Sporting Laguna

Mike Sciacca

The year 2004 proved to be productive for local sports teams and

athletes.

Here is a look back at some of the highlights reported to the

Coastline Pilot during the past year.

January-February-March

A refurbished Dugger Gymnasium opened for business in January,

welcoming the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams.

The gymnasium underwent a face-lift for six-plus months, and

renovations included replacement of antiquated electrical equipment;

installation of new lighting and a new floor; and work on the locker

rooms, as well as other minor renovations.

Jake Wheeler, then a senior at Laguna Beach, was named to the

All-CIF Southern Section Division IX football team.

The Laguna Beach girls’ basketball team earned its first CIF

postseason berth in 16 years by finishing in third place in the

Pacific Coast League standings.

The Breakers, who were dead last in the Pacific Coast League

standings in late January, dropped a tough, two-point first-round

Division IV-AA game at Pioneer League runner-up Palos Verdes.

The boys’ basketball team also earned a CIF bid, its first since

the 2000 season.

Laguna won a first-round Division IV-AA game by routing Milken

Community High School on the road, before being eliminated in the

second round by Serra at Dugger Gymnasium.

Boys’ basketball player Ivan Kovacevic was named to the All-CIF

Southern Section Division IV-AA team. He’s the lone Orange County

player to make the team and the school’s first All-CIF player since

2000.

The girls’ water polo team, ranked among the Top 10 in Division II

the entire season, also gained a CIF playoff berth.

The Breakers, under first-year head coach Rick McKee, won two

playoff games before they were eliminated by a veteran Peninsula

team, 4-2, in a semifinal match.

Kat Gordon was named to the first team All-CIF while Breanna

Duplisea was a second-team pick, and Jessica McKee and Alana Thomson

were third-team selections.

Construction on a state-of-the-art, all-weather track at Laguna

Beach High School forced the school’s boys’ and girls’ track teams to

practice at El Morro Elementary School.

The Laguna Beach boys’ volleyball team finished third at the

prestigious OC Volleyball Championships. It was the best showing by a

Breakers team at the tournament since 1998.

The Laguna Beach Strikers, a girls’ under-12 soccer team, placed

second at the AYSO Section 11 Tournament.

April-May-June

Laguna surfers Mike Todd and Bron Heussenstamm competed for Team

Orange County at the National Surf League’s California Cup.

Todd played a key role as Team Orange County -- competing against

the best surfers from San Diego, Ventura and Santa Cruz -- won the

initial cup championship.

Laguna Beach High School hired Jimmy Nolan as its new head

football coach. He replaced Dave Holland, who retired at the end of

the 2003 season.

White Chaos, an AYSO boys’ under-10 soccer team, placed fourth at

a state championship tournament held in San Pedro.

Laguna Beach girls’ 4 x 100 free relay team of Breanna Duplisea,

Jessica McKee, Haley Simon and Jackie Reed, set a school record in

the event at the CIF-Southern Section Toyota Swimming and Diving

Championships.

The magical run of the Laguna Beach boys’ volleyball team in CIF

action came to an end at Woodbridge High School as Santa Barbara

rallied to beat the Breakers in a five-game, semifinal showdown.

Outside hitter Luke Morris was named first team, and opposite Trey

Chapel was a second-team pick, on the All-CIF/Amateur Athletic

Foundation’s Division II team.

Laguna Beach High School baseball ushered in a new era as Tom

Faris took over head coaching duties.

Laguna Beach’s youth track team, coached by Fred Pichay, broke

five city records at the Southern California Municipal Athletic

Foundation Orange County Track and Field Championships at Trabuco

Hills High School.

Laguna’s Bill Bryan of Victoria Skimboards took first-place at the

Cabo Classic skimboard extravaganza.

Rotary, a Majors Division team in Laguna Beach Little League, set

a new league record by winning its 24th game of the year. That

victory, which came over the San Juan Capistrano Yankees in the

opening round of the District 55 Tournament of Champions, broke the

previous single-season win total of 23.

Laguna Beach High School alumni Dain Blanton (Class of 1990) and

Rachel Wacholder (Class of 1993) came up big at the Assn. Of

Professional Volleyball Nissan Series Huntington Beach Open.

Blanton, teamed with Jeff Nygaard, reached the men’s semifinal

round, where the duo was eliminated by eventual champions Jason Ring

and George Roumain.

Wacholder and teammate Angie Akers, playing for the first time as

a team, reached the women’s semifinals before being eliminated by the

world’s No. 1-ranked team of Misty May and Kerri Walsh.

July-August-September

Tom Faris resigned after only one year on the job as head baseball

coach at Laguna Beach.

Three teams composed of Laguna Beach athletes headed to Fort

Lauderdale, Fla., to compete at the Junior Olympics water polo

competition.

Laguna Beach High School’s Addison Doud played on a Golden West

Water Polo Club’s 18-and-under team that won eight consecutive games

and the division championship at the Junior Olympics.

Six new head coaches got ready for the new school year at Laguna

Beach High: Jimmy Nolan, football; Greg Weiss, girls’ tennis;

Giovanni Vlahos, boys’ soccer; Bill Rolfing, girls’ soccer; Barbara

Williams, girls’ golf; and Dave Dopf, baseball.

Laguna Beach High School athlete Shawn Pfendler swam 10 events at

the Long Course Junior Olympics in Fullerton.

The Laguna Beach High School football team played its first game

on its new OmniGrass turf at Guyer Field. The Breakers fell to Palos

Verdes, 14-7.

Laguna Beach High School celebrated 70 years of football in a game

against Ocean View. The Breakers won, 48-13.

Laguna Beach High School 2004 graduate Jake Wheeler was selected

as the West Region High School Scholar-Athlete of the Year for 2004

by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. He was

awarded a $2,000 scholarship in recognition of his football and

academic achievements and school and community service.

October-November-

December

Laguna Beach’s girls’ tennis team, girls’ volleyball team and

boys’ water polo team, advanced to CIF-Southern Section competition.

The girls’ tennis team fell to Peninsula in quarterfinal action, the

girls’ volleyball team had its season ended by top-seed Marymount in

a semifinal match, and the boys’ water polo team dropped a

first-round match to El Toro.

The Laguna Beach 10-and-under boys’ A water polo team claimed the

championship in the Southern Pacific Age Group tournament.

The boys’ under-10 Division team recorded a first in the history

of Laguna Beach Soccer Club by winning a league championship.

Laguna Beach High School junior Claire Rietsch won her second

Pacific Coast League singles crown in three years.

Laguna Beach High School sophomore Sasha Speare advanced to the

Pacific Coast League girls’ golf finals and placed seventh, overall.

It was the highest individual finish by a Laguna golfer in the

history of the high school’s program.

Laguna Beach High School’s boys’ cross country team ran all the

way to a state championship in Division IV, just the second time in

school history -- the first state title was won in 1989 -- that the feat has been accomplished.

“Winning this thing is an incredible feeling and beyond what we

thought was possible,” team member and senior team captain Shane

Riehl said.

Laguna’s girls’ team also ran strong at the state meet and

finished seventh in Division IV.

The state meet was run at Woodward Park in Fresno.

“I’m thrilled for the girls,” said Laguna girls’ coach Earl

Towner, whose squad finished second two weeks earlier at the CIF

Finals.