Breakers go after win No. 2

The Laguna Beach High football team rode the shoulders of Charley Bowman to its first victory of the season.

On Sept. 8, Bowman rushed for a pair of touchdowns and directed the Breakers with gusto as they blanked the La Quinta Aztecs of Westminster, 18-0.

It was the first shutout by a Laguna team since the 2004 Breakers beat Magnolia, 21-0, in the fifth game of the season, a span of 18 games.

Bowman threw for 97 yards and rushed for 62 more with scoring runs covering 35 and nine yards. Both scores came in the first half, as Laguna took a 15-0 lead at the half.

Alex Smith booted a 45-yard field goal in the third quarter to finish off the Aztecs.

“I think what stuck out was the leadership of my quarterback,” Laguna Coach Jimmy Nolan said of Bowman, who will guide the Breakers tonight against Santiago of Garden Grove in a 7 p.m. nonleague game at Guyer Field. “He led this team like he always does. The kid’s a fighter.”

“Our defense performed well but made too many errors and will get beat this week if we play the same way. Our offense executed well but had far too many penalties. If we have as many penalties this week, we will lose. Our special teams did well.”

Other key performances for Laguna last Friday came from Max Hilburn, whom Nolan said “stepped up in the second half,” and Smith who, in addition to his impressive 45-yard field goal, intercepted a pass.

Nolan said that game film shows Smith intercepted two passes, but one was ruled an incomplete pass by the referee. Hilburn not only played defense but was the main tailback by game’s end.

“The guy went off,” Nolan said of Hilburn. “He looked like the real deal at tailback.

“I am really proud of Alex Smith. For two weeks in a row, he has really been a leader.”

The win over La Quinta proved to be a confidence booster, Nolan said, and that should prove beneficial tonight as Laguna takes on a Santiago team that whipped Ocean View on the road, 33-7, in its season opener on Sept. 8.

“The team feels a little more confident in themselves,” Nolan said. “We came out nervous and soft in Game One (against Corona del Mar). Against La Quinta, we just did our thing and executed all night. I am happy with the turnaround from game one to game two. We saw a whole new team in our boys. We came out and hit. That’s all I ask of these guys. I don’t care about wins or losses. I just want to believe they stepped up to any and everyone.

“We know Santiago is a great football team. They are extremely capable of beating us. We must go out and play like a bunch of overachievers. We worked hard enough all week to do this.”

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CHARLEY BOWMAN

Position: quarterback

Height: 5’-9”

Weight: 148

Year: junior

Game highlights: Bowman accounted for 159 yards of offense, 97 of which came through the air, in an 18-0 win over La Quinta of Westminster on Sept. 8. He scored on a 35-yard quarterback draw for Laguna’s first touchdown and added a nine-yard scoring run in the second quarter in the Breakers’ home opener. The victory was the first in the 2006 season for Laguna.

Coach’s comments: “Charley Bowman ran the ball well and threw some great balls,” Jimmy Nolan said. “He made big plays all night and scored two touchdowns. Chuck is the guy who makes this team tick.”