NEWPORT BEACH – Newport Harbor sophomore quarterback Jaden O’Neal threw three touchdown passes and ran for a TD in the Sailors’ 33-28 win over La Habra in a nonleague football game Friday at Newport Harbor High.

The Sailors took advantage of La Habra special teams errors to get excellent field position and score points.

Newport Harbor, No. 13 in the Orange County Top 25, is 2-1. No. 20 La Habra dropped to 1-2.

O’Neal completed 23 of 34 passes for 255 yards. Senior receiver Josiah Lamarque had 10 receptions for 122 yards and one touchdown.

La Habra senior running back Brandon Giron rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns, including a 76-yard TD run.

Highlanders senior Damian Gomez returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown. He returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown last week against El Dorado. Gomez also had a 16-yard touchdown reception and a two-point conversion reception.

La Habra had a 20-17 lead early in the fourth quarter on a 16-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Kenneth Saucedo to Gomez.

Newport Harbor had to punt on its ensuing possession. The punted ball glanced off of a La Habra player, Newport Harbor recovered it at the La Habra 25-yard line and three plays later the Sailors’ Bode Stefano took a short sideline pass and busted his way into the end zone for a 24-20 Newport Harbor lead.

La Habra’s following possession ended on a bad snap in a punting situation deep in Highlanders territory, giving the Sailors the ball at the La Habra 1-yard line. O’Neal scored on a 1-yard dive to extend the Newport Harbor lead to 31-20.

Gomez’s touchdown on his kickoff return, and his catch for two points, cut the Newport Harbor lead to 31-28. With just under two minutes to play, Newport Harbor defensive end Cameron Denoon slammed La Habra freshman quarterback DJ Mitchell at the La Habra 1-yard line to knock the ball out of Mitchell’s hands, Mitchell retrieved the ball and was immediately tackled by Denoon for the safety and the 33-28 final lead.

La Habra scored on its game-opening possession, Giron’s 2-yard run. A rough exchange on the extra-point kick effort kept the Highlanders lead at 6-0. Newport Harbor took a 7-6 lead early in the second quarter on a 15-yard touchdown pass from O’Neal to Lamarque.

La Habra quickly regained the lead 13-7 on the 76-yard touchdown run by Giron. Newport Harbor scored on a 3-yard pass from O’Neal to Jordan Anderson and Jon Richardson’s point-after kick put the Sailors on top 14-13.

The Highlanders play Orange Friday, sept. 8 at El Modena High. The Sailors play at San Juan Hills on Friday, Sept. 8.

The Sailors lost to St. Paul 24-22 in their season opener before beating Tesoro 17-14 last week on Richardson’s 36-yuard field goal with nine seconds remaining. Newport Harbor trailed Tesoro 14-0 in the fourth quarter.

La Habra opened the season with a 33-0 loss to Upland before beating El Dorado 40-16 last week.

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