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Dunn: Newport Harbor’s Cole Lavin transfers to Utah
In an interesting twist with the coronavirus pandemic and high school sports in California, Newport Harbor High senior quarterback Cole Lavin has transferred to Brighton High in Cottonwood Heights, Utah, where the fall football season is scheduled to start Aug. 14.
State CIF, the governing body of California high school sports, announced July 20 that fall sports will be pushed back to December and January. But considering how society and high school sports have changed since the pandemic’s outbreak in March, it is difficult for anyone to guarantee or assure there will be football or high school sports played in the state during the 2020-21 school year.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen with the (CIF) football season,” said Lavin, a strapping 6-foot-2, 215-pound multi-purpose player and two-way threat at quarterback. “They said we’re moving the start of the season to January and start practice on Dec. 14. But they’ve already moved it back twice, and right now California is still locked up.
“We can’t control any of it, so we’re moving to Utah, where you’re almost guaranteed to play a full season, and I don’t want to risk not playing my senior year,” he said.
Utah is one of 25 states in the country playing high school football this fall.
Lavin’s family headed east on Saturday and he started practice with Brighton on Monday. He’s expected to complete the required 10 days of practice to be eligible for Brighton’s first game against Fremont on Aug. 14. Lavin’s father, Jason, maintains a business office in the Salt Lake City area and is renting a house for the family near Brighton High.
Cole Lavin’s long-term goal is to play college football.
Brighton is classified as a 5A school in Utah, the second-largest division in the state. It is located in the southeast region of the Salt Lake Valley.
The Utah High School Activities Association Board of Trustees gave the approval July 9 to continue plans to begin the fall season as scheduled. The USHSAA’s governing board also affirmed its stance of allowing schools and local schools district to determine whether participation is allowable and advisable under state and local guidelines.
“Because of the virus, this thing could all blow up on us,” Jason Lavin said. “We don’t control it.”
Lavin started Newport Harbor’s first five games at quarterback in 2019, leading the Sailors to a 5-0 record. He completed 86 of 129 passes for 1,003 yards and 11 touchdowns, before a knee injury derailed his season. Lavin also rushed for 156 yards.
Sophomore Nick Kim replaced Lavin and the Sailors continued to win, finishing the season 9-4 with an appearance in the CIF-Southern Section Division 9 semifinals. The Sailors’ 7-0 start was their best in 25 years.
During an interview July 24, prior to Lavin’s transfer, Newport Harbor Coach Peter Lofthouse said: “Cole started the first five games and won some big games. Against Woodbridge, Aliso Niguel and Aptos he played really well and really got our offense clicking before he got hurt against San Marino. He’s a monster now (with added bulk and strength). When he came back from his injury, he played some quarterback for us. But he’s so big and athletic, he became our Swiss Army Knife because he could do anything. Against Monrovia (in the CIF quarterfinals) he played quarterback, receiver, defensive end, linebacker and safety. He played a huge part in everything going on.”
Richard Dunn, a longtime sportswriter, writes the Dunn Deal column regularly for The Orange County Register’s weekly, The Coastal Current North.