Laguna’s Steals Upend Anaheim’s Colonists 49-13

Laguna opened their 15th trip to the Southern Section playoffs with a rousing 49-13 victory over Orange League champion  Anaheim at their home field, Glover Stadium, on Friday, Nov. 18.  The storied Colonists with an enrollment of over 3,300 were once the dominant football squad of Orange County in the 1950s and 60s but changing demographics has downgraded them to ninth in the CIF’s Southern Division 13 playoff groups for football.

Breakers (9-2) held Anaheim (6-5) to five plays in their opening drive before a punt gave Laguna the ball on Anaheim’s 43-yard line. Six plays and it was 7-0 Laguna after a Norton Penny score and the first of seven Robby McInerny kicks.  Anaheim scored on their second possession, driving 80 yards in 10 plays and scoring on a last minute toss as Laguna pressure forced their quarterback to scramble.

It took Laguna about a minute to answer as Larry Stewart hit Drake Martinez for two passes to get within a few yards of the goal line.  Two short rushes later, it was 14-7. Anaheim’s final score came on a nine play mostly ground-based drive that concluded in the second period on a short run. Breakers blocked the PAT making it 14-13.

Penney scored his second TD on a 44-yard run darting through the Colonist secondary with great vision. Breakers then stopped Anaheim with a Martinez interception, the first of five on the evening for Laguna. Two plays later it was 28-13. McInerny picked off the next Anaheim toss but the Breakers couldn’t score as McInerny’s 22 yard field goal attempt was blocked to end the first half.

Anaheim appeared to be ready to get back in the game as they held Laguna to three plays to start the second half, forcing a punt that gave the Colonist great field position.  Eleven plays had them 10 yards from pay dirt but Zach Jaffe picked off a pass into the end zone and returning it to the Laguna three-yard line to end the threat. Martinez picked up 12 yards before Penney took off for a 85-yard run and it was 35-13. Anaheim’s final possession in the third quarter went 54 yards before a Penny theft ended that try just as the fourth period began.

Laguna’s only fourth period possession was a seven minute drive to extend the lead to 42-13. Anaheim then seemed finally ready to score after a 12-play drive had brought them 78 yards to the Laguna two.  Robert Clemons III read the attempted scoring play perfectly, snagging their pass attempt two yards deep in the end zone before racing a record 102-yards down the sideline for the final tally. The running clock on the kickoff ended the contest.

Breakers will try to end a 49-year drought on earning two playoff wins in a row when they host Segerstrom (9-2) on Friday, Nov. 25, 7 p.m. at Guyer Field.  The Jaguars have a similar offense averaging 430 total yards per game and 34.3 points per game. Laguna is averaging 464 yards per game and 47.5 points per game. Common opponents were Godinez and Ocean View. Jaguars beat the Grizzlies 42-21 and the Sea Hawks 52-38. Laguna won 42-35 and 70-40 against the same teams, respectively.

Expect a high scoring offensive game and a very evenly matched contest.

	1st	2nd	3rd	4th
Laguna Beach	14	14	7	14	49
Anaheim	7	6	0	0	13

 

L – Penney 7 run (McInerny kick) 6:51 1^st Q

A – 26 pass (kick) 2:28 1^st Q

L – Penney 3 run (McInerny kick) 1:11 1^st

A – 3 run (kick blocked) 8:32 2^nd

L – Penney 44 run (McInerny kick) 7:04 2^nd Q

L – Martinez 2 run (McInerny kick) 5:14 2^nd Q

L – Penney 85 run (McInerny kick) 2:43 3^rd Q

L – Martinez 3 run (McInerny kick 5:07 4^th Q

L – Clemons 102 Interception return (McInerny kick) 1:03 4^th Q

 

	LB	A
1st Downs	19	26
Rush/Yds	37-443	47-236
Pass Yds	57	140
C-A-I	3-4-0	11-23-5
Plays/TYG	41-500	70-376
Fumbles/Lost	0-0	2-0
Return Yds	117	0
Punts/Ave	1-18	1-12
Penalties/Yds	6-74	5-28

 

Rushing:                  Martinez  17-191, Penney 11-216, Clemons 5-12, Stewart 4-24

Receiving:                   Martinez 2-47, Reigel 1-10

Passing:                   Stewart 4-3-0 57 yards 0 TDs Rating: 194.70

IR:                  Clemons 1-100, Marinez 1-4, McInerny 1-10, Jaffe 1-3, Penney 1-0

PR:                  none

KOR:                  McInerny 1-21, Hunter 1-6

Punting:                  Iannotti 1-18

Kick Offs:                  McInerny 8 KO, 8 Touchback

 

New Records Set:

Game:

Most points playoff game: 49, old record 34 vs. Santa Clara 1962

Most yards rushing, total offense for a playoff game.

Robert Clemons – 102 yard Interception return, old record 96 by Chad Burton vs Brea, 1949 and Phil Trimble vs Brea 1975

 

Season

Drake Martinez – Season Rushing Yards 1.536 11 games, old record Alec Jaffe 1,503 yards, 2009 11 games

 

Milestones:

Norton Penney 2,004 career yards (ranks 4^th) 1,155 season yards (ranks 6^th)

32 career touchdowns (ranks 3^rd ), 25 career rushing touchdowns (ranks 2^nd)

Norton Penney 85 yard rush from scrimmage – tied for 3^rd longest

Norton Penney 216 yards rushed – 12^th most in school history

Team yards rushing, 443, tied for 4^th all-time