NEWPORT BEACH — The Trabuco Hills football team prepared for a game that would take all four quarters to decide, and got exactly that.
After seeing their three-touchdown lead evaporate, the Mustangs made one final push against Newport Harbor on Friday in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 4 playoffs.
Ethan Schwartz hit a 20-yard field goal with 3 seconds left to give Trabuco Hills a 24-21 victory over the Sailors at Newport Harbor High.
FINAL!!!
Ethan Schwartz hits a 20-yard field goal with 3 seconds left!!
Trabuco Hills 24
Newport Harbor 21@ocvarsity @THHS_Football @NHTarsFootball pic.twitter.com/c7MjYnrWdN— David Delgado🇪🇨 (@DavidDelgado_OC) November 4, 2023
Trabuco Hills coach Mark Nolan felt a great sense of redemption after losing a close game to the Sailors last season 27-24.
“We knew it was going to be a four quarter game,” Nolan said. “We prepared all week like it was gonna be. I don’t know if it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy, we didn’t have to make it that exciting but we did.”
The Mustangs (8-3) lined up three different times for the go-ahead kick and Schwartz converted each time.
Schwartz was iced by the Sailors on his first attempt as Newport Harbor called timeout just before the snap. Then Newport Harbor was penalized for being offsides on the next try before Schwartz drilled the game-winning kick, as the third time proved to be the charm.
“I was ready to make it. We stayed locked in, stayed focused,” Schwartz said. “We practiced that, those are probably the most common kicks we’ll take,. I was smiling before the kick.”
“We kicked, not one, not two but three game-winners. I mean, that’s a great way to finish it,” Nolan added.
Trabuco Hills will host La Serna next week in the quarterfinals.
Newport Harbor (5-6) used big plays to climb back into the game before eventually tying it in the fourth.
With Newport Harbor down 21-0 late in the second quarter, Josiah Lamarque intercepted Mustangs quarterback Jacob Perry and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown.
“Big play by Josiah getting the pick–six and giving us a spark coming out at half,” Sailors coach Peter Lofthouse said.
Newport Harbor quarterback Jaden O’Neal connected with Lamarque on a fourth-down play late in the third for a 61-yard score. O’Neal then found Jordan Anderson in the fourth quarter for a 68-yard TD pass that tied the game at 21.
“We went to a heavier personnel grouping with trying to run the football, and that was effective in the second half,” Lofthouse said. “It also opened up our pass game. We got some quick scores, unfortunately it was just too little, too late.”
Newport Harbor running back Jagger Blauwkanp ran for 111 yards on 19 carries.
The Mustangs began the game with a methodical opening drive that went seven plays and 80 yards. It was capped by Taylor Bowie’s 1-yard TD run.
Perry and Ryan Luce, who caught 10 passes for 90 yards, were in a great rhythm during the first drive.
After O’Neal was intercepted by Kenji Gonzales, the Mustangs used a trick play to spark another scoring drive.
On the next play, Luce took a reverse and dropped back to pass to Alex Kiernan for a 35-yard gain.
Bowie, who finished with 212 yards and three TDs, ran it in from the 1 to make it 14-0.
The Mustangs took advantage of another Newport Harbor turnover, this time a fumble, then Bowie scored on a 23-yard run to make it 21-0 with 3:07 left in the half.
