Sea Kings edged out

The Sea Kings score the game’s only touchdown, but La Habra makes the big plays late in a Division IX quarterfinal contest.COSTA MESA -- It’s fitting that a player known more for his defense scored the only touchdown of the game.

Corona del Mar High defensive end/fullback Matt Burgner crashed into the end zone early in the second quarter, and the Sea Kings defense was as stingy as usual.

But No. 2-seeded La Habra came from behind to post two field goals, a safety and an 8-7 victory in a CIF Southern Section Division IX quarterfinal Friday at Orange Coast College.

It was another close call for the Sea Kings, who lost to La Habra in overtime, 34-31, in the first round of last year’s Division IX playoffs.

That lone touchdown came after CdM sophomore Erik Rask blocked a punt late in the first quarter that bounced out of bounds at the Highlanders’ 4-yard line. Matt Loyd had two shots at the end zone, to no avail. A pass interference call put the ball on the 1-yard line, and then Burgner leapt over the line and fell to the ground over the goal line.

Charlie Albright’s extra point gave the Sea Kings a 7-0 lead with 11:13 remaining in the first half.

Burgner, a senior, is CdM’s career leader in sacks with 36. He led a Sea Kings defense that gave up just 40 yards rushing and minus-2 yards passing in the first half.

Little did he know he’d be the only player in the game to score a touchdown.

“It was an unbelievable experience,” Burgner said. “You dream of things like that -- diving over the pile. I feel fortunate to have that happen to me.”

CdM tallied 60 yards rushing and 50 yards passing in the first half, when the Sea Kings crossed midfield three times, but could only manage one score.

A 27-yard pass from Mohler to Steve Hillgren put the Sea Kings on the Highlanders 26-yard line with less than a minute left in the first half. But a holding penalty and two incomplete passes stymied the drive.

Later, the Sea Kings couldn’t turn an interception by Loyd and a fumble recovery by Charlie Albright into points.

“You have to play offense,” Corona del Mar Coach Dick Freeman said. “We played some pretty good defense, but you have to move the ball.”

La Habra (10-2) was fortunate to escape with the win. The Highlanders held the Sea Kings to 15 yards rushing and 66 yards passing in the second half, and mustered just enough offense in the second half.

After forcing CdM (6-6) to punt on its first possession of the third quarter, La Habra embarked on a 13-play, 67-yard drive. Robert Benedict converted on a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-3 from the Highlanders 35-yard line. A 28-yard pass play from Benedict to Jeremy Sedaka highlighted the drive, which ended with a 24-yard field goal by Pete Puga.

On CdM’s next drive, Shaun Mohler -- who split time at quarterback with Colin Wigley -- dropped back to pass on third-and-14 and was chased into his own end zone, where he was sacked by a trio of Highlanders led by linebacker Garrett Kiehl and defensive end Jake Perez. The safety pulled La Habra to within 7-5 with 2:04 left in the third quarter.

After the safety, momentum was on La Habra’s side. Greg Francis returned CdM’s kick to midfield. A 21-yard pass from Benedict to Sedaka and a 16-yard run by Brad Allsman, who had 57 of his 63 yards in the second half, set up the go-ahead, 25-yard field goal by Puga with 11:11 left in regulation time.

The Sea Kings drove deep into Highlanders territory in the fourth quarter. Mohler took a handoff from Wigley and then a 41-yard pass to Hillgren, who came back for the ball to bring in the completion.

Once inside the La Habra 40-yard line, two penalties and confusion at the line of scrimmage stymied CdM’s last drive. After they called their second timeout of the half, the Sea Kings bungled the timing on the next snap and Mohler had to fall on the loose ball.

On the next play, Mohler threw deep, but the ball was picked off by Ryan Chambers on the Highlanders 1-yard line and returned 38 yards.

“We had our chances, but we shot ourselves in the foot,” Freeman said.

La Habra’s offensive line recovered from a rough first half and had the edge in the second half to give the team a bit of a running game. The Highlanders were successful on two fourth-down conversions on their last drive, as they ran out the clock. CdM, with only one timeout left, could only stop the clock once in the final six minutes.

Loyd led the Sea Kings with 20 rushes for 58 yards, 36 coming in the first half. He finishes the season with a team-high 1,336 yards on 174 carries and 13 touchdowns.

Loyd averaged 197.3 yards rushing in his last three games, but on Friday night, he didn’t find the same holes as he did in those contests. Loyd, whose biggest run went for 11 yards, was held to 22 yards rushing in the second half.

Mohler rotated in at quarterback to try to make big plays. He managed three of them -- a 26-yard run on an inside handoff that he took around the left end, a 27-yard pass to Hillgren streaking down the middle of the field and the 41-yard pass to Hillgren.

It was the eighth consecutive victory for La Habra, which averaged 55.5 points over its last two games.

“The team played its heart out,” Burgner said. “I couldn’t ask for more. The ball just didn’t bounce our way.”

Losing linebacker Tommy Folks in the first quarter with a hand injury and playing without running back Dio Johnson (ineligible) didn’t help matters for the Sea Kings.

“We were running out of football players,” Freeman said.

The Sea Kings defense made big plays all day, especially in the first half, when the Highlanders couldn’t run the ball. Loyd’s interception stymied La Habra’s first drive. A tackle for a 4-yard loss by Burgner and Keaten Price helped stop the Highlanders on their second drive, which ended with Rask’s blocked punt

Albright came out of a pile with a La Habra fumble on its third drive. A tackle by Mohler for a 1-yard loss on quarterback keeper led to another La Habra punt.

When the Sea Kings forced the Highlanders to punt on their last drive of the first half, a crunching block by Rask sprung Hillgren for a 25-yard return.

With a little luck and more cohesiveness on offense, the Sea Kings could be moving on the semifinals, but they ended on a high note, winning four of their last five games.

“It’s just a great way to end my career,” Burgner said. “A ring would have been nice, but this is almost as good to see the team come together like this.”

“This team worked really hard,” Freeman said. “We beat a Garden Grove team that was tough, and we almost beat this team. They just played hard.”

LA HABRA 8, CORONA DEL MAR 7

SCORE BY QUARTERS