Laguna Seizes Seven Titles

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Laguna Seizes Seven Titles

The spring sports league season competition wraps up this week but the titles are already secured with Laguna capturing seven of the nine spring team titles contested. In eight full seasons of Orange Coast League play, the Breakers have captured 91 titles, well ahead of Estancia in second with 26.5 crowns ( co championships counting as half).

Baseball (22-2, 13-0)

Laguna Captures League Title

Breakers defeated Godinez 4-0 on Thursday, May 8, at the Grizzly diamond to clinch their sixth all-time pennant in 76 seasons of play. Grant Wilhelm pitched six scoreless innings to notch his 10th victory of the season, tying the school record set by Chris Paul (10-2) in 2011 and tied by Jackson Rees (10-0) in 2013.

Grant also broke the career win mark with his 21st victory (21-5).

Preston Grand Pre got things going in the first inning with a lead-off double followed by a stolen base and scoring off a throwing error. Breakers added a second run in the next inning as Grand Pre singled home Dante Faicchio to make it 2-0.

Laguna could have added more runs in the game but three base running errors killed rallies. Jack Simon and Dante batted in the other two runs. Steven Harrison continues to impress with his batting recording two hits and two walks in four plate appearances.

Looking ahead: Laguna completed the regular season with a series with Costa Mesa this past week – @ Laguna on May 13, and at Costa Mesa on May 15. Playoffs: Pairings will be released on Monday, May 19 at www.cifss.org and the first playoff game will be at Laguna on Thursday May 22.

Statistical Leaders through May 8 (24 games)

Batting Average:                         .474         Grant Wilhelm, .466 Richie Nunis, .409 Preston Grand Pre

Hits:                                              41          Richie Nunis, 36 – Grant Wilhelm, Preston Grand Pre

Runs Scored:                              32          Preston Grand Pre

RBI’s :                                           31          Richie Nunis

Doubles :                                                         13          Grant Wilhelm

Triples                                             2           Grant Wilhelm, Dante Faicchio

Home Runs:                                   4           Steven Harrison

Walks (BB)                                     20         Steven Harrison

Hit-by-Pitch                                   10         Steven Harrison

Slugging %                                   .736          Grant Wilhelm

On Base %                                   .556          Steven Harrison

Stolen Bases                                  29          Preston Grand Pre (ties season record)

Pitching Wins:                            10          Grant Wilhelm

Innings Pitched                             56          Gant Wilhelm

Strikeouts                                       60          Grant Wilhelm

Earned Run Ave:                         0.95          Will McInerny, 1.00 Grant Wilhelm

Team ERA                                     1.71

Team Batting Average:               .384          (12 of 14 players hitting above .300)

 

Updated detailed individual baseball statistics are posted on the MaxPreps web-site:

http://www.maxpreps.com/high-schools/laguna-beach-breakers-(laguna-beach,ca)/baseball/home.htm

SSCIF D-4 Rankings for May 12: 1 – Kaiser, 2 – Sonora, 3 – San Dimas, 4 – Oaks Christian, 5 – Torrance, 6 – South Torrance, 7 – Laguna Beach, 8 – California, 9 – La Sierra, 10 – Alhambra, others: Don Lugo, Victor Valley, Granite Hills.

Boys Golf (5-11, 4-5 Third Place)

Details on the Orange Coast League individual championships were received after the print deadline last week. The two-day round was played at Sky Links Golf Course in Long Beach on May 5/6 and as reported last week, Calvary’s top player won the event with a two-day score of 150. Laguna’s John Grayden finshed second at 157 to earn first team All-Orange Coast League honors. The other four first-team spots went to Estancia. Breakers’s Tyler Metez (162) and Max Brown (164) earned second team all-league honors.

Girls Sand Volleyball (7-4, 5-1)

The playoffs began Wednesday, May 7, with Notre Dame Academy defeating Laguna Beach, 2-1, played at Dockweiler Beach in Los Angeles. The Laguna lineup was missing a few players due to indoor volleyball commitments. Mira Costa won the team title defeating Valencia/Valencia in the finals. Mater Dei and Huntington Beach tied for third.

The details:

Team #1. Briana Boyd/Aspen Rocha (LBHS) def. Jen Jones/Savannah Kron (NDA), 21-18, 21-19
Team #2. Nataly Aguilar/Catherine Feathers (NDA) def. Claire Hockaday/Olivia Hockaday (LBHS), 19-21, 21-12, 15-8 3.

Team #3 Shannon Levinson/Julia Madsen (NDA) def. Kendyl Brennan/Lauren LaMontagne (LBHS), 21-15, 21-1

 

For more: http://www.ibvl.org/.

