Laguna Beach regroups after first loss

Back on track. That’s where the Laguna Beach High football team found itself Oct. 20.

Less than a week after it dropped its Orange Coast League opener, the Breakers rebounded with a resounding 48-13 victory over Calvary Chapel at Jim Scott Stadium in Costa Mesa. A running clock was implemented for the fourth quarter. By then, the Breakers already had done most of their damage.

“I was glad to see the kids bounce back the way they did; I knew they would,” said Laguna Coach Mike Churchill, whose squad had dropped its league opener to Estancia on Oct. 14. “It was a short week for us, going from that game (Estancia) to playing on Thursday. The kids did a real nice job. We got knocked down in our opener, but we were not down and out.”

Laguna, now 1-1 in league and 6-1 overall, will try to keep the momentum going when it takes on host Godinez in league contest at 7 p.m. Friday at Segerstrom High.

The Breakers enter the game ranked sixth in the CIF Southern Division.

Laguna actually fell behind (6-0) last week against Calvary Chapel but then scored the next four touchdowns on two runs by Drake Martinez (four and 15 yards) and Norton Penney (eight and 34 yards). Martinez hooked up with quarterback Larry Stewart on a 65-yard scoring pass in the final minute of the first half and Penney capped the scoring with an 80-yard scoring run on the first play from scrimmage in the second half.

Penney piled up 204 yards on just 11 carries and Martinez had 94 yards on eight rushes and his two scores tied a Laguna record for touchdowns (20) in a season. The junior also tied the single-season record for points (136) in a season, a mark he shares with Bill O’Brien (1956) and Donelle Darling (2001).

In seven games, Martinez has rushed for 1,044 yards and 17 touchdowns on 85 carries.

The Breakers also tied a school record for points in a single quarter, their 34-point outburst in second quarter tying a record that was set 71 years ago in 1940. The 41 first-half points is the second most for a half in school history, second to the 44 the Breakers scored in a Sept. 16 win over Ocean View.

Godinez (0-2 league, 3-4 overall) is coming off a 35-7 loss to Estancia. Two weeks ago, the Grizzlies lost, 59-7, to Costa Mesa.

A win Friday by Laguna would give the program its first seven-win season since 1980.

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Twitter: @MikeSciacca