La Habra holds off CdM in overtime

Chris Yemma

In a game in which the Corona del Mar High football team dominated

the line of scrimmage on offense and defense, dominated in rushing

and net yardage, the Sea Kings came up short in the category that

matters most -- scoring.

The Sea Kings lost in overtime to La Habra, 34-31, in the first

round of the CIF Southern Section Division IX playoffs Friday night

at La Habra High, in front of about 4,000 screaming Highlander fans

willing their team to win.

The third-seeded Highlanders (8-3) took the first step in chasing

their third consecutive Division IX title by defeating Corona del Mar

(6-5).

With 5 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the scored tied

at 28, the Sea Kings blocked a La Habra field goal that would have

given the Highlanders the win right there. The Sea Kings took it to

overtime, but came up three points short.

“We played a hell of a game,” Corona del Mar Coach Dick Freeman

said. “But there are no moral victories. We should have won that

game.”

The Sea Kings got the ball first in overtime, handed it off twice

to Wess Presson and quarterback Tom Welch threw an incomplete pass on

third down. But pass interference was called and the Sea Kings got an

automatic first down and 15 yards. CdM managed a 26-yard Andrew

Hummel field goal to go up, 31-28.

But the Highlanders responded quickly. After an 8-yard run by

Jesse Quezada, quarterback Robert Benedict completed a 15-yard pass

to Jeremy Sedaka to give La Habra first-and-goal on the 2-yard line.

On the next play, Quezada carried it in for the win.

“We did everything, but we gave them that win,” Freeman said.

Corona del Mar controlled the offensive line of scrimmage,

allowing Presson to rush 38 times for 208 yards and two touchdowns.

The offensive line provided time for quarterback Welch to connect

twice with his brother, Kevin, for two touchdowns en route to 95

passing yards.

The defensive line held La Habra to just 27 yards on 26 carries,

less than a yard per carry. The defensive backs held a usually

high-powered passing attack to 126 yards through the air.

The Sea Kings netted 462 yards to La Habra’s 249. CdM even won the

time of possession battle.

Before the game, Freeman said he needed his offensive line and his

defensive backs to step up. That would provide them the best chance

for a victory, he said.

“We just need to move the ball,” he said before the game. “And

they throw extremely well. They primarily throw the ball, so we need

to shut that down.”

Corona del Mar did what it needed to do, and even blocked a field

goal to send the game into overtime.

But in the most important point of the game, the Sea Kings’

offense sputtered. After carrying 34 times prior to the overtime

period, Presson and the offensive line were running low on gas. And

on third-down-and-goal from the 5-yard line, Welch was sacked for a

loss of 4, forcing CdM to kick a field goal.