Laguna Hills, Jones Run Wild

Michael Jones and his teammates sure know how to go out with a bang. Laguna Hills played its best game of the season, a game many seniors have longed to play since their freshman year.

The fourth-seeded Hawks embarrassed second-seeded La Mirada, 56-14, Friday to win the Southern Section Division VIII championship.

Jones capped a tremendous three-year career with a remarkable 369 yards rushing and four touchdowns in 48 carries. He ran for 218 yards in 31 carries in the first half as Laguna Hills bolted to a 35-7 lead. On the first play of the second half, Jones sped 80 yards untouched on Friday night’s preferred play, the counter.

Jones finished less than 100 yards short of Moreno Valley’s David Dotson’s all-time section rushing record.

“This is a hell of a way to end,” Jones said. “I knew we’d pick it up tonight. I’m not shocked at all.”

Jones might not have been shocked, but most of the crowd of 7,500 at La Mirada Stadium seemed stunned by the outcome and the score. The estimated 5,000 fans on the La Mirada side sat silent for much of game. La Mirada (12-1-1) came into the night averaging 40 points and giving up six points per game.

“They kicked our butts both offensively and defensively,” La Mirada Coach John Mele said. “They did a great job.”

Laguna Hills’ defensive pressure never gave quarterback Robert Herndon, who passed for 2,800 yards and 40 touchdowns this season, time to throw as linebacker Anthony Daye (two sacks, one caused fumble) and the rest of the Hawks’ defense spent the game in Herndon’s face. When Jones tired late in the game, Daye took over at tailback and scored Laguna Hills’ last touchdown on a 23-yard run.

The Hawks’ offense gave La Mirada an indication of how they would dominate the line of scrimmage when they drove 57 yards in 12 plays on their first possession and scored on a Banning option run around right end. Most of the La Mirada defense went for the fake to Jones, meanwhile Banning scored. Laguna Hills converted its first of three fourth-down plays on a Banning to Jeff Fischer nine-yard pass on fourth and six at La Mirada’s 29.

The Laguna Hills defense did its job in keeping the momentum by holding La Mirada to one first down in its first three drives. Jones and the offensive line did the rest. Jones scored his first touchdown untouched when he went 35 yards on a counter.

“We thought the dive play was the one that would work, but we kept trying the counter and they never stopped it,” he said. “That’s the best the offensive line has played.”

Senior guard Pat Fields said his offensive coaches devised the perfect game plan.

“Our goal was to dominate,” Fields said. “We knew we had to be stronger, faster and quicker. We knew they were a finesse team. We figured they’d try to juke us out of our game plan.”

La Mirada’s game plan went out the window once Laguna Hills made it 21-0 before the end of the first quarter. Jeremy Miller recovered a La Mirada fumble on a kickoff and Fischer went 22 yards on an end around. Laguna Hills made it 28-0 when Jones capped a 54-yard drive with a 15-yard run. He was so alone that he waited for a La Mirada defender to push him into the end zone.

Fields said the offensive line simply refused to give La Mirada any hope.

“We kept saying we wanted to keep this up,” Fields said. “Last year was a big disappointment. We thought we could go all the way. We wanted to avenge ourselves. I thought we did it well.”

Laguna Hills (13-1) lost last year in the first round to Pacifica, but this year it outscored its four playoff opponents, 151-31. After Jones finished hugging his mother and taking off his jersey and pads, he began reflecting on what he had just accomplished.

“It was a dream come true,” he said.