Laguna Beach, Calvary Chapel Tie, 7-7, and Everyone’s Happy

The saving grace for the Laguna Beach and Calvary Chapel football teams Saturday was that neither lost.

Both teams came into the nonleague contest with 0-3 records, so the 7-7 tie at Orange Coast College was welcome relief.

Laguna Beach had the best of the chances in the first half, but missed a 25-yard field goal in the first quarter and turned the ball over on downs at the Calvary Chapel 20 in the second quarter.

It was Calvary Chapel, however, which scored first, in the third quarter.

The Eagles were forced to punt on the opening series of the third quarter, but got the ball back at the Artist 25 when Nathan Terry recovered a Kyle Sanico fumble. It took Calvary Chapel five plays, but they broke the scoreless tie when Daniel Murrietta connected with Zak Davis on an 11-yard touchdown pass.

It didn’t take the Artists long to come back, though. They went 65 yards on eight plays for the tying score. Marc Ornelas found Miles Howe in the end zone for a five-yard touchdown with 48 seconds left in the third quarter and the extra point made it 7-7.

Calvary Chapel put together its only extended drive of the night in the final quarter, but Murrietta fumbled at the end of a 16-yard run and the Artists recovered at their 16.

“These are two teams that have been struggling,” Laguna Beach Coach Dave Holland said. “This may be a shot in the arm for us.”