Year in Review (part 2): In closing, more championships
The second half of the 2014-15 school year mirrored that of the first portion for Laguna Beach High athletics — full of league and CIF championships.
Below is Part 2 of the Prep Sports Year which includes some of the key team and individual highlights turned in by the Breakers during the final six months of the school year.
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January-June
Girls’ Water Polo
What can be said of what the Breakers accomplished in the pool? Plenty. They contended for and captured tournament titles and a league title during the regular season, overwhelming opponents along the way, and capped their campaign by repeating as a CIF Southern Section champion.
They were perfect (for the ninth straight year) in Orange Coast League play. During the regular season, they won the “Triple Crown” of girls’ prep water polo tournaments — Newport Harbor/Corona del Mar Holiday Cup, Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions and the Irvine Southern California Championships, in consecutive years.
Then, it was playoff time.
Top-ranked Laguna’s march to a second Division 1 title started with a 24-4 first-round win over Villa Park followed by an 18-5 quarterfinal round win over Los Alamitos. In the semifinals they shot down long-time rival and fourth-seeded Corona del Mar, 12-5. That put them in the division’s championship match against Foothill. They would defeat the second-seeded Knights for the fifth time in the season, their 11-5 triumph at the Woollett Aquatics Center in Irvine allowing them to keep the crown.
The Breakers established a season record for goals scored with 525, and outscored the opposition by an average of 12.8 goals per game (16.9-4.2). They allowed a school-record low of 129 goals in a season.
They went 31-0 overall, and extended their winning streak to 52 which is an Orange County record. That streak also ranks third all-time in CIF-SS, and fifth all-time in the state. Their 31 wins ties the 2009 Laguna team for most (wins) in a season.
Over the last two years, the Breakers have posted an incredible record of 60-1.
They opened the season at No. 1 and left little doubt as to which team deserved that ranking at season’s end.
“We set a goal at the beginning of the year that we wouldn’t lose to Foothill, and the girls kept that goal in mind every time we matched up with them,” Coach Ethan Damato said. “It wasn’t our prettiest game, but championship games rarely are. Like always, my girls showed the fight and heart of champions and would not be denied. I couldn’t be more proud of them.
“This group was so mentally tough and got up for every big game we had this year. “They were hands down the most competitive group I have ever coached. Even when we were winning they wanted to be better as individuals, they wanted to be better as a team. That’s what made this so special, we stayed hungry all year and never got caught up the hype.”
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Girls’ Soccer
The Breakers had another big season, one that led them to a quarterfinal-round appearance in the CIF-SS playoffs.
Laguna finished one point behind co-champs Estancia and Calvary Chapel in the Orange Coast League standings, and took a six-match unbeaten streak and No. 9 ranking into the Division 5 playoffs. The Breakers started the postseason blanking both Segerstrom (3-0) and No. 2-seeded Hemet (2-0), to reach the quarterfinals. Their season ended there in 3-1 loss to No. 3-seeded Chatsworth Sierra Canyon which went on to win the division title.
Coach Bill Rolfing called the win over Hemet a “landmark match” for his team.
The Breakers, making only the second playoff quarterfinal round appearance for the program, completed an 11-7-5 season.
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Boys’ Soccer
The Breakers were one victory shy of reaching the quarterfinal round of the CIF-SS Division 4 playoffs.
After finishing runner-up to the Orange Coast League title, the Breakers went on the road for their playoff opener and returned with a 1-0 win over La Mirada. It sent the Breakers on to a second-round home match with top-seeded Newhall Hart. The Breakers battled the Indians on even terms through regulation, but Hart came away with a 3-1 victory decided on penalty kicks.
The season marked the fourth consecutive year that the program has reached postseason play, and the Breakers turned in an 10-8-4 season.
“I’m unbelievably proud of the boys for what they have achieved this entire season,” Laguna Coach Dan Richards said.
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Softball
The Breakers played hard but found the going tough in 2015, finishing with a winless campaign.
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Girls’ Sand Volleyball
The Breakers, coached by Raul Papaleo, contended for the title of the South Coast Division in the AAU Interscholastic Beach Volleyball League and advanced to the playoffs. They defeated Newport Beach (3-0) in the first round, but were eliminated in Round 2 by Santa Margarita.
In the league’s Pairs Championships at Dockweiler State Beach in Playa del Rey, Laguna’s top-seeded team of juniors Cammie Dorn and Katelyn Carballo finished runner-up to the tourney title.
