High School Roundup: Breakers overpower King in first test
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The first of three challenges from ranked opponents awaiting the Laguna Beach girls’ water polo ended favorably Tuesday for the top-ranked team in CIF Southern Section Division 1.
Laguna pulled out a one-sided victory in its own pool, cruising to a 21-2 win over Riverside Martin Luther King, which was ranked fifth in CIF-SS Division 3 at the time of the game. The Breakers (3-0) broke from a tight first quarter — which ended in a 3-1 advantage over the Wolves, by scoring six goals in each of the final three quarters.
They shut out King in both the second and fourth quarters, and were up, 9-1, at halftime.
Laguna Coach Ethan Damato was impressed with his team’s effort on defense.
“Another really good defensive performance for us, only giving up two goals all game, only getting ejected four times, and only allowing one goal on our 5-on-6,” he said. “We forced a lot of turnovers and played really tough, pressure defense. Overall, it was a good day. “
Through their first three games of the season, the Breakers have outscored the opposition, 59-13.
With King now in the book, the Breakers’ focus turns to Orange Lutheran, their next opponent. They’ll battle the Lancers in an 11 a.m. nonleague game Saturday at Santa Margarita High. Next week, the Breakers host rival Newport Harbor in a 4 p.m. nonleague game Tuesday at Laguna.
Orange Lutheran is ranked seventh in Division 1. Newport Harbor is the division’s third-ranked team.
Laguna defeated Newport Harbor in last year’s CIF-SS Division 1 championship game.
“Looking forward to seeing how we react to the next two games coming up,” Damato said. “Orange Lutheran and Newport are two very different teams stylistically, both presenting different challenges in each game. Both are highly ranked D-1 teams, so these are big games. We will prep for each one like it’s a big game and see how we match up.”
Boys’ Soccer
The Breakers got their first win of the 2014-15 season on Dec. 12 by shutting down visiting Tesoro, 2-0, at Guyer Field.
Senior forward Willy Wheeler and sophomore midfielder Bruce Knill scored goals, and junior midfielder Edward Willette had an assist for the Breakers. Wheeler’s goal came on a follow shot off a rebound from a shot by Tobie (Grierson). Knill’s score came on a perfectly-placed through ball by Willette.
“This was a great team display and a big step in the right direction for the lads,” Laguna Coach Dan Richards said. “We were much more organized defensively and managed to create good chances on the counter with all the players contributing to the performance.”
In another nonleague game Monday, Laguna, without the services of several starters, was shut out at Aliso Niguel, 2-0. The loss put the Breakers at 1-3-1.
“We always knew this game was going to be tough, having so many starters out,” Richards said. “Aliso sticks to their game plan and played a very direct game which the boys struggled to deal with a little early on.
“With so many of our more experienced and physical players out, the game highlighted our naivete and youth a bit. There were definitely some positives to take from the game, though, and moments where we linked up well going forward.”
The Breakers took on Beckman in a nonleague game Wednesday. The score wasn’t available at press time. They will host Garden Grove Santiago in a 4:45 p.m. nonleague game Friday at Guyer Field.
Girls’ Soccer
The Laguna varsity, junior varsity and frosh/soph teams turned in their best overall performance at the 32nd annual Ocean View Winter Classic. Combined, the teams posted a tournament record of 6-2-3.
The tournament, which encompassed two weekends, concluded Monday.
The Laguna varsity, coached by Bill Rolfing, played Tustin and La Mirada to scoreless draws. On Saturday at Tustin High, the Breakers and Brea Olinda were scoreless at halftime but the Wildcats scored twice in the second half to claim a 2-0 victory.
The Breakers hosted Ocean View in a nonleague match Thursday. The score wasn’t available at press time.
Surfing
Jake Levine and Mike Chapman earned victories for the Breakers in their competition on Dec. 10 against San Clemente at Thalia Street in Laguna Beach.
In boys’ shortboard, Levine, a freshman, dominated to win his heat. Chapman, a senior, used nice rides to also win his heats. He was followed up in second by Dante Madrigal, and Andrew Kimball who was fourth, in the heat.
Other top finishers in boys’ shortboard were Willy Hogan and Zach Levine both with third-place heat finishes, and Jeremy Shutts with a fourth-place heat placing. In boys’ bodyboard, freshmen Hunter Johnson and Spencer Davis placed third and fourth, respectively.
In girls’ longboard, senior Kira Hamilton gave a strong performance and took second in her heat. In girls’ shortboard, Paige Vitolo placed fourth.
CIF Weekly Rankings
Girls’ Water Polo: Laguna Beach (No. 1, Division 1).
Twitter: @MikeSciacca