Laguna Beach football overcomes injuries in win over Troy
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FULLERTON — Things couldn’t have started worse for Laguna Beach in its Delta League opener, nor finished more sweetly. The Breakers lost two of their most vital pieces early, quickly banded together, and followed a freshman quarterback, effectively making his varsity football debut, to an emotional triumph.
Braden Hansen stepped up when fourth-year quarterback Jack Hurst went down with a serious knee injury on the game’s third snap, and Laguna Beach overcame another big injury — to top running back Charlie Christian — en route to Thursday night’s 28-14 victory at Fullerton District Stadium.
Hansen completed 17 of 21 throws for 170 yards, rushed for 48 yards on six carries before a late sack and three kneel downs whittled away his total, and accounted for three touchdowns, two on the run, as Laguna Beach (4-2) took charge across successive second-half drives after watching an early two-touchdown advantage slip away.
“I’m unbelievably proud,” Laguna Beach coach John Shanahan said. “It’s one of those things, like, you can be 100% proud and 100% brokenhearted at the same time. It’s a weird dichotomy, but, God, this is an emotional night.”
Hurst, who came in with 4,804 career yards with 71 touchdowns, suffered a dislocated kneecap as he was hit while throwing an interception from the goal line. Hansen took a “next-man-up” approach.
“[Jack’s] a mentor to me, for sure,” he said. “I was looking to follow his path through Laguna Beach and play on Saturdays [in college football] like he is going to be. I mean, everything that he does, I try to copy, almost.”
Hurst was impressed.
“That was awesome,” the senior starter said. “I wouldn’t want anyone else to take my spot like that. He’s been training so hard for a long time. He knows what he’s doing. He’s been in this program, came up [through Breakers Youth Football] the same way, just like me. He went out there and got us a [win]. Super proud of him.”
Hurst’s loss was when delivered, amplified by Christian’s departure with a high ankle sprain, on the second quarter’s third play, but “they popped it right back” into place, he said, and he expects to return.
“Really just praying to get back out here as soon as I can ...” Hurst said. “Just hoping for a speedy recovery and to come back and play this game I love. With the team that I love. With the people that I love. For my town.”
Shanahan said the trainers were “not seeing any structural damage.”
“I’m going to get my 87-year-old mom to a Catholic church tomorrow to light a candle,” Shanahan said. “I’ve seen her pull out bigger miracles than that.
“I just love the kid. It’s part of this game, but I’m brokenhearted for him. I pray to God he has another chance to play high school football. He’s going to play football some more, but I hope to God he gets one more chance to play with his buddies.”
Hansen led Laguna Beach, which picked up a forfeit win from Yorba Linda earlier in the week, on two second-quarter scoring drives, completed on his 2- and 8-yard runs, for a 14-0 lead, then on a 17-play, 92-yard, nearly seven-minute drive into the fourth quarter for the winning score. He did so behind a young offensive line featuring three 15-year-olds and no seniors, with 155-pound freshman Harry Onel stepping in for concussed center Easton Perez.
Will Kimball hauled in the winning touchdown, making a short catch at the 5-yard line and dragging a defender into the end zone. Bob Gardner, who ran for 50 yards after taking over for Christian, added a 1-yard touchdown on the next drive, one play after Hansen found Brady Stringham deep on the left sideline for a 37-yard gain. They hooked up seven times for 110 yards.
Laguna Beach stopped Troy (3-3) on three red zone incursions — lineman Xavier Brooks had two sacks and blocked a 20-yard field goal after the Warriors intercepted Hurst — but Troy pulled even on two big plays: Mason Mays’ 37-yard end-zone bomb to double-covered Andrew Green to end the first half and Riley Billington’s 41-yard run midway through the third quarter.
Hansen, a standout beach volleyball player, had thrown just one varsity pass, in last week’s win at San Pedro — “one of the worst passes you’ve ever seen in your entire life,” Shanahan called it; “the ugliest pass I’ve ever seen, too,” Hansen said — and was “incredibly nervous” but “finally got my groove after that first touchdown. It was just playing free from there.”
His coach wasn’t surprised.
“He’s done a tremendous job for us [with the frosh-soph team],” Shanahan said. “He’s a dynamic athlete. He’s an incredibly fast processor. He’s ‘Leave it to Beaver,’ right? He’s, like, the perfect kid. I mean, you almost can’t believe it when you talk to him. He’s just got a [Fernando] Mendoza quality to him, like he’s too good to be true. He’s got that incredible character about him.”
Delta League
Laguna Beach 28, Troy 14
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Laguna Beach 0 - 14 - 0 - 14 — 28
Troy 0 - 7 - 7 - 0 — 14
FIRST QUARTER
None.
SECOND QUARTER
LB — Hansen 2 run (Stringham kick), 6:10.
LB — Hansen 8 run (Stringham kick), 1:42.
T — Green 37 pass from Mays (Torosian kick), 0:00.
THIRD QUARTER
T — Billington 41 run (Torosian kick), 5:10.
FOURTH QUARTER
LB — Kimball 12 pass from Hansen (Stringham kick), 10:22.
LB — Gardner 1 run (Stringham kick), 7:01.
INDIVIDUAL RUSHING
LB — Gardner, 14-50, 1 TD; Hansen, 10-27, 2 TDs; Christian, 5-19.
T — Billington, 12-89, 1 TD; Mays, 15-37; Lieberman, 3-10.
INDIVIDUAL PASSING
LB — Hansen, 17-21-0, 170, 1 TD; Hurst, 1-2-1, (-8).
T — Mays, 12-20-1, 161, 1 TD.
INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING
LB — Stringham, 8-102; Gardner, 3-22; Kimball, 3-21, 1 TD; Guzman, 2-21; Golden, 1-7; Hansen, 1-(-11).
T — Green, 3-84, 1 TD; Dolmat, 3-28; Billington, 2-39; Tapia, 3-10.
