Laguna ready to open season

Laguna Beach, meet Corona del Mar.

Not many introductions will be needed at 7 tonight when the Breakers kick off their 2009 football season by hosting the Sea Kings. The former Pacific Coast League rivals also met twice last season, although those are games the Breakers might like to forget.

They didn’t score in either game, falling, 37-0, in their second game of the season and 41-0 to end their season in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Southern Division playoffs.

In their last six games against the Sea Kings “” dating back to 2004 “” the Breakers have been outscored, 200-21. Corona del Mar has won 10 straight in the series overall, with Laguna Beach’s last win coming in 1985.

This year, the Breakers look to improve, and they would love to illustrate it to CdM. Laguna comes into the game ranked No. 8 in the Southern Division, while CdM is No. 3.

“They’re a really good football team,” Laguna Beach Coach Jonathan Todd said. “What we need to do is just play our best. The kids have had a good week of practice, with high energy. It’s been good for me, from a coaching standpoint.”

The Breakers held a scrimmage against University on Sept. 4, and Todd said the offense played well. But the team lost sophomore receiver/linebacker Derek Reigel to a broken collarbone. Todd said he expects to be without Reigel for about five weeks, moving seniors Rouzbeh Kazemian and Charlie Jackson to spell him at No. 2 receiver.

On defense, Todd plans to move junior Michael Hyden to weak-side linebacker and junior Taylor Preston to strong-side linebacker.

Todd said Preston, who also plays center, had a particularly strong scrimmage.