Newport Harbor Can’t Get Treats against Villa Park’s Tricks, Loses in Regular Season Finale, Score 39-26 (2025)

Newport Beach – Davidson Field (NHHS)

The Newport Harbor football dropped its final Bravo League game and regular season finale against Villa Park 39-26 on Thursday at Davidson Field.

For the third straight week, the Sailors failed to score any points in the first half, as they struggled to move the ball down the field. The main problem for them defensively was struggling to stop the run and force any turnovers.

The Spartans, like a majority of Newport Harbor’s opponents in the Bravo League, used the run game to their advantage using players such as sophomore running back Coy Collins. In addition, the Spartans used quarterback Vinny La Gatta as a two-way player, as he ran with the ball and even made a couple of catches.

During league play, Villa Park started quarterback Matt Smith, who transferred from Loyola High School over the summer. Against the Sailors, the Spartans started freshman quarterback Jacob Titchenal and he proved to be on-point.

Titchenal’s first touchdown pass came on a blown coverage play, as he found Luvie Clark all alone after the defender had tripped.

The Sailors didn’t pick up a first down until the 8:01 mark of the second quarter, where at that point, they had four yards of offense. Daniel Rico was about to punt it from his own endzone, but the ball fell out of his hands due to a bad snap, yet he recovered it and ran it for the first down.

Despite the heads up play by Rico, Newport Harbor couldn’t get anything brewing, having punted it away. On Villa Park’s next drive, Titchenal found Clark again on a 60-yard catch and run touchdown, doubling its lead.

Villa Park forced Newport Harbor to punt and got the ball on their own 13-yard line with 56 seconds left. That proved to be enough time for the Spartans, as on the fourth play of their drive, they scored on a 74-yard hook and ladder play where Titchenal found Ethan Hedrick, who pitched it backward to La Gatta for the catch and run.

Villa Park scored on a 2-point conversion where they shuffled their formation, looking like they were going to go for the extra point, but instead throwing into the endzone for a successful attempt. 

The second half saw Newport Harbor start Jake Meer at quarterback after starting Jordan Spigarelli in the first half. Meer played Sparringly against Yorba Linda the previous week after missing the games against Corona Del Mar and San Juan Hills due to a concussion.

The Sailors went three and out on their first drive of the second half, but the Spartans turned the ball over on downs near midfield. The Sailors’ next drive started perfectly for Meer, as he hit Ryan Palmer for a 50-yard catch and run completion and it looked like they had some momentum.

On the next play, however, Meer attempted to throw a quick pass, but it fell into the hands of Villa Park’s Devin Brown who ran it back for a 95-yard pick six, stealing all the momentum Newport Harbor had built up after the completion to Palmer.

Meer didn’t let that deter him, as the next drive saw him orchestrate it perfectly with some precise passes and long quarterback keeper runs. Eventually, the drive was capped off by Ty Ditteaux’s touchdown catch from Meer, ending Villa Park’s shutout.

Despite facing a multiple score deficit and Villa Park’s strategy to run out the clock, Newport Harbor didn’t give in, as Meer led the Sailors’ offense proudly, throwing two more touchdowns to Ditteaux and Palmer. Glen Baranowski, who is one of the top tacklers in Orange County, also went in for a rushing touchdown in bone formation, as the Sailors’ 26 points was the most they’ve scored in league.

Despite the spirited effort, it wasn’t enough as Villa Park earned the win, finishing the regular season 5-5, which is the ideal record when it comes to a team applying for an at-large spot in the playoffs.

Newport Harbor will await its playoff fate on Sunday at 10 a.m. when the CIF-SS football playoff brackets come out. The Sailors have a compelling argument to make the playoffs, as three of their five non-league opponents went undefeated in its respective league and four of their five opponents earned automatic qualifiers into the playoffs.