Corona del Mar falls to Villa Park 28-14 and remains winless in Bravo League (2024)

Newport Beach – Davidson Field

The Corona del Mar football team couldn’t hold on to another halftime lead, as it fell to Villa Park 28-14 on Friday at Davidson field.

The Sea Kings lost its third straight game, which marked the first time since 2009 they’ve lost three in a row. They came into the game missing wide receiver Dorsett Stecker with a hamstring injury and tight end Zach Giuliano who also had a hamstring injury.

After a scoreless first quarter, Corona del Mar struck first over halfway through the second quarter as Brady Annett, who split time at quarterback with Max Nashed, waltzed his way in for a touchdown at the one-yard line. For most of the first half, the Sea Kings and the Spartans either turned the ball over on downs or had to punt the ball as both offenses struggled.

Villa Park eventually found the endzone in the second half, as Zaiden Kenney broke loose a 49-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7 halfway through the third quarter.

But Corona del Mar answered as following a touchback on the kickoff, Annett found Emori Davis for a 35-yard gain. On the next play, Wyatt Lucas broke off a 45-yard touchdown run to put the Sea Kings back up 14-7, having only shaved 56 seconds off the clock, following the previous score.

After Davis made the catch however, he didn’t return as remained on the sideline on an exercise bike, leaving the Sea Kings thinner in terms of their receiver corps. Sea Kings head coach Kevin Hettig confirmed that Davis had a lower leg injury.

Before the third quarter ended, Villa Park marched down the field and capped off their last offensive drive of the quarter with a nine-yard rushing touchdown from quarterback Nate Lewis.

Corona del Mar struggled to get their offense going after its last touchdown, as its next drive saw them go three and out, with the Spartans taking over in Sea King territory. Eventually, Lewis gave Villa Park its first lead of the game at 21-14 with a quarterback sneak.

The next offensive drive for the Sea Kings turned out to be a disaster, as Villa Park’s Sean Byrnes made an athletic catch off an interception to make sure the ball didn’t touch the ground. The Spartans did to the Sea Kings what Newport Harbor did to them in the previous week, run the ball, chew up clock and force the opposition to use time outs. 

Eventually the plan worked, as Lewis went in for his third touchdown of the night, going in from three yards out to extend the lead to 28-14. The Sea Kings had one more chance to try and make some sort of miracle happen, but an interception from Gunnar Dahl ended whatever chance there was left, giving Villa Park the win.

Hettig hopes to have Stecker, Giuliano and Davis ready for the next game, as Corona del Mar (3-5, 0-3) hosts Tesoro on Friday at Davidson Field at 7 p.m. The Titans (3-5, 0-3) most recently lost to Yorba Linda 37-10, as much like the Sea Kings, they have the same overall and league record and have lost three straight games.