Tartans Roll Past Laguna 48-7

September 28, 2017

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Football (1-4)

Jack Strickland turns up field on an end run in the first half, when Laguna trailed by 41 to 7. Photos by doug Landrum.

St Margaret’s used a big second quarter and a couple of Laguna miscues to spoil a home game Friday, Sept. 22, at Guyer Field. The fourth-ranked Division 7 school stifled the Breakers on Laguna’s opening possession, forcing a Laguna punt from their own seven yard line. The Tartans then scored on a seven-play drive to take the initial lead. Breakers found the same issues on their second possession and made no offensive progress. After the punt, it took the Tartans one play to make it 14-0.

Breakers then showed some life. They moved the ball to midfield and then stopped the Tartans on four plays before Adam Armstrong blocked the visitor’s punt, which gave the Breakers the ball on St Margaret’s 21 yard line. Laguna drove to the 2 but ended up turning the ball over on downs. The Tartans then engineered a six-play, 98-yard drive to take a 21-0 lead early in the second period. The Tartans added insult by recovering an on-side kick to score in three plays making it 27-0 after a missed extra point kick. The following Laguna possession again went backwards and the ensuing punt from the Laguna end zone was returned 45 yards for the Tartan’s fifth touchdown.

The lone Laguna score came after a St Margaret’s fumble was recovered on the visitor’s 31 yard line and Laguna scored in three plays. Curtis Harrison found Sean Nolan for Sean’s seventh TD catch of the season and Harrison’s 34^th of his Laguna career, now ranking third on the all-time list. Nolan picked off a St Margaret’s pass on their next possession, but the Breakers returned the pick by fiving up a 36 yard interception return in the closing seconds of the first half.

The points given up in the second quarter and the first half all made the Breaker’s 83-year history top 10 for frustration.

Laguna will be off this weekend and open league play on Friday, Oct. 6, with league favorite Godinez at 7 p.m. at the new stadium at Santa Ana Valley HS. You can listen to the contest live at www.kx935.com.