High School Football: CdM wins big

LAGUNA HILLS — This time, Corona del Mar High beat Laguna Hills on the football field.

Unlike last year, when the Hawks used an ineligible player, the Sea Kings won’t have to wait a couple of weeks to earn a victory via forfeit.

The Sea Kings look unbeatable and that’s been the case in their last 12 games. They prevailed at Laguna Hills, 35-14, on Friday and set a CdM record for consecutive wins.

The top-ranked team in the CIF Southern Section Southern Division poll has opened the season with two dominating performances. CdM has outscored its opponents, 70-14, and it gave up its first touchdown right before halftime.

Before that late scoring drive, CdM (2-0) limited the Hawks (0-1) to two yards on 21 plays from scrimmage. That’s how stingy CdM’s defense has been this year.

One week it is defensive end Parker Chase sacking the quarterback four times. The next week it is defensive end Harrison Carter sacking the quarterback twice and forcing fumbles each time.

The Hawks pounced on the first fumble. On the second, Chase picked up the loose ball inside Laguna Hills’ 20-yard line. No one could chase him down from behind in time. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder raced into the end zone and celebrated, jumping and spiking the ball between his legs.

The referees penalized CdM 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct. It didn’t matter, as CdM took a 21-0 lead 21/2 minutes into the second quarter.

“Those defensive guys,” CdM Coach Scott Meyer said with a smile. “Lesson learned on the … touchdown celebration.”

Meyer said CdM would have to eliminate its penalties for a shot at extending its winning streak that dates back to last year. Next week, the Sea Kings face El Toro at Trabuco Hills High.

The Sea Kings committed six penalties in the first half for 73 yards. Their defense spent a lot of time on the field because of the penalties.

They still managed to make things miserable for the Hawks’ two quarterbacks. Laguna Hills used a left-hander (Cameron Bondy) and a right-hander (Luke Zuvich) and not much worked.

Linebacker Robbie Hoffman intercepted a Zuvich pass in the second quarter, and when the Sea Kings’ offense stalled for much of the second half, cornerback Brett Greenlee and safety Barrett Barbato picked off Bondy in the fourth quarter. Two of the interceptions led to CdM touchdowns.

When CdM’s offense produced its four touchdowns, it wasted little time.

The Sea Kings’ scoring drives lasted 1 minute 45 seconds, 3:12, 10 seconds and nine seconds.

The final touchdown came on tailback Cole Martin’s 42-yard burst near CdM’s sideline in the fourth quarter. Martin carried the ball 24 times for 154 yards.

Quarterback Luke Napolitano ran the offense well during CdM’s first three drives (two resulted in touchdowns).

He credited his good start to hitting tight end Connor Sage for 19 yards on a play-action pass on the Sea Kings’ first play from scrimmage.

The hook up allowed Napolitano, in his first year as the starting quarterback, to settle down. Four plays later, the senior, facing a third-and-five, hit a wide-open Cole Collins for a 25-yard touchdown pass.

The touchdown pass was the first of two Napolitano threw to Collins, who finished with three catches for 53 yards.

“They tried to stop the run early and it allowed me to throw the ball,” said Napolitano, who completed 12 of 18 passes for 146 yards and also rushed for a one-yard touchdown.

Napolitano helped CdM knock off a Laguna Hills team that has done well against the Sea Kings’ league, the Pacific Coast League.

The Hawks are 24-2-1 against Pacific Coast League teams since 2006. The defending league champion Sea Kings have both victories. The latest win is the one that counts more because it came on the field.

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Corona del Mar 35, Laguna Hills 14

SCORE BY QUARTERS

CdM 7- 21 - 0 - 7 – 35

Laguna 0 - 7 - 7 - 0 – 14

FIRST QUARTER

CdM – Collins 25 pass from Napolitano (Neiger kick), 8:29.

SECOND QUARTER

CdM – Napolitano 1 run (Neiger kick), 10:34.

CdM – Chase 18 fumble return (Neiger kick), 9:33.

CdM – Collins 21 pass from Napolitano (Neiger kick), 4:52.

LH – Biron 4 run (Weber kick), 8:29.

THIRD QUARTER

LH – Ludwig 3 pass from Bondy (Weber kick), 2:33.

FOURTH QUARTER

CdM – Martin 42 run (Neiger kick), 10:28.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

CdM - Martin, 24-154, 1 TD.

LH - Biron, 14-50, 1 TD.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

CdM - Napolitano, 12-18-1, 146, 2 TDs.

LH - Bondy, 8-14-2, 106, 1 TD.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

CdM – Collins, 4-53, 2 TDs; St. Geme, 5-71.

LH - Lanier, 1-61.