 

Softball (5-18, 3-5)

League champion Calvary Chapel defeated Laguna 8-2 on Thursday, May 8, at the Thurston field. Breakers season concludes this week on May 13 with Godinez and May 15 at Costa Mesa.

 

Swimming (Boys 5-0 League, Girls 5-0 League)

Erik Juliusson swam a 1:45.45 to set an Orange Coast League finals record in the 200 freestyle at Costa Mesa High, Thursday, May 8.
Erik Juliusson swam a 1:45.45 to set an Orange Coast League finals record in the 200 freestyle at Costa Mesa High, Thursday, May 8.

Laguna swimmers captured the Orange Coast League championships as the boys won their sixth straight title and the girls their seventh straight crown on Thursday, May 8, at Costa Mesa.

Laguna Boys Champions: (MR = Meet Record). Laguna boys won all three relays (names not provided) and five of eight individual events.

200 Medley Relay – 1:41.12;

200 Free – Erik Juliusson 1:45.45 (MR),

100 Fly – Erik Juliusson 51.74 (MR)

100 Free – Cameron Karkoska 47.93

500 Free – Benjamin Greenwood 5:05.34

200 Free Relay – 1:32.64

100 Breast – Cameron Karkoska 1:00.72 (MR)

400 Free Relay – 3:15.17 (MR)

Team scores: Laguna 470, Calvary 227, Costa Mesa 183, Godinez 172, Saddleback 119, Estancia 84

Laguna Girls Champions: (MR = Meet Record). Laguna girls won all three relays (names not provided) and seven of eight individual events just missing out on the 100 backstroke.

Coco Putnam blows the field away in the 300 hurdles on her home track at Orange Coast league finals, Thursday, May 8.
Coco Putnam blows the field away in the 300 hurdles on her home track at Orange Coast league finals, Thursday, May 8.

200 Medley Relay – 1:58.07

200 Free – Aria Fischer 2:02.58

200 IM – Olivia Vera 2:17.10

50 Free – Cora Borkovec 24.58

100 Fly – Natalie Selin 1:04.12

100 Free – Cora Borkovec 53.3 (MR)

500 Free – Aria Fischer 5:27.44

200 Free Relay – 1:44.79

100 Breast – Abby Cohn 1:11.20

400 Free Relay – 3:51.79

:  Coco Putnam coasts to an easy win in the 400 on her home track at Orange Coast league finals, Thursday, May 8.
: Coco Putnam coasts to an easy win in the 400 on her home track at Orange Coast league finals, Thursday, May 8.

Team scores: Laguna 478, Estancia 201, Calvary 172, Godinez 134, Saddleback 128, Costa Mesa 121.

The Southers Section CIF D-3 finals are Thursday, May 15, at Riverside Aquatics Complex. Last year the girls were second and the boys third at the championships.

Kailar Pike clears 6’2” to win the high jump at Orange Coast league finals, Thursday, May 8.
Kailar Pike clears 6’2” to win the high jump at Orange Coast league finals, Thursday, May 8.

Boys Tennis (11-6, 8-0)

Ryan Gee defeated teammate Adrien Azera 7-5, 6-0 to capture the eighth annual Orange Coast League singles championship held last week at the Costa Mesa Tennis Center. Zack Washer took third defeating Estancia’s top player, Charlie Griffen 6-2, 6-4. In doubles, Breakers regained the title from Estancia as Alex Duong and Ethan Gee beat Laguna’s No. 2 team of Tim Nguyen and Sterling Dudley-Brown 6-4, 6-2.

The team playoff pairings were released on Monday with Laguna’s big playoff test coming in the second round on Friday, May 16, with Garden Grove the most likely opponent. This is the 42nd time Laguna had advanced to the playoffs with a 79-38 all-time playoff record. Breakers were last in the finals in 2011 and the last title was in 1982 

Track (Boys 5-0, Girls 5-0)

League finals were held at Laguna on Thursday, May 8, with the Laguna boys earning their sixth OCL title and the program’s 18th in 80 seasons. The girls also won their fifth all-time crown. Competition was in 13 individual events and two relays.

