High School Football: Dynamic offense featured in opener

The first one is done and in the books, and Corey Brown called opening night, “a lot of fun.”

The Laguna Beach High football team started its 2013 campaign the way it started the 2012 season: with a big win over Bolsa Grande. The Breakers led the entire way Sept. 6 at Guyer Field in taking a 48-17 victory from the Matadors, who also were opening their season.

Laguna scored on its opening possession of the season and when the first quarter was complete, the Breakers held a stunning, 35-0 lead.

Not a bad way to get things going.

“I saw a lot of energy out there and the kids were excited to be playing,” Brown said. “They were prepared and it showed. What they achieved was the product of all the hard work they had put in leading up to the season. It’s a great way to start.”

Senior running back Nathan Lancaster capped a six-play, 65-yard drive on the game’s first possession by scoring on a 40-yard run, then kicking the extra point. During the scoring march, sophomore quarterback Jack Simon completed his first attempt, a 33-yard pass to senior receiver Keaton Martinez.

On the ensuing kickoff, Laguna senior Brandon Sarhad recovered a fumble to set up the Breakers at the Bolsa Grande 22-yard line. On the next play from scrimmage, Lancaster was off and running to a 22-yard touchdown.

Simon notched the first touchdown pass of his varsity career on Laguna’s next possession. His 14-yard scoring pass to senior receiver Sean Hampton took the score to 21-0. Before the quarter was over, Lancaster scored on an eight-yard run followed by a 48-yard scamper to the end zone, the latter coming on a first-down run.

Lancaster played only two quarters. By the half, he had rushed 13 times and amassed a career-best 223 yards.

“Nathan really had a big first half,” Brown said. “That was great to see. I’m happy with how focused he was in the off-season to getting better and improving his speed. He was a great running back last year but he’s our key guy this year.”

In the second quarter, senior running back Andres DeLaRosa scored on a 10-yard run for a 42-0 lead. Following a Bolsa Grande field goal, Simon and Hampton again teamed up this time, on a 19-yard TD pass play with 34 seconds left before halftime.

The Simon-to-Hampton scoring play put the Breakers comfortably in front, 48-3, at the break.

DeLaRosa finished with 46 yards on six carries. Simon was seven of eight for 132 yards and two scores.

Martinez had an interception in the waning seconds of the first half.

“I thought our O-line played extremely well,” Brown said. “They blew open holes and all Nathan [Lancaster] had to do was find a way to get through them. Our receivers blocked really well downfield to spring Nathan, and our defense played a great first half.

“Overall, we’re right where I expected us to be.”

In just the first week of their season, the 2013 Breakers picked up where their 2012 counterparts left off: setting records.

Program records set or nearly broken in the Bolsa Grande victory both were for a single quarter, team points scored (35) and individual points scored (30, Lancaster).

The 30 total points scored by Lancaster is second all-time for an individual in a single game (Drake Martinez, 32 points, 2011 Ocean View game). His 223 rushing yards is 12th-best all-time for a game, his 168 career points ranks No. 7, and his 27 career touchdowns ranks sixth all-time.

The 48 points scored in the first half by the Breakers were fourth-best in program history, and 467 yards of total offense ranks 13th-best for a game.

Laguna, ranked sixth in the CIF Southern Section Southern Division, played its second game of the season Thursday at University. The score from that game wasn’t available at press time.

University started its season Sept. 5 and was shut out, 35-0, at Segerstrom.

Next week, Laguna returns home for a Sept. 20 nonleague game against Rancho Dominguez.

*

Breakers Schedule (1-0)

48...Bolsa Grande...17

Thursday: at University

Sept. 20: Rancho Dominguez, 7 p.m.

Sept. 27: at St. Margaret’s, 7 p.m.

Oct. 4: Northwood, 7 p.m.

Oct. 11: vs. *Saddleback (at Segerstrom High), 7 p.m.

Oct. 18: *Estancia (homecoming), 7 p.m.

Oct. 24: vs. *Calvary Chapel (at Estancia High), 7 p.m.

Oct. 31: vs. *Godinez (at Segerstrom High), 7 p.m.

Nov. 8: *Costa Mesa (Senior Night), 7 p.m.

(*denotes Orange Coast League game)