Corona del Mar receiver John Humphreys breaks away from Yorba Linda defenders in the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS Division 4 football playoffs at Newport Harbor High.
Newport Beach on Friday, November 9, 2018. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)
By Lou Ponsi | Correspondent / Orange County Register
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:
Corona del Mar receiver John Humphreys hauls in a touchdown pass over La Habra free safety Ricky Lane in the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS Division 4 football playoffs at Newport Harbor High.
Newport Beach on Friday, November 9, 2018. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)
Yorba Linda players celebrate scoring a touchdown against Corona del Mar in the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS Division 4 football playoffs at Newport Harbor High.
Newport Beach on Friday, November 9, 2018. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)
Corona del Mar wide receiver John Humphreys jumps up to grab a pass for a touchdown against La Habra safety Ricky Lane in the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS Division 4 football playoffs at Newport Harbor High.
Newport Beach on Friday, November 9, 2018. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)
Corona del Mar quarterback Ethan Garbers throws a pass under pressure against Yorba Linda in the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS Division 4 football playoffs at Newport Harbor High.
Newport Beach on Friday, November 9, 2018. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)
Yorba Linda running back Keaton Haddad, left, pushes off Corona del Mar defensive back Carter Duss in the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS Division 4 football playoffs at Newport Harbor High.
Newport Beach on Friday, November 9, 2018. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)
Corona del Mar receiver John Humphreys breaks away from Yorba Linda defenders in the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS Division 4 football playoffs at Newport Harbor High.
Newport Beach on Friday, November 9, 2018. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)
Corona del MarÕs John Humphreys, left, and Mark Redman, right, celebrate HumphreysÕ touchdown against Yorba Linda in the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS Division 4 football playoffs at Newport Harbor High.
Newport Beach on Friday, November 9, 2018. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)
Corona del Mar pep squad members Sofya Politis and Ashley Woroniecki make a double selfie before the game against Yorba Linda in the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS Division 4 football playoffs at Newport Harbor High.
Newport Beach on Friday, November 9, 2018. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)
Yorba Linda running back Keaton Haddad, left, pushes off Corona del Mar defensive back Carter Duss in the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS Division 4 football playoffs at Newport Harbor High.
Newport Beach on Friday, November 9, 2018. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)
Yorba Linda wide receiver Ricky Lane hauls in a pass for a touchdown against Corona del Mar defender Tommy Griffin in the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS Division 4 football playoffs at Newport Harbor High.
Newport Beach on Friday, November 9, 2018. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)
Yorba Linda quarterback James Festini fumbles a snap late in the second quarter against Corona del Mar in the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS Division 4 football playoffs at Newport Harbor High.
Newport Beach on Friday, November 9, 2018. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)
Yorba Linda quarterback Gio Micallef hands the ball off to runningback Keaton Haddad in the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS Division 4 football playoffs against Corona del Mar at Newport Harbor High.
Newport Beach on Friday, November 9, 2018. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)
Yorba Linda breaks through their banner at the beginning of Friday nightÕs game against Corona del Mar in the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS Division 4 football playoffs at Newport Harbor High.
Newport Beach on Friday, November 9, 2018. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)
The Corona del Mar band warms up before the game against Yorba Linda in the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS Division 4 football playoffs at Newport Harbor High.
Newport Beach on Friday, November 9, 2018. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)
NEWPORT BEACH – Corona del Mar quarterback Ethan Garbers completed 28 of 35 passes for 359 yards and five touchdowns, including three to receiver John Humphreys, as the Sea Kings rolled to a 49-12 victory over Yorba Linda in a CIF SS Division 4 quarterfinal Friday at Newport Harbor High School.
Garbers has thrown for 3,066 yards and 43 touchdowns this season.
The top seed Sea Kings (10-1-1) will play Camarillo in a semifinal next Friday, Nov. 16 at Camarillo. The Scorpions defeated Oak Hills 44-20 in their quarterfinal on Friday.
Yorba Linda (9-3) moved Ricky Lane, arguably their best all-around player, from safety to cornerback to defend Humphreys, but the 6-foot-5 junior won most of those battles, finishing with 12 receptions for 146 yards and three touchdowns.
Garbers did a good job throwing passes over defenders and into Humphreys’ hands and hitting Humphreys on slant routes over the middle and underneath coverage.
“They gave us a lot of man coverage, especially on the goal line, and I think we just took advantage of that,” Humphreys said. “Ethan was on point tonight. When the ball is in the air, our mentality is that it is our ball.”
In their first-round victory over Chino Hills, the Mustangs controlled the line of scrimmage, running Keaton Haddad and James Festini up the middle for big gains.
But the Mustangs never got their ground game going with any momentum against the Sea Kings, who clogged the line of scrimmage and held Festini and Haddad to a combined 127 yards, after the duo combined for more than 200 yards the week before.
“I was hoping our physicality would make a difference,” Yorba Linda coach Jeff Baily said. “They kind of got rolling and we didn’t. They’re a tremendous team.”
The Mustangs’ best play came in the second quarter when they faced a second-and-9 from their 42 and Gio Micallef threw a deep ball to Lane, who made the reception between two defenders at the 19, broke a tackle and ran to the end zone to complete the 58-yard touchdown play.
Corona del Mar led 14-12 after Lane’s touchdown, but the Mustangs never came close to scoring again.
“We’re very fortunate that was the only play he made,” Corona del Mar coach Dan O’Shea said of Lane. “He is quietly one of the best players in Orange County. He’s quite a talent.”
The Sea Kings answered Lane’s score with 4-yard scoring pass from Garbers to Humphreys to take a 21-12 lead at halftime.
Corona del Mar started the third quarter with an 80-yard scoring drive, capped by Garbers’ 1-yard quarterback sneak into the end zone to make the score 28-12.On the ensuing drive, the Mustangs had a fourth-and-10 from their 24 when Lane ran for a first down on perfectly executed fake punt.
But Yorba Linda fumbled the ball away on its 38, and the Sea Kings converted the turnover into a 11-yard touchdown pass from Garbers to Mater Dei transfer Bradley Schlom, giving the Sea Kings a 35-12 lead.
Garbers’ fifth touchdown pass was for 1 yard to Mark Redman.
