as they had to dig out of a 21-point deficit, with the Golden Bears scoring on their first three possessions. The Sailors registered their first score with AJ Guitron-Moore finding Kashton Henjum on a 15-yard pass, but on Temecula Valley’s next drive, Zella found Air Force-bound Samuel Gbatu for 65-yard score to put it back up 21.

Knowing that his team couldn’t go into halftime down three scores, Guitron-Moore found Josiah Lamarque on a 35-yard touchdown pass, as that made the score 28-14. Newport Harbor’s defense made sure it stayed within 14, as it forced the Golden Bears to go three and out on their final drive of the first half.

On the opening drive in the second half, Guitron-Moore found Lamarque on a 48-yard score, cutting the lead down to 28-21. The Sailors’ defense did its part and prevented any type of scoring from happening in the third quarter, as they made sure to slow down the run game and limit Zella’s ability to getting big plays through the air.

Newport Harbor tied the game at 28-28 with Henry Slater going in for a one-yard rushing score, as that became the score heading into the final frame. But Temecula Valley wasn’t down for long, as Zella found Domenic Paris for an eight-yard passing touchdown to give them the lead at 35-28.

The Sailors didn’t panic, as Guitron-Moore, a senior, found Henjum deep down the field for a 50-yard to knot the game at 35-35. Both teams knew that if they wanted to win, they needed to get a stop defensively or force a turnover.

The Golden Bears drove the ball into Newport Harbor territory, but on 3rd and 8, Zella got sacked by Jacob Carlon, which eventually led them to punting. Despite their punt return touchdown getting nullified due to a penalty, the Sailors earned their first lead of the game as Slater took it in for his second touchdown of the game, putting them up 42-35.

Seeing that it had 3:23 remaining and two time out to work with, Temecula Valley needed to score in the worst way to keep its championship hopes alive. Eventually, Zella completed a pass on 4th and 3 to keep the drive going and to make its way into Newport Harbor territory.

Despite allowing the Golden Bears to get all the way down to the opponent’s 29, Ketchum registered what eventually turned out to be the championship-clinching interception for the Sailors, as Slater coupled with an offsides penalty picked up the first down. With no time outs remaining, Temecula Valley couldn’t stop the clock, as Newport Harbor went down to victory formation and celebrated in glee knowing that they won their first championship in 16 years.

“That [the interception] was probably like the biggest play of the season. I’m just so excited to make a big play and win it for my team,” Ketchum said (check out interview).

Guitron-Moore finished 19 for 25 with 4 passing touchdowns, 268 passing yards and only one interception. Henjum finished with 159 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns while Lamarque had 99 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns as well.

More Player Interviews

Postgame with Josiah Lamarque

Postgame with AJ Guitron-Moore

Postgame with Jacob Carlon

Quick (unofficial) Stats

Passing
Guitron-Moore, AJ   19/26   268   4-TDs   1-Int
Zella, Z   (TV) 17/29   249   3-TDs   1-Int

Receiving
Henjum, K   11-receptions   159-yards   2-TDs
Lamarque, J   3-receptions   99-yards   2-TDs
Gbatu, S  (TV) 5-receptions  106-yards  1-TD

Rushing
Farley, H  14-carries  88-yards
Slater, H  6-carries  23-yards  2-TDs
Zella, Z (TV)  23-carries  71-yards  1-TD