Winter Sports Update: Week of Feb. 28 | Sports
BOYS SOCCER (14-4-5)
Breakers Advance to D4 CIF FINALS – Saturday at 1 p.m.
Laguna in Action Against Santa Ana: From left to right: Tom Schmidt, Luke Singer, John Tavey and Dylan Petrie-Norris. The Breakers defeated Santa Ana 2-1 last Saturday at Guyer Field to advance to the CIF D4 finals. The game is on Saturday, March 1, at 1 p.m. at Fred Kelly Stadium in Orange against Yucaipa.
The 50th soccer season at Laguna Beach High School has truly been one for the record books, as the Breakers surprised Empire League champion Santa Ana with a 2-1 victory last Saturday night at Guyer Field. Max Garner scored in the first period from a perfectly placed free kick, and midway through the second half, Landon Hutchinson scored the insurance goal.
The Saints, champions of the Empire League (Fullerton, Godinez, Tustin, Valencia/Placentia), play in a top soccer league and did not go quietly. With just minutes remaining in regulation, the visitors scored, energizing their players and fans, which made the final minutes and the unknown stoppage time a stressful end to a contest dominated by Laguna. Laguna resisted the final offensive challenges from Santa Ana and celebrated, as expected, when the final whistle blew. The Breakers are now ranked # 12 in Max Prep’s Southern Section rankings – the top among Orange County public schools.
The CIF Final: March 1, at 1 p.m. at El Modena’s Fred Kelly Stadium
Opponent: Yucaipa (14-7-4, Citrus League)
Tickets are $14 (Children 5-13 $7) and must be purchased online at gofan.co. Parking is free.
STATE Regionals – next week
Pairings were announced at CIFstate.org on Sunday, March 2. The single-elimination playoff starts on Tuesday, March 4 and Laguna may host a game.
GIRLS WATER POLO (20-12)
CIF CHAMPS! – Defeat San Clemente 10-9 in Sudden Death Triple Overtime
Laguna captured their 8th SSCIF Girls Water Polo title last Saturday with a 10-9 Sudden Death victory over San Clemente at the Mt SAC’s pool in Walnut. The Breakers have advanced to the finals in 12 of the past 26 playoffs and have more season victories than any other So Cal school since the sport as added to CIF in 1997. Laguna added the sport in 1998.
The Breakers won an SSCIF-record eighth section title in a dramatic sudden-death golden goal victory over San Clemente last Saturday at Walnut’s MT SAC pool stadium. Presley Jones fired the shot for the winning score after Liv Taub drew a foul in front of the Laguna cage, forcing a possession change. With an opportunity for a fast counter play, Kara Carver sprinted toward the Triton goal and received a great pass from Jones. San Clemente prevented the Carver score, but as the official explained afterward, it was a clear penalty shot violation – “I had to make the call.”
How the game evolved:
San Clemente scored first midway through the opening period, but the Breakers swiftly responded with a goal from Jones, assisted by Siena Jumani. Brooke Schneider scored in the closing seconds of the period, receiving a pass from Rosie Rogers. Carver added another goal on the first possession of the second period, giving Laguna a 3-1 lead. San Clemente managed to net a second goal during a power play in the final minute, leaving the score at 3-2 in favor of Laguna at halftime.
The second half changed the tempo right from the start. Seconds into the quarter, Presley Jones was charged with a second foul, her first coming in the last minute of the previous quarter. Jones was pulled to avoid a disqualifying third foul, leaving the “quarterback” of the Laguna team out of action. The Tritons wasted no time, scoring on three straight possessions. The Breakers regrouped, trailing 5-3, and Jones was reinserted into the lineup with just three minutes remaining. Jones drew an exclusion and scored off a Carver pass to cut the lead to 4-5, but San Clemente responded with a score, putting Laguna back down by two goals. Kara Carver drew an exclusion on the ensuing possession and then matched Jones, scoring on the power play opportunity off a Brooke Schneider pass.
The fourth quarter opened with Jones drawing a penalty shot that Carver converted, tying the contest at six with less than a minute elapsed. After that, the Breakers never trailed and twice held leads they couldn’t maintain. Laguna had opportunities to score on the final play of regulation and at the end of the second overtime period. In the 3-minute sudden death period, each team had two possessions, with the only shot by San Clemente bouncing off the top of the cage. The Tritons’ second possession resulted in a foul, leading to the golden goal by Jones.
The Numbers:
Goals: Carver – 5, Jones – 4, Schneider – 1.
Assists: Guziak, Carver, Schneider, Jumani, Jones, Rogers, Taub.
Steals: Carver – 7, Schneider3, Jones – 3, Jumani
Drawn Exclusions: Carver – 4, Jones 3
Laguna’s 8 Section title ties Santa Barbara and Corona del Mar for the most in girls’ water polo. The Breakers have a record of 63-18 in all-time SSCIF playoffs, the best among all schools. They are 638-186 all-time in girls’ water polo, the most wins of any program in Southern California. Foothill follows with a record of 634-195, while Newport is third at 621-209.