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Boys’ Golf
In a year when it won an Orange Coast League championship, the Breakers played in the CIF Southern Section Southern Division Team championship tournament at Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley in May.
The Breakers shot a team score of 397 and finished tied for ninth place among 18 teams. Posting scores for the Breakers were John Grayden (72), Drake Dvorak (76), Max Brown (79), Kyle Sharp (84), Ben Sharp (86), and Will Uzelac (91).
Grayden advanced to the first round of the CIF Individuals tournament at Skylinks Golf Course in Long Beach. He shot 74 and missed making the cut (73) to the next round by a single stroke.
The Breakers went undefeated (9-0) in winning the OCL title for the first time since 2010. They also turned in strong performances last month at the OCL tournament at Skylinks. Grayden finished runner-up to the individual league title. Dvorak placed seventh, Brown ninth, Kyle Sharp 11th, Ben Sharp 12th, and Uzelac was 14th.
They ended the regular season 12-3.
“The guys played great as a team and this is one of our best finishes since I have been the coach,” Scott Finn said. “I’m really proud of how our guys battled throughout the season to compete and give their best effort. The season is a big commitment and our guys made it a priority which shows in the success they had.”
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Surfing
The Breakers competed in May at the Scholastic Surf Series High School State Championships at San Onofre State Beach, taking on San Dieguito, San Clemente and Carlsbad in the team competition.
The Breakers, coached by Scott Finn and Alisa Cairns, also competed at the Individual competition of the championships. Spencer Davis reached the finals and finished in sixth place in the Coed Bodyboard division. Zach Levine reached the quarterfinals and finished 10th in Boys’ Shortboard.
The Scholastic Surf Series announced its overall team and individual ratings winners for the five-event series. Laguna took first place in the Orange County High School division with top finishes in the Boys’ Shortboard division, Girls’ Shortboard and Longboard divisions, and Coed Bodyboard division.
OCHS event finishes for the Breakers were in Boys’ Shortboard (1. Tobie Grierson, 2. Zach Levine, 3.Jake Levine, 4. Noah North, 6. Dylan Davis; Boys’ Longboard (2. Tobie Grierson, 3. Wesley Eagleton; Girls’ Longboard (1. Anika Pitz, 2. Cayla Henderson; Girls’ Shortboard (1. Anika Pitz, 5. Cayla Henderson), and Bodyboard (1. Spencer Davis).
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Baseball
Another Orange Coast League championship, another trip to the CIF-SS playoffs. Both have become the norm for the baseball Breakers.
The Breakers got their season off to a slow start, winning once in their first five games. They found their legs during spring break tournament action. From there, they went on to win their remaining nine league games to take their final league record to 14-0 (league Game 15 was rained out). Those 14 wins sent their league winning streak to 48 which establishes a new Orange County record for consecutive league victories.
The Breakers have won three-straight OCL titles and haven’t dropped a league game since late in the 2012 season.
“Forty-eight league wins in a row has not been easy, but has been done with a business-like approach to each game with the mentality to beat the game, not the opponent,” Coach Mike Bair said.
The Breakers, ranked seventh entering postseason play, won a first-round Division 4 playoff game from Colton by pummeling the Yellowjackets, 20-0. They then hit the road to Apple Valley for a second-round game where their season ended after a 14-7 loss to Granite Hills.
The loss stopped a 10-game winning streak by the Breakers who ended the year 20-7.
“This team was relentless and never gave up,” Bair said. “We fell short of our goal to play in the CIF championship, but I know each player did everything they could to accomplish that goal and for that reason, they can be proud of themselves.”
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Track and Field
The Laguna varsity girls’ team won the Orange Coast League championship and the varsity boys’ team took the runner-up spot at the league finals meet May 7 at Laguna.
Laguna varsity teams and athletes who won a league title at the finals meet were: girls’ 4x100 meter relay team; Girls’ 1,600 Meter Run (Pearl Shoemaker); Girls’ 100 Meter Hurdles (Carmen Nichols); Boys’ 110 Hurdles (Charles Warner); Girls’ 400 Meter Dash (Coco Putnam); Boys’ 400 Meter Dash (Cale Airey); Boys’ 100 Meter Dash (Callan Cochran); Girls’ 800 Meter Run (Janie Crawford); Girls’ 300 Meter Hurdles (Coco Putnam); Boys’ 300 Meter Hurdles (Andrew Humphries); Girls’ 3,200 Meter Run (Pearl Shoemaker); Girls’ 4x400 Meter Relay; Boys’ 4x400 Meter Relay; Boys’ High Jump (Charles Warner); Girls’ Shot Put (Jackie Cenan); Girls’ Discus Throw (Jackie Cenan).
