Breakers Reach Semis for First Time Since 1962 With 51-40 Victory

Any pounds put on from eating Thanksgiving dinners burned off quickly during Friday's football game-turned-track meet between Laguna Beach and third-seeded Segerstrom.

In the end, the Breakers sprinted up and down the field a few more times than the Jaguars and came away with a 51-40 victory in the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Southern Division playoffs.

Laguna Beach (10-2) advances to meet second-seeded , in the semifinals on Friday night.

It's the first time since 1962 that Laguna Beach has made it past the second round of the playoffs and only the third time in school history.

“You know, 1962 was back when I was playing high school football,” Breakers coach Mike Churchill said. “We have a really special group of kids this year.”

One of those special young athletes is junior running back Drake Martinez, who put up more than 200 yards rushing along with three touchdowns.

With the Breakers leading, 44-40, with three minutes remaining and Segerstrom possessing all three timeouts, they planned to run out the clock on what Churchill hoped would be either teams' final possession of the game.

He called four straight running plays for Martinez. The first went for a first down. The second gained six yards and the third gained two. On third down, Martinez broke away for a 30-yard touchdown run that put the game out of reach.

“Of course I want the ball at the end of games,” Martinez said. 

Churchill added, “It’s never a bad play call giving it to Martinez at the end of the game. He ran hard tonight and the offensive line did a great job getting out in front.”

Laguna Beach quarterback Larry Stewart also showed great athleticism, throwing play action passes for three touchdowns. The junior displayed elusiveness in the pocket and a strong arm to match.

In a battle between two strong running teams, Stewart's passing may have been the difference. 

Laguna Beach got off to what might be considered a perfect start. On the opening kickoff, senior running back Norton Penney faked a reverse and returned the kick 95 yards for a touchdown. The defense then forced a fumble, which was recovered by junior defensive lineman Blake Hester. A couple of plays later, on the first pass attempt of the game, Stewart found junior wide receiver Robert Clemons in the end zone for a 31-yard touchdown.

Just like that, the Breakers led 14-0.

But Segerstrom (9-3), the first-place team from the Golden West League, stuck with the game plan that got it into the playoffs: running the football. 

The Jaguars ran between the tackles, ran it out wide, and used receivers to run reverses. Their attack was led by juniors Sonny Roa, David Perkins and Joseph Gomez. 

Perkins was the first to break through for Segerstrom with a 10-yard touchdown followed by a 55-yard touchdown run on the next possession.

But as the first quarter ended, Stewart connected with senior receiver Derek Reigel for a 30-yard touchdown. The play-action pass was set up by the solid running attack the Breakers maintained throughout the game.

Martinez scored on a run of 25 yards in the second quarter for his 25th rushing touchdown of the season. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound halfback overpowered Segerstrom's defenders, breaking tackles and displaying impressive bursts of speed down the sidelines.

At halftime, the teams headed into their locker rooms with the score tied, 27-27.

The offensive fireworks slowed down in the third quarter. 

Junior defensive back Robbie McInerny intercepted a rare Segerstrom pass to begin the second half. Then he booted a 41-yard field goal with 1:42 left in the quarter to give Laguna Beach a 30-27 lead. 

McInerny also kicked six extra points, giving him 74 on the season, a Laguna Beach single-season record.

The fourth quarter included another touchdown pass from Stewart to Reigel, who out-jumped his defender and ran into the end zone for a 37-27 lead.

Two more touchdowns by Martinez and a last-ditch, but unsuccessful, effort by Segerstrom put the final score at 51-40.

“This was the kind of game where we couldn’t hold anything back,” Churchill said. “I had to bring out the whole playbook for this one.”

In the first round, Laguna Beach easily handled Anaheim, 49-13, at Glover Stadium, while Segerstrom (9-2) beat defending champion Garden Grove, 28-21.