High School Football: Breakers step up at Estancia
Picked to come in dead last in the Orange Coast League before the football season, Laguna Beach High, with one game to go, is closer to the top than the bottom.
The Breakers moved a step closer to clinching one of the league’s three automatic berths into the CIF Southern Section playoffs. Laguna Beach stayed in second place in league, beating host Estancia, 42-21, at Jim Scott Stadium on Thursday.
The Breakers entered the night tied for second with Calvary Chapel. There’s one more league contest left for Laguna Beach, at home next week with Calvary Chapel.
The Breakers easily beat Estancia’s Eagles, and now they’re aiming to dethrone the defending league champion Eagles from Calvary Chapel. A win in the league finale secures Laguna Beach at least second place.
The finish would be quite the turnaround for the Breakers (5-4, 3-1 in league), who went 0-5 in league last year. Things have changed under first-year coach John Shanahan. He has led Laguna Beach to three straight wins in league, and the team is on the verge of qualifying for the Division 13 playoffs, which would mark the school’s first postseason appearance since 2012.
“We talked about this five months ago, [about] Calvary Chapel coming to our house,” Shanahan told his team afterward. “[Calvary Chapel could be] 3-1 [with a win over Saddleback on Friday]. We’re 3-1. We’re playing for a playoff spot. That’s all we asked for. That’s all we wanted.”
Shanahan, Laguna Beach’s third coach in as many seasons, also has the Breakers in contention for a league title. The program’s only setback in league was to Godinez, which goes into its Friday contest with winless Costa Mesa undefeated in league.
For Laguna Beach to earn a share of the league crown, either Costa Mesa, or Estancia next week has to upset Godinez, and the Breakers must knock off Calvary Chapel.
By beating Estancia, Laguna Beach put itself in position for a top-two finish in league. The Breakers also matched their league win total from the past three seasons and they ended Estancia’s playoff hopes.
The Eagles dropped to 1-3 in league, and they are eliminated from postseason consideration because they cannot finish in the top three and the section won’t consider them for an at-large entry because their overall record is below .500.
The Eagles (2-7 overall) started out well against Laguna Beach, taking a 6-0 lead on a Tyler Ross (17 carries for 106 yards) one-yard touchdown run 2½ minutes into the game. The rest of the way, the Breakers outscored Estancia, 42-15.
Laguna Beach quarterback Curtis Harrison completed 18 of 27 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns, and he rushed for one touchdown. He hooked up with wide receiver Adam Armstrong five times for 112 yards and one touchdown.
Laguna Beach running backs Bruce Knill, Matt Hayes and Jesse French each rushed for a touchdown.
Turnovers began to plague Estancia right before halftime. The Eagles committed three overall, the first one Laguna Beach linebacker Ryan Blaser picked off a screen pass near the opponent’s 30-yard line. Laguna Beach took advantage, Harrison hitting Knill for a two-yard touchdown pass to give the Breakers a 28-6 lead.
The Breakers went into halftime in control. They overcame an early deficit, scoring the next 42 points to put Estancia away and move closer to ending a three-year postseason drought.
“I’m unbelievably proud of them,” Shanahan said of the Breakers. “We’ve faced a ton of adversity. Our starting left tackle and defensive end [is Rob Luecke and he’s] gone [for the season]. His knee [blew] out. The freak that we brought off the basketball court, Karam Jones, [who] I thought was going to really separate us … broke his leg the very first game.”
Despite the losses to key players, the Breakers are no longer a last-place team.
Orange Coast League
Laguna Beach 42, Estancia 21
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Laguna Beach 7 – 21 – 14 – 0 — 42
Estancia 6 – 0 – 0 – 15 — 21
FIRST QUARTER
E – Ross 1 run (kick blocked), 9:26.
LB – Knill 1 run (Nolan kick), 7:40.
SECOND QUARTER
LB – Armstrong 26 pass from Harrison (Nolan kick), 3:58.
LB – Hayes 9 run (Nolan kick), 1:55.
LB – Knill 2 pass from Harrison (Nolan kick), :23.
THIRD QUARTER
LB – Harrison 19 run (Nolan kick), 8:42.
LB – French 21 run (Nolan kick), 8:14.
FOURTH QUARTER
E – Pearce 29 pass from Carrasco (Pearce pass from Carrasco), 9:00.
E – Brown 47 pass from Carrasco (Martinez kick), 3:32.
INDIVIDUAL RUSHING
LB – Knill, 8-55, 1 TD.
E – Ross, 17-106, 1 TD.
INDIVIDUAL PASSING
LB – Harrison, 18-27-0, 267, 2 TDs.
E – Carrasco, 12-23-2, 232, 2 TDs.
INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING
LB – Armstrong, 5-112, 1 TD.
E – Brown, 5-118, 1 TD.