The Breakers next competed at the CIF-SS Track and Field Division 4 preliminary meet at Carpinteria High. Then, it was on to the CIF-SS Track and Field Championships at Cerritos College in Norwalk. The Laguna girls finished in fifth-place in the Division 4 team standings. Placements for the Laguna girls were: Grace LaMontagne (1,600 Meter Run, fifth); Pearl Shoemaker (1,600 Meter Run, eighth); Coco Putnam (400 Meter Dash, fifth); Janie Crawford (800 Meter Run, eighth); Grace LaMontagne (800 Meter Run, ninth); Coco Putnam (300 Meter Hurdles, second); 4 x 400 Meter Relay (Janie Crawford, Coco Putnam, Regan Caraher, Amy Hewlett, fourth); Jackie Cenan (Shot Put, fourth; discus, eighth); Kendall House (Shot Put, seventh).
For the Laguna boys, who finished 41st in their team standings, Callan Cochran was seventh in the 100-meter run.
“I thought the girls were outstanding all season, and topped it off with another great performance at CIF finals,” Coach Steve Lalim said. “These girls worked incredibly hard all season, it’s nice to see the hard work pay off. I’m very proud of the girls.”
Coco Putnam qualified for the CIF Masters Meet at Cerritos College in the 300-meter hurdles where she finished in seventh place.
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Boys’ Tennis
The Breakers spent much of the 2015 season ranked atop the CIF-SS Division 4 rankings. They came up just shy of finishing the season there.
Laguna went undefeated in Orange Coast League match play to win the league title. The Breakers then dominated at the OCL tournament which featured an all-Laguna final in both singles and doubles. Ryan Gee defeated Charles Keller to take the singles title, and Zack Washer/Tristan Krogius defeated Ethan Gee/Hayden Seitz, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), to win the doubles crown. The Laguna team of Jake Robbins/Blake Hawkins took fourth place in doubles.
From there, the Breakers contended for the CIF-SS Division 1 title. They disposed of Segerstrom (17-1) and Quartz Hill (17-1) before defeating Garden Grove (11-7). In the semifinals, they rallied for a 10-8 victory at Rowland to advance to the division final. In the title match in late-May at The Claremont Club, Laguna fell to second-seeded Redlands, 12-6.
The Breakers finished 19-4 overall.
“The team continued to improve all season long, and everyone’s confidence grew, especially during CIF as they beat two strong teams in Garden Grove in the quarterfinals, and Rowland in the semifinals,” Coach Don Davis said.
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Swimming
The program turned in another outstanding regular season, then ended the year with a memorable finish.
After sweeping through Orange Coast League competition during the meet season, the Breakers went after team and individual titles at the OCL meet in May. At league finals, the Breakers set nine, new OCL Championship Meet varsity record times: girls’ 200 free relay (Harper Dix, Kyla Whitelock, Aria Fischer, Kasey Karkoska); girls’ 100 freestyle (Karkoska); girls’ 400 free relay (Dix, Fischer, Sophia Lucas, Karkoska); boys’ 200 medley relay (Erik Juliusson, Cameron Karkoska, Max Morgan, Nolan Del Toro); boys’ 200 free (Juliusson); boys’ 100 butterfly (Juliusson); boys’ 200 free relay (Del Toro, Billy Renner, Jack Dodson, Cade Baldridge); boys’ 100 breaststroke (Karkoska); boys’ 400 free relay (Karkoska, Morgan, Baldridge, Juliusson, new school record).
The OCL meet wasn’t the end to a fantastic season. The campaign closed at the CIF-SS Swimming and Diving Championships (Division 2) at the Riverside Aquatics Complex on the Riverside City College.
The freshman diving duo of Liv Mitchell and Mackenzie Peasley opened for the Breakers and gave their team a great start with Mitchell taking second place and Peasley was 17th in Division 2.
At the Division 2 swimming finals, Laguna captured a CIF-SS team championship for the first time when the boys’ team won the title. In the girls’ Division 2 team competition, Laguna placed 16th among 40 teams.
