Laguna Beach riding nine-game winning streak into CIF football playoffs
Another drive, another touchdown.
The story of the first half of the Pac 4 League championship game held closely to the script of the season for the Laguna Beach football team, which continues to stack wins since Jackson Kollock assumed control of the offense.
Kollock threw for 371 yards and accounted for four total touchdowns, as visiting Laguna Beach cruised to a 42-7 win over Westminster, keeping the league crown for the third consecutive year.
After taking over at quarterback in Week 6 last season, Kollock led the Breakers on a nine-game winning streak that culminated in the program’s first CIF Southern Section championship since 1946.
The Breakers are now 18-2 since his debut as a sophomore, rattling off another nine games in a row after dropping the season opener in overtime at Chino.
Football teams across the section learned their path to glory on Sunday morning, when the CIF released its playoff pairings. Laguna Beach (9-1, 3-0 in the Pac 4 League), the No. 2 seed in Division 7, will open at home against El Dorado (5-5), which was the second-place team in the North Hills League.
“We expect it to be tough, but we’re still going in with all we have,” Kollock said. “We’re looking to win state this year. It’s our goal, and we’re going to go get it.”
Kollock committed to Washington on Oct. 23 following a visit, making him the area’s biggest quarterback recruit since Ethan Garbers — now at UCLA — committed to the Huskies ahead of his senior season at Corona del Mar.
“It was an easy decision,” Kollock said. “I went up there for the Oregon game, which I wasn’t planning on committing while going up there, but I talked about it, saying, ‘If I really love it, would I commit?’ Just going up there, they made the decision so easy, and I absolutely loved it up there.”
The physical tools at Kollock’s disposal were on display against Westminster (7-3, 2-1), which will travel to No. 2-seeded Montebello Schurr (9-1) to begin its Division 11 playoff run. He dropped back for deep passes on several occasions, including an 86-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Hunt on the Breakers’ first possession. Chase Tyson and Luke Jolley also tracked down their only receptions for 65 yards and 61 yards, respectively.
Senior running back Nick Rogers played a co-starring role, amassing 257 total yards (180 rushing) and four total touchdowns. The third scoring play, a 45-yard run, marked the fifth touchdown in as many drives to begin the game for Laguna Beach.
Rogers received just six carries over the previous three games and none against Godinez last week.
“[I said], ‘I’m not getting you banged up in this game, bud, but when we’re in a game that we got to win, you’re going to touch the ball a ton, so be ready for it,’” Shanahan said. “We needed him to do it tonight, and he did it. … I love that kid. He is an incredibly strong, moral young man.”
Tyson made an interception near the Breakers’ sideline on the opening drive for Westminster, and he recovered a fumble when the Lions muffed a punt after a three-and-out to start the second half.
Ryner Swanson, a BYU-bound tight end, had two sacks as an edge rusher. Brock Donaldson added a sack, and Casey Mullennix also recovered a fumble.
Laguna Beach saw last season end against Granada Hills Charter in a high-scoring affair in the CIF State Southern California Regional Division 4-A bowl game.
“Last year, we weren’t prepared for that,” Shanahan said. “We never even had any conversations about going on after winning a CIF championship, so it was a little overwhelming for our kids when I said, ‘Hey, congratulations, you got practice on Monday.’ They’re like, ‘What? For what?’
“We hadn’t won a CIF championship since 1946, so those aren’t conversations you have. Your goal is to make the playoffs, win league, and do the best you can do in CIF and hopefully win a CIF championship. Our kids have lofty goals. They’ve been working like they want to have that 16-game season, and we’ll just keep coaching them hard as long as they want it.”
Pac 4 League
Laguna Beach 42, Westminster 7
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Laguna Beach 21 - 14 - 0 - 7 — 42
Westminster 0 - 7 - 0 - 0 — 7
FIRST QUARTER
LB — Rogers 20 run (Vidaurri-Tucker kick), 7:50.
LB — Hunt 86 pass from Kollock (Vidaurri-Tucker kick), 4:58.
LB — Rogers 49 pass from Kollock (Vidaurri-Tucker kick), 1:27.
SECOND QUARTER
LB — Kollock 3 run (Vidaurri-Tucker kick), 10:13.
LB — Rogers 45 run (Vidaurri-Tucker kick), 4:39.
W — Et. Cedillo 30 pass from Burns (Tan kick), 0:30.
THIRD QUARTER
None.
FOURTH QUARTER
LB — Rogers 19 pass from Kollock (Vidaurri-Tucker kick), 1:49.
INDIVIDUAL RUSHING
LB — Rogers 16-180, 2 TDs.
W — Ortega, 6-41.
INDIVIDUAL PASSING
LB — Kollock, 16-32-0, 371, 3 TDs.
W — Burns, 9-22-1, 121, 1 TD.
INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING
LB — Hunt, 2-91, 1 TD; Rogers, 4-77, 2 TDs; Swanson, 5-53.
W — Guzman, 5-75; Et. Cedillo, 2-31, 1 TD.
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