Gorman Receives Passing Grade

OK, Steve Gorman admitted it. He was happy to finally get a chance to pass the ball.

After being limited to only six passes last week--all completions--in a 64-point victory, Gorman actually had a reason to pass Thursday night.

And he was terrific.

Gorman completed 15 of 22 passes for 261 yards and four touchdowns to lead Newport Harbor to a 38-13 nonleague victory over visiting Marina.

It was the 100th career victory for Jeff Brinkley as head coach of the Sailors. His career record is 100-46.

The Sailors are 2-0, Marina 1-1.

Gorman’s big night was out of necessity. Marina’s defense clamped down on Robert Peredia. Though he finished with 100 yards and touchdown runs of two and 20 yards in 29 carries, it was a far cry from last week’s 10 for 231 yards, four-touchdown performance in a 70-6 victory over Orange.

“They were pretty tough,” Peredia admitted.

Tough on the run, certainly.

Newport Harbor’s first drive, 58 yards, was capped by a four-yard pass from Gorman to Oscar Garcia (eight catches, 89 yards, two TDs), but the point-after attempt failed. Marina answered with Scot Austin’s 25-yard completion to Sean Morrisey, plus a facemask penalty, to move from its 34 to the Newport Harbor 26. Ray Mietkiewicz (23 for 128 yards, two TDs) bounced off a group of tacklers in the middle and raced outside for a 7-6 lead.

The game’s critical juncture came in the final 5 1/2 minutes of the first half. After two offensive series netted only one yard, Gorman completed a pass over the middle to Billy Clayton (6 feet 4, 184 pounds), who caught the ball in stride and knocked over free safety Jason Stone (5-8, 145) for a 74-yard score.

“I looked back at him and kept running,” said Clayton, a converted quarterback playing his second game at receiver. “[Gorman] throws a really good ball--he was getting rid of it quickly.”

The long ball gave Newport Harbor the lead, 12-7, and its opportunistic nature gave it some breathing room. A fumbled pitch to the tailback gave the Sailors the ball at the Marina 23; Peredia, taking advantage of Garcia’s downfield blocking, gained 17 on a pass, then carried twice for the final six yards and a 19-7 lead.

Gorman added touchdown passes of 23 and four yards, while directing the Sailors on scoring drives of 76, 69 and 24 yards.

“I was hoping to get to pass more, and we did,” Gorman said. “That was a plus on top of the win.”