Laguna Boys Champions:

110M Hurdles – Charles Warner 16.47

400M – Nathan Lancaster 50.23

Long Jump – Mike Santana 20-03

Triple Jump – Mike Santana 43-09

High Jump – Kailar Pike 6-02

Boys Scores: Laguna 142, Godinez 118, Costa Mesa 104, Saddleback 20, Estancia 20, Calvary 11

Laguna Girls Champions:

1600M – Pearl Shoemaker 5:22.18

400M – Coco Putnam 1:00.48

800M – Janie Crawford 2:17.82

300M Hurdles = Coco Putnam 47.00

3200M – Brenna Merchant 11:47.02

4 x 400M – Crawford, Putnam, Natlie Kimball, Brielle Budroe 4:16.05

Triple Jump – Paige Vitolo 33-02

Shot Put – Jackie Cenan 36-01

Girls Scores: Laguna 208, Godinez 88, Saddleback 54, Estancia 48, Costa Mesa 36, Calvary 20

The CIF preliminaries for Division 4 are at Carpinteria High School on Saturday, May 17, with the finals at Cerritos College on Saturday, May 24.

 

Boys Volleyball (20-3, 10-0)

Noah Blanton goes up for one of his 15 kills in a 3-1 win at home on senior night Wednesday, May 7, against second-ranked Esperanza
Noah Blanton goes up for one of his 15 kills in a 3-1 win at home on senior night Wednesday, May 7, against second-ranked Esperanza

Laguna Seeded 2nd in CIF D-II Playoffs – Surprises Esperanza

Laguna entered the 41st SS CIF playoffs seeded second in the D-II playoffs. Breakers have been seeded in the top two spots five of the past six seasons, with two trips to the finals (2010, ‘11) and one title. Overall, the Breakers have advanced to at least the quarterfinals in 33 years of the past 40. If the seedings prevail, Laguna boys will spend their prom night with a match against Dos Pueblos or Lakewood this Saturday, May 17. Semifinals is Wednesday, May 21, with El Segundo or Oak Park the likely opponent. Finals are set for May 24 at Cerritos College.

Last week Laguna surprised defending champion Esperanza and their star player, UCLA-bound Jake Arnitz, with a 20-25, 25-20, 25-20, 25-17 win on Wednesday, May 7, before a spirited crowd at Dugger Gym.

Key to the final regular season match win was Laguna’s middle attack with Noah Blanton collecting 15 kills and Tyler Alter adding nine. Jack Wyett, JP Wollam, and Jake Hexberg provided the serve receive passing duties while JP also had 15 digs.

Breakers were up 17-13 in set one but lost control when the Aztecs were able to score six straight points. In set two, Esperanza led 7-6 before sharp serving by Jack Wyett sparked the Breakers to the set victory. Esperanza tied set three at 18, but Laguna won when the Aztecs were called in the net on a Jake Hexberg attack.

Esperanza missed 11 serves between set two and three while Laguna servers had only three miscues.

 

In the final set, Noah Blanton recorded a solo block for the first point and Laguna led wire to wire for the victory as the home crowd added to the pressure on Esperanza’s team. Last year the Aztecs edged Laguna in five sets at their rowdy gym and the Breakers were pleased to return the favor. Jack Wyett led all Laguna players with 16 kills, Alec Wulff added 40 assists with JP Wollam the top server. Veteran officials Kim Pickering and Eunetta Pickett were the referee and umpire for the match.

Laguna’s lower level teams concluded their seasons with easy sweeps of the Aztecs. The JV finished 31-2-1 with only four set losses out of 61 contested. Frosh-soph was 15-5-1 and 35-12 in their sets for the season.

 

SSCIF D-2 FINAL Rankings for 2014: 1 – San Marcos, 2 – Laguna Beach, 3 – El Segundo, 4 – Esperanza, 5 – South Torrance, 6 – Oak Park, 7 – Santa Barbara, 8 – Burroughs/Burbank, 9 – Dos Pueblos, 10 – Long Beach Poly.

 

On Friday, May 9, the alumni won the 31st Annual Alumni match with a 19-25, 23-25, 25-14, 25-18, 15-11 win over the Varsity. Down the stretch, the Alumni were led by Robbie McKnight, Travis Woloson (UCI), Scottie Chapel (Concordia), Xander Olson, Jason Kimball and Seth Morris to give the Varsity a stiff test. Bill Christensen, ’73, served as the referee.

 

Laguna Alumni Report:

Annika Dries, of the LBHS class of ’09, scored three goals to lead Stanford to their third NCAA Women’s Water Polo title in four seasons on Tuesday. Besides Dries, the team includes Lexi Ross and Melena Masson, also LBHS alums.

Keaton Jones ’11 has appeared in every TCU baseball game since arriving at the Fort Worth school in 2011. He has been the starting shortstop in 168 games and the Horned Frogs are currently 36-14 good for second place in the Big 12.

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