Football Preview: Newport Harbor vs. Fountain Valley

Newport Harbor (4-5, 2-2) vs. Fountain Valley (5-4, 1-3)

When/where: Friday, 7 p.m. at Huntington Beach High

Key Sailors: Sr. QB Cole Norris (162 of 257 passing for 2,123 yards, 26 TDs and seven INTs); Sr. WR-LB Keaton Cablay (61 catches for 804 yards and 12 TDs); Sr. LB-RB-WR Riley Gaddis (32 catches for 547 yards and seven TDs); Sr. DE-TE Brett Beaudette (10 sacks)

Key Barons: Jr. QB Chad Olberding (64 of 117 passing for 622 yards, five TDs and two INTs, 99 carries for 540 yards and eight TDs); Sr. WR Ryan Finley (37 catches for 473 yards and one TD); Jr. RB Dakarai Barnett (91 carries for 503 yards and two TDs); Sr. LB Stone Escobedo

Breakdown: Newport Harbor clinches the Sunset League’s third automatic berth into the CIF Southern Section West Valley Division playoffs with a win in the regular-season finale … Fountain Valley, which is one game back of Newport Harbor, shares fourth place in league with Huntington Beach … If the Barons beat the Sailors and the Oilers knock off Marina, it creates a three-way tie for third place between Newport Harbor, Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach, and a coin flip determines the league’s third-place team and its final guaranteed postseason entry … Sailors are hurting on the offensive line with left tackle Joey Stukonis (fractured ankle) and center Elliott Frye (broken hand) expected to miss the contest … Barons can make the playoffs with a win and Marina upsetting Huntington Beach to end a 50-game losing streak in league … Norris is two touchdown shy of breaking the Newport Harbor single-season passing touchdown record of 27 set by Norris last year … Fountain Valley was one of five teams from the Sunset League to qualify for the playoffs last year, with Newport Harbor and Huntington Beach meeting in the Southwest Division final at Angel Stadium, where the Oilers won, 42-28.

— David Carrillo Peñaloza