PREP EXTRA: SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS : DIVISION VIII : Laguna Hills Gets Victory; McGraw Still Shy of Record

Brendan McGraw did not get any rushing titles Friday night. And if the rest of Laguna Hills’ “role” players keep playing the way they did against Temple City, he might not.

The Hawks were quicker and hit harder than a physically superior team, scoring on their first four possessions, for a surprisingly easy 35-0 victory in a Southern Section Division VIII quarterfinal at Mission Viejo High.

Third-seeded Laguna Hills (10-2) reached its third consecutive semifinal and will play Bloomington, an 80-62 winner over Artesia, next Saturday at a site to be determined. The Rams finish their season at 7-5.

“I like the way our team is playing right now,” Laguna Hills Coach Steve Bresnahan said. “I think the character of this team is showing through. We showed we could play with guys who were 50 pounds heavier at every position.”

McGraw began the night 176 yards behind Costa Mesa’s Charles Chatman (2,500) for this season’s Orange County rushing title and 252 behind single-season record holder Jeff Byrd of Rancho Alamitos (2,576 in 1991). He gained a season-low 87 yards in 18 carries and came out of the game for good after the first series of the third quarter.

But he did score two touchdowns, raising his county record to 41, and threw his first career touchdown, an 87-yarder to Adam Roman with 7:13 left in the half to give the Hawks a 21-0 lead.

Roman had given Laguna Hills a 14-0 lead minutes earlier. On fourth and six he took a reverse handoff, got a key block from left tackle Mike Samuel, and scampered 32 yards for the score.

“I didn’t need to pound it out tonight. I still have too much energy,” said McGraw, who now has rushed for 2,411 yards on the season. “We moved things up and down real well. I like our chances the rest of the way. Next week will be tough no matter who we play.”

Laguna Hills capped off its scoring in the third quarter, when Mike Yerke scored on a 22-yard interception return.

Temple City was outgained, 241-65, in the first half but held Laguna Hills to 30 second-half yards. The Rams reached the Hawks’ one-yard line late in the game but were penalized for a personal foul and never got back inside the 25.

“Our defense hasn’t had a lot of points scored on us all season,” Bresnahan said. “We our quick, but we feel our kids are pretty strong, too.”

Single-Season Rushing Leaders

Top single-season rushing total in Orange County history:

1. Jeff Byrd 2,596 Rancho Alamitos, 1992 2. Charles Chatman 2,500 Costa Mesa, 1994 3. Brendan McGraw 2,411 Laguna Hills, 1994 4. Binh Tran 2,303 Costa Mesa, 1993 5. Derek Brown 2,301 Servite, 1988