Breakers defeat Estancia, 11-7

Pairing dominant doubles play with a few but key wins in singles action, the Laguna Beach High boys’ tennis team won its third consecutive Orange Coast League match, as the Breakers upended host Estancia, 11-7, April 3.

The Breakers (3-0 in league) dominated doubles action as the No. 1 team of Ben Biscarrat/Jared Berkson (6-1, 6-0, 6-0), No. 2 Noah Michelson/Mikey Rubel (6-1, 6-2, 6-0) and No. 3 Sean Ochwat/Paul Salomon (6-1, 6-2, 6-1) swept their Eagles opponents.

No. 1 Jake Michaels (7-6) and No. 2 Benito Romeo (6-2) each picked up a point for Laguna in singles play.

“We had a great win today,” Laguna Coach Jonee Earl said. “The doubles swept easily; the singles got off to a slow start; but the win from Benito Romeo put us over the top, and Jake Michaels’ win in a tie-breaker in the last match added the cherry.”

? In swimming

Laguna Beach High boys’ and girls’ swim teams won their first Orange County League meet of the season when the Breakers took on Calvary Chapel and Godinez on April 1.

Both teams are 1-3 overall, with wins over Tustin and Cypress (March 5) and Orange Lutheran (April 4). They suffered a loss on Feb. 27 to El Modena.

Laguna coach Ethan Damato said both teams are strongest in freestyle, but need to work on butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke, in order to perform better in specialty events including independent medleys.

“We’re getting stronger, and many swimmers have made personal bests in consecutive meets,” Damato said. “We don’t have any CIF qualifiers on the boy’s side yet, but we’re training hard to get better in these other events.”

Several swimmers on the girls’ team have already qualified for CIF with automatic and consideration times.

Automatic qualifiers include Andrea Reigel, who swam the 200 individual medley in 2:11.19 and 100 backstroke in 1:01.49, breaking her own school record in both events. Annika Dries qualified in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:59.77 and Chelsea Wild swam the 500 freestyle in 5:10.02. Wild also broke a 15-year-old Laguna Beach High record in the breaststroke during the April 1 meet with a time of 1:15.61.

Reigel, Dries, Taylor Dodson and Natasha Schulman each made CIF consideration times in the 100 freestyle event with times of 55.01, 55.82, 56.73 and 56.73, respectively. Dries and Schulman also qualified in the 50 freestyle with marks of 25.61 and 25.88.

Although the boys haven’t hit qualifying times yet, they are still winning races.

Preston Head fell just .4 seconds short of a CIF consideration time in the 100 freestyle, with a time of 50.43. Head has won every freestyle event that he’s swum so far this season.

Nathan McConnel, another strong freestyle swimmer, has won all but one event, and he was runner-up to Head in that event. Laguna resumes Orange Coast League competition Tuesday with a 3:15 p.m. meet at Estancia.