STATE CIF D1 REGIONALS:
Feb 25: Mater Dei 11, Laguna 8 at Mater Dei HS
The Breakers led 7-6 in the third period but could not convert their scoring chances down the stretch, ultimately losing to the Monarchs. USC-bound Kara Carver scored four goals and drew four exclusions, concluding her career with 200 total goals, 110 assists, 161 steals, and 87 drawn exclusions. UCLA-bound Presley Jones finished with 174 career goals, 173 assists (the third highest), 135 steals, and 55 drawn exclusions. Siena Jumani (UCSB) ended her career with 405 saves, 51 assists (ranking 3rd among goalies), 3 goals and 37 steals.
SPRING SPORTS UPDATE
BASEBALL (5-0)
Newport Elks Champs!
For the third time since 2019, the Breakers won their Newport Elks Tournament division with a 9-4 victory over Brea-Olinda at Skipper Carrillo Field this past Wednesday. Lucien Reed delivered another three-hit performance, scoring twice and driving in two runs. Parker Moore also recorded three hits and Becker Sybirski earned the pitching victory with Jake Martinez in relief. The Wildcats still lead the long-standing series 35-28-1.
In the games leading up to the championship:
Feb 20: Laguna 7, Calvary Chapel/SA 3
The Breakers amassed 11 hits and held a 6-0 lead before the Eagles managed to score. Lincoln Adams contributed three hits and crossed home plate twice to spearhead the effort. Jake Martinez secured the victory in a series where the Breakers lead 38-14.
Feb 24: Laguna 10, Esperanza 1
Another 11-hit outburst propelled the Breakers to victory at home against the visiting Aztecs, scoring eight runs in the first inning. Lucien scored two runs in that inning with a double and later batted again to score another run with a single. Branson Wade, the winning pitcher, allowed two hits over five innings while striking out eight.
Up next: Breakers are at Dana Hills on March 1 for a non-league game. The 14-game league play begins March 12.
BEACH VOLLEYBALL (3-0)
The team returned to action this past week, facing JSerra on Thursday, Feb 27. They will host San Clemente on March 4 and Aliso Niguel on Thursday, March 5, all at Main Beach.
Match #3 – Feb. 25 d. Capistrano Valley Christian 3-2 at Main Beach
#1 Kyra Zaengle/JordynFlynn – Won 21-19, 21-17
#2 Layla Kollock/HollieHooper – Lost 17-25, 21-16, 5-15
#3 Sienna Utge/SiennaLee – Won 21-17, 21-10
#4 Evie Rowe/Savannah Farris – Lost 20-22, 21-12, 12-15
#5 Tessa Durand/Arielle Tavey – Won 21-14, 21-13
GIRLS LACROSSE (2-0)
Laguna won their home opener with a 9-3 victory over Long Beach Wilson this past Tuesday at Guyer Field. The team was at Aliso Niguel on Feb. 26 and at Irvine on March 3. The squad will host Heritage/Menifee on March 4 and Millikan on March 5. The first Pacific Coast League match is on March 10 against Portola at Guyer Field.
BOYS TENNIS (1-0)
The Breakers won their opening match with a 16-2 victory at Mission Viejo this past Tuesday. Tane Rice dominated at # singles with scores of 6-0, 6-0, 6-0, while Seth Hanson also swept his matches 7-5, 6-1, 6-1. The victorious doubles teams included Nickyre/Ocean Papa, who won 6-4, 6-1, 6-1, and Sam Wong/Jan Cook, who rolled through their matches 7-5, 6-1, 6-2. Lars Haskins and Colin Tonkovich teamed for two sets, winning 6-2, 6-2. League play commenced at Woodbridge on Feb. 27, and the team traveled to Tesoro for a non-league contest on Friday, Feb. 28. League play resumes on March 4 at Portola.
BOYS VOLLEYBALL (0-1)
The team opened play last week with a 20-25, 14-25, 26-24, 12-25 loss to Newport Harbor in their 48th best-of-five set meeting with the Tars. Kai Patchel led the squad with 11 kills, while Quinn Halloran contributed with 8. Ben Goodwin provided 17 assists. The Breakers faced JSerra this past Thursday and will begin league play on Friday, Feb. 28, at Woodbridge. Next week, they will be home for Santa Margarita on Monday, play at Portola on Tuesday, and return home for Sage Hill on Friday, March 7.
Please Remember Skipper Carrillo
You can donate to the Skipper Carrillo Scholarship that was established 32 years ago by sending your checks to LBHSSF at PO Box 1569, Laguna Beach CA 92652. Note the “Skipper Carrillo Scholarship” on the memo line. The annual grants go to senior varsity athletes with financial need who have overcome obstacles.
Have a note on Laguna high school sports? Email Frank at frank@twometer.net. Looking for the 2024-25 high school schedules and scores? Check Laguna Beach High School on the Max Preps website or the schedules tab on the athletics website at lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/schedules. To find scores on the school site, select the sport and level, click the year, and toggle the “show older events” option under the 2024-25 year.
