Sea Kings surf past Breakers
Richard Dunn
Primarily a running team with senior tailback Mark Cianciulli,
Corona del Mar High believed it was necessary to tinker with the
offensive blueprint against host Laguna Beach Friday night.
On the first play from scrimmage, CdM senior quarterback Jonathan
Hubbard connected with sophomore wide receiver Kevin Welch, who
slipped undetected behind the defense, on a 70-yard bomb for the
first strike as the Sea Kings scored two touchdowns in the opening 43
seconds and four touchdowns in the first quarter, before defeating
the Breakers during their homecoming, 33-16, in Pacific Coast League
action.
The Sea Kings (4-3, 2-0 in the PCL), ranked No. 6 in CIF Southern
Section Division IX, built a 26-0 lead before first quarter’s end,
then entertained a degree of suspense in the second half as Laguna
Beach (4-3, 0-2) came back.
“The way things were looking, it’s a good thing we did (score four
touchdowns in the first quarter),” CdM Coach Dick Freeman said.
“After those first three touchdowns, we played pretty even. It would
have been nice to see some killer instinct, but we didn’t come out
very aggressive in the second half.”
After Welch surprised the Laguna Beach defense with a deep pass
and subsequent run to paydirt, Laguna Beach tried a flea-flicker on
its first play from scrimmage and the pass fell incomplete. On the
Breakers’ second play, they fumbled after a completed pass and CdM’s
Mordy Ornguze scooped up the loose ball, before sprinting 20 yards
for a touchdown with 11:17 on the clock.
After CdM’s defense stopped the Breakers in their second series,
keyed by junior defensive end Brian Dunn’s quarterback sack for
minus-4 yards, the Sea Kings’ offense was on the move again, after
great field position at the Laguna Beach 38. This time, Cianciulli
carried six straight times, including gains of 14 and 12 yards, before reaching the end zone on a 3-yard run. David Del Fante added
the PAT and the Sea Kings enjoyed a 19-9 edge with 6:06 left in the
first quarter.
“We jumped on them early, and that was good because it took (the
Breakers) out of their running game (with senior running back Donelle
Darling),” Freeman said. “It’s tough when you’re down 13-0. We could
just sit back and run the football.”
After Hubbard’s bomb to Welch, the Sea Kings attempted only two
more passes in the first half, as Cianciulli carried most of the
offensive weight behind the CdM line.
By halftime, Cianciulli had 129 rushing yards and three
touchdowns, finishing with 174 yards on 30 carries to move into
second place on the Sea Kings’ career rushing list with 2,296 yards.
Cianciulli passed Tom O’Meara in the first half. J. R. Walz (3,189
yards) is the school’s all-time leader.
Late in the first quarter, CdM started a series from its own 34
and moved the chains behind Cianciulli, who capped a six-play drive
with a 7-yard touchdown run with 1:15 remaining in the opening
quarter. The score was set up by Cianciulli’s 41-yard run to the
Laguna Beach 7, in which a cutback at the 30 proved vital, before the
Breakers could wrap him up.
Laguna Beach got on the scoreboard in the second quarter as it
drove from its own 49 and used a lot of the clock (4:47), before
Darling crowned the series with a 1-yard touchdown burst.
Leading 26-7, Corona del Mar wasn’t finished on offense. The Sea
Kings, starting from their own 33, used 10 plays in 5:25 to score
again, this time on a 5-yard run by Cianciulli. Earlier in the drive,
Hubbard picked up 23 yards on a naked bootleg to the Breakers’ 25,
before Cianciulli carried the ball on the final five snaps.
Laguna Beach, coached by former CdM Coach Dave Holland, scored on
its opening drive of the second half with Darling’s 12-yard touchdown
run the clincher with 8:12 left in the third quarter.
After CdM was shut down on its first series, a high punt snap from
the CdM 24 landed in the end zone, where CdM punter Welch recovered
to give Laguna Beach a safety. It cut CdM’s lead to 33-16 with 5:59
left in the third and would prove to be the game’s final score.
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