Football not only sport affected

Athletic games and practices at Laguna Beach High were canceled this week because of the Santiago Canyon wildfire and wind storms whipping through Orange County.

The Orange County Superintendent of Schools, Bill Habermehl, said Oct. 25 that school events like games and other extracurricular activities for this weekend are postponed until further notice, following a conference call with county districts.

Athletic games scheduled in the past five days will not be reschedule, with the exception of the Laguna Beach-Costa Mesa football game which will be played Oct. 29, Laguna Athletic Director Mike Churchill said Oct. 25.

Classes on campus were canceled Oct. 23, but resumed Oct. 24.

In cross-country

Girls

Coach Earl Towner ran five of his athletes “” four of whom had never seen the course before “” Oct. 19 at the Mount SAC Invitational in Walnut.

Laguna competed in the Division IV Sweepstakes race and earned a third-place finish.

Towner said the Breakers defeated the No. 1-ranked team in state, Bret Harte of Angels Camp, as well as the first- and second-ranked teams in the CIF-Southern Section Division IV poll.

Laguna was ranked seventh prior to the invitational but this week surged to No. 2 in the Division IV poll.

The Breakers also are ranked third in the latest CIF State Division IV poll.

“The girls ran a very strong race to beat other ranked teams on the Mt. Sac course,” Towner said. “The race had five of the top seven teams ranked in our state division. Great efforts from Camille Borges (20.26) who finished first for our team, Maggie Newton-Neal (20.49), Michaela Fleming (20.49) and Parker Yamasaki (20.50), all of whom finished within a second of each other.

Boys

Just three Breakers ran the varsity Division IV race at the Mount SAC Invitational that was run in a hot, dry windy conditions.

Sophomore Blake Hofmeister ran a 16:59; freshman Matt Neev was close behind at 17:00 and sophomore Tommy Newton-Neal finished in 17:50.

“We’re running big training miles right now, staying healthy and not showing our cards yet,” Coach Dave Brobeck said.

In girls’ tennis

Laguna had an easy time with Costa Mesa and defeated the host Mustangs, 17-1, in an Orange Coast League match played Oct. 18.

Haley Moss (6-0, 6-0, 6-1) and Bianca Sganga (6-3, 6-2, 6-0) swept in singles play. Alison Azera/Sarah Russell won one set (6-1) and Yen Sikorski/Lauren Mendoza won two sets (6-1, 6-1) at No. 1 doubles, Heather Tran/Alex Yates-Robinson won one set (6-0) and Tran/ Alex Langton won two sets (6-1, 6-1) at No. 2 doubles, and Meagan Moss/Kimberly Smith swept (6-2, 6-1, 6-4) at No. 3 doubles.

In surfing

In a competition against San Clemente at T-Street in San Clemente, Laguna won the girls’ longboard division but the Breakers lost the overall contest to the host Tritons.

The competition was on small, 2-to-3 foot waves.

The Laguna trio of Hannah Fait, Taylor Pitz and Lexi Ross made their mark in the girls’ longboard division as Pitz took first-place and Ross finished third.

Pitz placed second in the girl’s shortboard event.

In the boys’ competition, Porter Hogan and Henry Ward finished third in their respective short board heats, and Nick Martinez was third in the bodyboard division.

Weekly CIF-SS rankings

Girls’ Volleyball

Division II-AA: 1. Laguna Beach; 2. Corona del Mar; 3. Bishop Montgomery; 4. La Habra; 5. Oxnard; 6. Santiago/Corona; 7. Ayala; 8. University; 9. Walnut; 10T. Glendora, South Hills.

Boys’ Water Polo

Division II: 1. Villa Park; 2. Mater Dei; 3. Servite; 4. Ventura; 5. Riverside Poly; 6. Santa Barbara; 7. Laguna Beach; 8. Dana Hills; 9. Mission Viejo; 10. Dos Pueblos.

Cross-Country

Girls’ Division IV: 1. Maranatha; 2. Laguna Beach; 3. JSerra; 4. La Reina; 5. Oaks Christian; 6. St. Joseph/Santa Maria; 7. Morro Bay; 8. Paraclete.

Boys’ Division IV: 1. Big Bear; 2. Maranatha; 3. Oaks Christian; 4. Morro Bay; 5. Laguna Beach; 6. Paraclete; 7. Harvard-Westlake; 8. Nordhoff; 9. JSerra; 10. Notre Dame/Sherman Oaks.