Breakers eager to move on

OK, game one is done with. Now, the Laguna Beach High football team can turn its full attention to the challenge at hand, a 7 p.m. kickoff today at Ocean View.

No, there’s no need to dwell on last Friday’s season opener, a 62-27 home loss to Northwood. No need to mull over the fact that the 40 points scored between the two teams in the first quarter is a school record for points in an opening quarter, and second most for any quarter in any game throughout Laguna’s 77-year football history. Nor worry about the fact that the combined 89 points in the final score ties for third all-time among Laguna’s highest scoring games.

It was only a 31-20 game at the half, but Northwood pulled away in the second half to win going away. It didn’t help that the Breakers suffered a few key injuries during the game, setbacks that hampered their run game and turned them into a “one-dimensional team” in the second half, Breakers Coach Jonathan Todd said.

“It was one of those games,” Todd said. “We had guys lining up in wrong places, had a lot of young guys who were starting and had a big injury when Norty Penney, one of our key running backs, went down. Drake (Martinez), our other running back, also was hobbled and basically we couldn’t get our run game established.”

The Breakers already were without running back Michael Hyden, who is out with a broken leg.

Todd said that Penney is “questionable” for tonight’s game. A player who won’t see a single down is center Taylor Preston, one of four seniors on the Laguna roster. Preston suffered a slight concussion in the Northwood game and has been held out of practice for the week, Todd said.

But there were some positives from Friday’s loss.

“We learned that sophomore slot receiver Robert Clemons can really run our fly,” Todd said. “Robert had some long runs and scored a touchdown and had a great game. If it hadn’t been for those injuries to Penney and Martinez, we would have never known that Robert could do what he did.

“I also thought that Travis Clawson played a phenomenal game on both sides of the ball.”

Breakers quarterback Austin Paxson passed for 236 yards and had touchdown passes to Clawson (13 yards) and two to Chris Paul (66 and 37 yards).

Laguna goes to Huntington Beach to face an Ocean View squad that last Friday evened its record at 1-1 after defeating Calvary Chapel, 28-7. The Seahawks finished the game strong, scoring the final 21 points to pull away. Junior running back Timmy Robinson rushed for a game-high 182 yards and a touchdown and quarterback Nolan Tippy threw for 155 yards, including a 29-yard touchdown pass to Colton Johnson. Elijah Nolasco-Blas also rushed for a touchdown and Brian Hernandez booted field goals of 37 and 36 yards for the Seahawks.

“Laguna Beach is a solid football team,” Ocean View Coach Harold Eggers said. “They like to throw the ball. It should be an exciting evening. I believe that if you can throw the ball you always have a chance, or at least it will be exciting.

“If we are to be successful this Friday, we will have to continue to improve. Laguna Beach has the ability to score fast and often. We will have to be on top of our game.”