Newport Harbor 27 - Eagles 23
Newport clinches the title
NEWPORT BEACH, CA., November 4, 1994 – Some would call it destiny, but Newport Harbor wide receiver Jon Benzinger said luck had a lot to do with it.
"I was lucky, real lucky," said Benzinger after his 52-yard touchdown reception gave Newport Harbor a 27-23 victory against visiting Santa Margarita on Friday.
Benzinger caught the pass between two Santa Margarita defenders at the Eagles' 17.
When the defenders, Matt Nickels and David Munoz, collided, Benzinger was almost able to walk into the end zone with the winning touchdown.
The victory gives Newport Harbor, ranked fourth in the county, its first Sea View League title since 1985.
The Sailors (9-0, 4-0) hold a 1.5 game lead over El Toro and Irvine with one game left in the regular season. Santa Margarita falls to 1-3 in league and 4-5 overall.
Newport Harbor coach Jeff Brinkley shrugged off talk about a team of destiny, saying he would just take the league title right now.
It was a frustrating loss for Santa Margarita, which led 14-0 in the first quarter and took a 23-21 lead with 4:14 left on Chris Collins' 3-yard touchdown pass to Nickels.
But the Eagles couldn't protect the lead. They forced a fourth down situation at the Sailors 46, but Brian Johnson got the first with a 2-yard plunge. Two plays later, quarterback John Giordani hit Benzinger for the winning score.
Giordani had his best night of the year, completing 12 of 17 passes for 191 yards, including three touchdowns to Benzinger. Benzinger caught five passes for 137 yards.
| Newport Harbor | 0 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 27 |
| Santa Margarita | 14 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 23 |
SM – Munoz 5 run (Korinke kick)
SM – Nickels 9 pass from Collins (Korinke kick)
NH – Mason 4 run (Pardy kick)
NH – Benzinger 4 pass from Glordani (Pardy kick)
SM – FG Korinka 32
NH – Benzinger 36 pass from Glordani (Pardy kick)
SM – Nickels 3 pass from Collins (pass failed)
NH – Benzinger 52 pass from Giordani (kick failed)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: SM - Nowman 8-32, Munoz 7-25; NH - Johnson 17-124, Mason 9-23
Passing: SM - Collins 16-22-1-177; NH - Glordani 12-17-1-197
Receiving: SM - Nickels 7-90, Brown 3-34; NH - Benzinger 5-137, Freeman 3-28
By David Osterman
Saturday, November 5, 1994
The Orange County Register - Sports 4
