Breakers taste success

Mike Sciacca

Now that the 2003-04 school year has officially come to an end, it’s

time to reflect on some of the more prominent feats turned in by

Laguna Beach High teams and individuals.

Several Laguna teams fared well in CIF-Southern Section playoff

action, and several athletes also advanced to compete in Southern

Section play.

Below is a look at some of the key events reported in the

Coastline Pilot

FALL

Making headlines was the school’s boys’ cross country team, which

won its first league championship since 1989.

Dave Brobeck’s squad also advanced to the CIF State Championships

meet for the first time since that same 1989 team, of which Brobeck

was a member, won the school’s only state title.

Not to be outdone, Earl Towner’s girls’ cross country team reached

the CIF State Championships for the first time since 1995.

“The 2003 cross country season was a landmark year for our

program,” Brobeck said. “We established that Laguna is among the

powerhouse programs in the state. The 2003 season will serve as a

springboard toward success year in and year out at the state level.”

In girls’ tennis, sophomores Lorren Butterwick and Katie Ochwat

teamed to win the Pacific Coast League doubles championship.

The pair defeated teammates Jackie Reed and Kellie Ammerman in an

all-Laguna final.

Claire Rietsch, the defending champion, finished runner-up in the

singles final.

Laguna advanced to the semifinal round of the Division I playoffs.

“This is a very big accomplishment to qualify two doubles teams

and a singles player,” Coach Brian Ricker said. “It’s definitely one

of the highlights of the year for our team.”

Longtime prep football Coach Dave Holland retired at the end of

his eighth season at Laguna.

In his final game, Laguna tied Calvary Chapel, 14-14, sending

Holland into retirement with a career record of 127-151-11.

The Breakers finished the season 3-6-1.

“This has probably been one of my most pleasurable seasons in

coaching,” Holland said. “I feel this is the right time to leave.”

WINTER

Laguna’s girls’ basketball program, under the direction of Stacy

Howard, turned in its most successful season in 16 years.

It had been that long since the school qualified for the CIF-SS

playoffs. The Breakers battled host Palos Verdes to the final horn

but fell, 54-52, in a first-round Division IV-AA game.

During the course of the season, the Breakers set seven new team

records for the program.

Mark Hill began his first year as head coach of Laguna’s boys’

basketball program and guided the Breakers into the second-round of

the Division IV-AA playoffs.

There, Laguna fell to Serra, 63-53. One game earlier, the Breakers

had traveled into Los Angeles and came away with a 71-54 first-round victory over Milken.

It was a season, Hill said, that had its “great moments.”

Despite its youth, Laguna advanced to the semifinal round of the

girls’ CIF-SS Division II water polo playoffs, where Rick McKee’s

Breakers fell to Peninsula, 4-3.

It was the second-straight semifinal round appearance for the

school.

Four Breakers, juniors Kat Gordon and Alana Thomson and freshmen

Breanna Duplisea and Jessica McKee, earned All-CIF Division II

honors.

SPRING

The big news in the spring came from the school’s swim and boys’

volleyball programs.

Laguna’ swim program, under head coach Andrew Priest and Rick

McKeelified eight swimmers for the 2004 CIF-Southern Section meet at

Belmont Plaza in Long Beach.

Laguna was represented in the girls’ 4-by-100-meters freestyle

relay by the team of Breanna Duplisea, Jessica McKee, Hayley Simon

and Jackie Reed. The squad established a new school record with a

time of 3:53.78 -- which broke the previous record by nearly four

seconds.

The boys’ 4-by-100-meters free relay team also qualified. Ryan

Fair, Cameron Brinkman, Trevor Frimond and Shawn Pfendler swam to

3:29.11, and just missed the school record by two seconds.

Pfendler was the school’s only individual qualifier and swam a

58.71 in the 100-yard backstroke, which was just shy of his own

school record.

The boys’ volleyball team advanced to the semifinal round of the

CIF-SS Division II playoffs under first-year head coach Lance

Stewart, where they were eliminated from title contention by Santa

Barbara.

During the year, Laguna finished third, overall, at the OC

Volleyball Championships -- the best finish by a Laguna squad since

1998.

Laguna baseball ushered in a new era as Tom Faris took over the

head coaching reins. The Breakers finished fifth in PCL play yet

placed four players on the all-league team.

Laguna named 30-year-old Jimmy Nolan to replace the retired Dave

Holland as its new head football coach.

“I am so excited about landing Jimmy that I wanted to put on some

pads and go out on the practice field, myself,” Laguna Athletic

Director Ron Schwartz said of Nolan’s hiring.

Nolan will field his first Laguna squad in the fall when a new

school year dawns.