Comeback not enough

There was good news and bad, for the Laguna Beach football team stemming from last week’s nonleague home game against Segerstrom.

The good news is that the Breakers won the second-half battle against the Jaguars. Yet for the improvement Coach Jonathan Todd felt his squad showed after intermission last Friday at Guyer Field, it still wasn’t enough to carry the Breakers to victory.

That’s because Segerstrom scored on its first four possessions of the game and rode that hot start to an eventual, 35-24 win.

The Jaguars scored on their first play from scrimmage when running back Rodrigo Fernandez bolted 80 yards for a touchdown. Laguna, however, fought right back to tie the score when Michael John scored on a seven-yard run. John Snedegar’s point-after gave the Breakers what would be their only lead, 7-6.

Laguna trailed by just 14-10 in the second quarter but another touchdown run by Fernandez — who burst to the end zone on a 33-yard TD run that was part of his 237 yards rushing performance for the night — and a touchdown pass from Ricky Martinez to Nicolaus Calhoun, allowed the Jaguars to open up a 28-10 lead at the half.

The Breakers outscored the Jaguars, 14-7, in the second half, getting a 61-yard touchdown run from Zach Smith and a 17-yard TD pass play from quarterback Charley Bowman to Jason Colladay.

Smith rushed for 134 yards to lead Laguna’s ground attack.

“It was a wild start,” Todd said. “They scored on their first play from scrimmage, we scored on our opening possession to take the lead. We just did a poor job tackling, especially in the first half. In some cases, we committed mental errors. I felt we moved the ball around well on offense. We moved the ball up and down the field at will and should have had more points.”

Down by 18 at the half, the halftime talk by Todd and his staff presented the Breakers with a challenge.

“We challenged the kids to go out and play better in the second half than they did in the first,” he said. “They did that, and we basically won the second half. The kids hit a lot harder, and I was happy with that.”

Laguna’s young offensive line — right tackle Sharif Elseify, right guard Mitchel McMullen, center Ryan Raffo, left guard Chris Hilleman and right tackle Luis Ocampo — especially turned in a solid performance, Todd said.

“I was really happy with the way our line performed,” he said. “I think we rushed for somewhere between 200 and 250 yards, and they also did a good job of pass blocking. Their play up front allowed our offense to move the ball well.”

Laguna played Irvine Thursday (Sept. 27) in a nonleague game at Irvine High. The score wasn’t available at press time.

The Breakers’ next nonleague game is Oct. 5 at Capistrano Valley High.

BREAKERS MVP

Name: Dillon Pierce

Position: WR/DB

Height: 6-feet

Weight: 155

Year: Junior

Highlights: For the second-straight week, Pierce was a force on defense for Laguna Beach in the Breakers’ 35-24 nonleague loss at Segerstrom at Guyer Field on Sept. 21.

Coach’s comments: “He had 12 or 13 tackles on the night and was everywhere,” Jonathan Todd said. “Dillon’s really been a stalwart for us at corner.”

BREAKERS LOG

Laguna Beach (1-3)

6…Corona del Mar…26

31…La Quinta/Westminster…22

0…Santiago…26

24…Segerstrom…35

Friday: vs. Capistrano Valley

(at Capo Valley High, 7 p.m.)

Oct. 12: Notre Dame (Riverside)

(at Guyer Field, 7 p.m.)

Oct. 26: Costa Mesa*

(at Guyer Field, 7 p.m.)

Nov. 2: Calvary Chapel*

(homecoming, 7 p.m.)

Nov. 9: vs. Estancia*

(at Newport Harbor High, 7 p.m.)

(*denotes league game)