Newport Harbor Falls in Season Opener to Murrieta Valley After Late Touchdown (2025)

Murrieta – Ram Stadium

The Newport Harbor football team dropped a heartbreaker to Murrieta Mesa 33-27 on Thursday at Murrieta Mesa High School in the season opener for both teams.

The game got off to a strange start, as both teams went three and out on its opening drives. But the Rams struck first, as Caleb Rottnek picked off Jake Meer at the Sailors’ nine yard line and returned it for a touchdown.

The extra point hit off the upright and was no good.

After going three and out again, Newport Harbor’s defense forced a turnover on downs on the Rams near midfield. From there, Meer orchestrated a great drive which was capped off by a 10-yard touchdown catch by Shane McKibbin after a 37-yard run from Meer.

The Rams responded right after, as senior standout running back Daniel Ritchie ran it in for a 52-yard to regain the lead. They eventually got the ball back before the first quarter ended and in the second quarter, Coleman Jones hit Adam Rivas for a 10-yard touchdown pass to go up 20-7.

The Sailors struggled early on to move the ball, as their run game was well-read and stuffed by Murrieta Mesa. Eventually, Newport Harbor punted again after what seemed to be a promising drive..

The Rams appeared eager to go up three scores, but a mishandled snap led to a forced fumble and recovery by Cruz Marsella. The Sailors made the opposition pay the price, as Glenn Baranoski had some good runs on the short drive, which eventually led to him lunging in for a two-yard rushing touchdown.

It seemed as if Newport Harbor generated some momentum before halftime, but Daniel Page returned the kickoff 92-yards for the score and just like that, Murrieta Mesa had the momentum again. The Rams went for two, but was picked off in the endzone, as they went into halftime up 26-14.

The Sailors’ defense then clamped down for the most part on the Rams, leaving them shutout for the majority of the second half. While Newport Harbor’s defense did its part to prevent the Rams from boosting their lead, the Newport Harbor offense started to come alive too.

After a missed 44-yard field attempt from Murrieta Mesa, the Sailors eventually scored on the following drive, as Meer hit McKibbin for a 46-yard score to bring the deficit down to 26-21.

After missing another long field goal, Newport Harbor utilized its next drive to its fullest potential. Facing 4th and 2 from the Murrieta Mesa 15 in the fourth quarter, the Sailors went for it and got the touchdown, as Meer rolled right and found a wide open Jett Blauwkamp for the score.

Newport Harbor went for two but it was no good, keeping the score 27-26.

The Rams punted, giving the Sailors the ball with 7:55 left to try to get another score, use up the clock or try to use their opponent’s time outs. But the Sailors went three and out after Meer got sacked, as their punt pinned the Rams at their own 10.

Murrieta Mesa, having won the CIF-SS Division 6 championship from last year, proved why it won the championship, as Ritchie came up with some big runs while Jones had some timely throws. Facing third and 11, Jones ran up the middle to pick up 10 yards to set up a manageable fourth down for his team.

The Rams picked up the first down thanks to Ritchie and on the next play, Jones hit Chris Flores for a 32-yard catch and run to give them the lead. Newport Harbor had one last chance to try and get another score, but was sacked on fourth down, allowing Murrieta Mesa to celebrate the win on its home field.

It was a frustrating loss for the Sailors, who gave up three fourth down conversions and three plays of 10 or more yards on the 90-yard game-winning drive. They’ll look to bounce back from this when they host Lancaster on Friday at Davidson Field at 7 p.m.