Breakers Get Broken by Estancia, 35-14, in Orange Coast League Opener

It’s always a good sign for a football team to be undefeated by the time your homecoming game comes along in midseason, and for Laguna Beach, that hadn't happened since 1968. Until Friday night, that is.

Unfortunately for the Breakers, they weren’t able to keep their winning streak alive, falling for the first time this season, 35-14, to Estancia in an Orange Coast League opener at Laguna Beach High.

It marked the 23rd game since 1968 between the two schools, and Estancia's victory not only gave the Eagles a 12-11 series edge, but also the lead in the race for the league title. Estancia (4-2 overall, 1-0 in league) came into the game ranked No. 6 in the CIF Southern Section's Southern Division coaches' poll, while Laguna Beach (5-1, 0-1) was No. 5.

Estancia junior running back Robert Murtha scored his third touchdown of the game on a two-yard run in the fourth quarter for the game's final score. Murtha's first touchdown came on the Eagles' first possession of the game, when he carried the ball into the end zone on fourth and goal from the two yard line with 6:59 left in the first quarter.

The Breakers bounced back with an 80-yard drive, culminated by senior tight end Travis Clawson's hauling in of a Larry Stewart pass from 38 yards. Seven different Laguna Beach players touched the ball on their first offensive series, and they looked to be running all cylinders.

But the relentless pounding of Estancia's running game proved too much to handle for an undersized Laguna Beach team. The ground assault was led by Murtha, who carried the ball 45 times for 290 yards. He averaged 6.44 yards per carry, and his longest run of the night was 21 yards.

“Our game plan coming in to tonight was to have our kids gain 150 pounds each this week, but it didn’t work,” Laguna Beach coach Mike Churchill said.

After a 65-yard Laguna Beach drive that was capped by a 22-yard touchdown trot by junior running back Drake Martinez with 3:40 left in the second quarter, the Breakers were down by only 7 points at 21-14. They forced an Eagles punt at midfield for their first defensive stop of the night. 

Estancia elected to try a fake punt, which failed, and the Breakers took over at midfield with just under two minutes left in the second quarter. They marched the ball all the way to the Estancia two-yard line line but were unable to punch the ball in as time expired. That would be their last serious threat at scoring in the game.

It was all Estancia in the second half as the Breakers couldn’t get their offense rolling. Laguna Beach mustered only 24 rushing yards in the second half. 

“We got beat by a really good football team tonight, there is no doubt about it," Churchill said."They were just rolling on us, and that’s how it was.”

Stewart, a junior and son of Laguna Beach volleyball coach Lance Stewart, was 10 of 28 for 150 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions. His favorite target was sophomore Andres De La Rosa, who caught four passes for 58 yards.  Martinez led the Breakers' ballcarriers with 79 yards and a touchdown in 13 carries.

Laguna Beach continues league play next Thursday with a game against Calvary Chapel of Santa Ana at Estancia High.