Newport Harbor Falls Behind Early Again, Loses to Yorba Linda, Score 41-14 (2025)

Newport Beach – Davidson Field (NHHS)

The Newport Harbor football team couldn’t win its 2025 homecoming game, as it fell to Yorba Linda on Friday at Davidson Field.

Much like last week’s game against San Juan Hills, the Sailors struggled to get points on the board while the opponent made it look easy through their first couple drives. For the third straight week, Newport Harbor started Jordan Spigarelli at quarterback, but Jake Meer came in for a few drives after missing the previous two games with a concussion.

For the Mustangs, they utilized the run game to the best of their ability while controlling time of possession with players such as Vaughn Sharp and Aiden Gutierrez. Their first drive took over two-thirds of the first quarter.

“We always want to be balanced, but we’re doing a little more passing this year and we showed it tonight with a couple long passes,” Mustangs head coach Jeff Bailey said.

Yorba Linda’s defense also did its job, registering two interceptions on the night with one coming on Newport Harbor’s opening drive. The first half and most of the game was frustrating for the Sailors, as every time they had a promising drive, it would be undone by self-inflicted wounds or the Mustangs coming up with a big play defensively.

The Mustangs’ stingy defense and balanced offense had them up 28-0 at halftime.

Newport Harbor didn’t score until late in the third quarter when Spigarelli found Jackson Stremick on blown coverage for a 63-yard touchdown pass. The Sailors also found the endzone again  when back-up running back Jacob Mowery ran it in for a two-yard score, earning his first varsity touchdown.

“I just that they bit on the play action fake, so I just kept running down field and Jordan Spigarelli put a good ball on me and I was able to get into the endzone,” Stremick said.

Yorba Linda’s win comes at a good time, as they can clinch a share of the Bravo League title on Thursday when it hosts Corona Del Mar. The Sea Kings clinched their own share of the league title with a 47-8 road win over Tesoro.

Newport Harbor closes out the regular season Thursday when it hosts Villa Park at 7 p.m. A win for the Sailors would prevent them from going winless in league for the first time since 2018, but more importantly can make a case for making the playoffs as an at-large team.

Newport Harbor’s nonleague schedule makes a case for it to make the playoffs as an at-large team, as three of their five non-league opponents, Murrieta Mesa, Lancaster and Cajon have clinched at least shares of their respective league title while El Modena is in a position to make the playoffs as an automatic qualifier from the Delta League.

“We’re just going to come out hard, lot of preparation and just keep playing like we’re already in the playoffs,” Stremick said.