The Laguna boys’ team at CIF finals, seniors Cade Baldridge, Nolan Del Toro, Jack Dodson and Erik Juliusson, juniors Cameron Karkosa and Max Morgan, and sophomore Billy Renner, established five school records at the CIF meet. New marks were set in the 200 medley relay, 200 free relay, 400 free relay, by Morgan in the 100 breaststroke, and Juliusson in the 200 individual medley. Junior Ben Greenwood was part of the boys’ CIF team and swam the 200 and 500 free events at prelims.
Other key individual performances at finals: Juliusson was second in the 200 IM and third in the 100 backstroke; Morgan was seventh in the 200 IM and third in the breaststroke; Karkoska was fifth in 200 IM and fifth in the 100 breaststroke, and Baldridge was 11th in the 50 freestyle. The boys’ 200 medley relay team was Juliusson, Karkoska, Morgan and Del Toro, which took second at finals. The 200 free relay team of Del Toro, Renner, Dodson and Baldridge, placed seventh. The 400 free relay team of Karkoska, Morgan, Baldridge and Juliusson, capped the team’s exceptional performance by winning the event.
The Laguna girls’ team, juniors Abby Cohn and Mia Salvini, and freshmen Harper Dix, Kasey Karkosa, Sophia Lucas and Kyla Whitelock, performed strongly at the Division 2 prelims. The Breakers made the consolation finals of the 200 medley relay (Dix, Cohn, Karkoska, Whitelock). At finals, the team swam a new best time and finished in 15th place. Karkoska made it to the championship final in two events, placing fifth in the 100 butterfly and fourth in the 100 backstroke.
Last year, the Laguna boys finished in second place, and the girls 12th place in Division 3.
“Moving up to Division 2 definitely made it a greater challenge for our swimmers to qualify for CIF,” said Weber, co-head coach of the Breakers along with Kari Damato. Nathan McConnell and Albie Beeler also are part of the Laguna coaching staff.
“Given the more competitive time standards to qualify, I’m incredibly proud of my swimmers for making time cuts in so many events,” Weber said. “We started the season off not even really considering a CIF Division 2 title, but both the boys and girls swam their hearts out and the girls made it in to finals in a relay and two events, a huge accomplishment for our team and the boys left with a historical win. It was a special day for the Laguna Beach swim team.”
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Boys’ Volleyball
Like several of its spring sports brethren, the volleyball Breakers went undefeated in winning the Orange Coast League title. The Breakers headed into the CIF-SS Division 2 playoffs with a No. 4 ranking, and proceeded on to the division semifinals.
Victories over Santiago Corona (3-0 sweep), Lakewood (four sets) and Aliso Viejo (four sets), put the Breakers in the Final Four. They were denied a shot a return trip to the finals by top-seeded Oak Park which won the semifinal match in four sets. The Eagles went on to win the division title.
The season wasn’t over, though. The Breakers received an invitation to play in the CIF Boys’ Volleyball Southern California Regionals Division III tournament, then went out and won the tourney title. After sweeping both No. 7-seeded Long Beach Rancho Dominguez and No. 3-seeded San Diego Francis Parker, the tourney’s No. 2 seed rallied from a set down and near-defeat in the second set against top-seeded and CIF-SS Division 4 champion Saddleback Valley Christian to defeat the Warriors in four sets at Cerritos College in Norwalk.
The program won its second straight regional title, and fifth in seven years.
“I’m really proud of the boys,” Coach Darren Utterback said. “The challenge was big heading into the regional. I told the guys going in, that we were the underdogs. We played with that mindset.”
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Churchill retires
The end of the 2014-15 school year marked the close of the career as Laguna athletic director for Mike Churchill who retired June 18. He came onto the school campus as AD in 2007. Four years later, he added the title of head coach of the school’s football program which he guided for two seasons.
As athletic director, Laguna Beach teams won 109 Orange Coast League and 10 CIF championships during his tenure. On the football field, the Breakers enjoyed tremendous success under Churchill. In his two seasons (2011, 2012), the Breakers went a combined 21-4-1 (10-3, 11-1-1), won the 2012 Orange Coast League championship, and reached the CIF-SS Southern Division semifinals in two record-setting seasons.
His 2012 team’s 11 victories stands as the program record for a single season.
“These years have been very enjoyable,” he said. “To see the kids grow and be successful is a treat. The success that the school athletic program has grown to is very rewarding. I feel that I will miss the day-to-day interaction with the coaches and athletes.”