Football: Sea Kings storm Laguna Beach

Tony Altobelli

LAGUNA BEACH - Sometimes the best defense is a clock-sucking

offense. Just ask the Corona del Mar High football team.

The Sea Kings dominated the ball, the clock and the game en route to a

27-7 Pacific Coast League win over the host Artists on Laguna Beach’s

homecoming night.

The win, coupled with Estancia’s comeback 34-27 win over Costa Mesa,

gives Corona del Mar (4-3, 3-0 in league) a guaranteed berth into the CIF

Southern Section Division IX playoffs.

“That was one of the better defensive performances we’ve had this

year,” Coach Dick Freeman said. “Laguna Beach had their defense out there

a whole lot and I think at the end, we finally wore them out.”

It was CdM’s ground attack that really wore out the Artists (1-6,

0-4). The Sea Kings gained 186 yards on the ground on 51 mud-packed

plays, while holding Laguna Beach to a paltry 23 yards on only nine

opportunities.

“It was definitely a tough field to run on,” CdM tailback Blake Hacker

said. “I didn’t play that well in the first half and wanted to step it up

in the second half. Our defense really kept us in the game early and we

took it from there.”

Hacker pounded out 78 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries, while

the rest of the running committee consisting of Matt Cooper, Matt Boyce,

Rory McKeever and quarterback Joe Barber combined for 106 yards and a

touchdown on 26 carries.

The only points put on the board from the Artists came from Will

Blodgett, who recovered a CdM fumble and returned it a school-record 58

yards for a touchdown, giving Laguna Beach a 7-0 lead midway through the

first quarter.

The Artists were limited to only 12 offensive plays the entire first

half, while the Sea Kings’ defense allowed only 8 yards of total offense

(aside from Blodgett’s fumble return) and no first downs.

The Sea Kings took control of the game on the next drive. They sloshed

through the mud on an 18-play, 80-yard drive that ate up over 10 minutes

of the clock. Boyce edged into the end zone from 3-yards out to tie the

score.

“Hacker was a little banged up so we went to some other guys to supply

our running offense,” Freeman said. “I thought Boyce and Cooper did a

great job of moving the ball when we needed it.”

After the Artists went quietly on their first possession of the second

half, CdM went 44 yards on seven plays and scored on a 14-yard touchdown

pass from Barber to backup tight end Erik Knuppel, giving the Sea Kings

the lead for good.

“That was a big play for us,” Freeman said. “Erik did a good job of

getting open and Joe did a good job of finding the open man.”

Barber completed 10 of 15 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. He was

3 for 3 for 48 yards on that drive alone.

“He didn’t do anything flashy, but he allowed us to mix up our offense

with some passing,” Freeman said.

CdM stopped Laguna Beach again and following a 12-yard punt, the Sea

Kings drove 30 yards on eight plays as Hacker found the end zone from

2-yards out making it 20-7.

Finally, with 2:35 remaining in the third quarter, Laguna Beach gained

enough yards for a first down, its first of the game. The jubilation was

short-lived, however, as Sea Kings’ strong safety Eric Snell intercepted

quarterback Todd Merz’ pass on the next play, ending the “drive.”

Snell would intercept another Merz pass midway through the fourth

quarter, setting up CdM’s final scoring drive.

The Sea Kings marched 50 yards on eight plays and capped the scoring

with a 7-yard touchdown run from Hacker.

No CdM running play went for more than 8 yards and the biggest passing

play was 17 yards.

It was just a matter of the Sea Kings running 70 plays from scrimmage,

using over 29 minutes of clock, while the Artists ran only 37 plays.

The Sea Kings and Eagles will meet Friday night at 7 p.m. at Newport

Harbor High.