Football Recap: Newport Harbor Comes Up Short Despite Cruz Marsella's Big Defensive Game

Newport Harbor scored first but ultimately less than El Modena in their game on Friday. They fell 21-17 to the Vanguards. If the Sailors were looking for revenge after losing 55-35 to the Vanguards when the teams met back in September of 2024, then they'll just have to keep looking.

When it comes to explaining why Newport Harbor lost, don't look at Jake Meer. Despite the final result, he threw for 227 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and also rushed for 71 yards on only nine carries. A healthy portion of Meer's aerial production (83 yards to be exact) went to Shane McKibbin, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.

Even if they lost, Newport Harbor's defense still kept up the pressure with three sacks. Cruz Marsella was especially locked on to El Modena's QB and sacked him twice. Newport Harbor got some further help from Glenn Baranoski: he made 13 total tackles (2.0 for loss).

El Modena can attribute much of their success to Ethan Sorenson, who rushed for 45 yards and two TDs, and also threw for 183 yards on 16 of 26 attempts. Those two rushing touchdowns gave Sorenson a new career-high.

Newport Harbor now has a losing record of 1-2. As for El Modena, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-2.

Newport Harbor has already played their next contest, a 38-35 loss against Cajon on the 11th. As for El Modena, they also wasted no time getting back out on the field and have already played their next match, a 34-0 defeat against Crean Lutheran on the 12th.