Year in Review: Breakers show dominance in the pool as the Laguna boys match the girls with a CIF water polo championship
When 2014 started for Laguna Beach High athletics, a CIF Southern Section championship was won in the pool. Near the end of the year, the pool, once again, was the place where a Southern Section title was earned.
Below are some of the key highlights turned in by Laguna Beach athletics from September through December in 2014. Highlights from January through June appeared in the Dec. 26 issue of the Coastline Pilot.
Football
The Breakers ended their 2014 season they way they started it — with a victory.
Laguna went into the off-season with a 31-7 victory over Godinez at Guyer Field in their Orange Coast League and season finale. The Breakers finished 2-8 overall in the program’s 80th season on the gridiron.
“I was very excited for my seniors to leave our program on a high note,” Laguna Coach Corey Brown said. “Many of our seniors were four-year football players and even sophomores on the (CIF) semifinal team. It was a fitting end to a very tough and physical season. Those seniors persevered through a lot this season and were great leaders and example setters for our upcoming seasons.”
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Girls’ Tennis
One step away. That was the short distance separating the Laguna girls’ tennis team from an appearance in the CIF Southern Section Division 2 championship match. The Breakers’ bid for a spot in the D-2 final was denied in early November by Murrieta Valley, which scored a 12-6 victory.
The Breakers, champions of the Orange Coast League, also were invited to take part in the CIF USTA Southern Regional Girls’ Tennis Championships. They reached the quarterfinal round where they were eliminated by Corona del Mar.
Laguna ended the year 20-6.
“We had a great team and a great season, and ended up being an elite team in making it to the semifinals of (CIF) Division 2 and the final eight of the Southern California Regional tournament,” Coach Don Davis said. “I am very proud of the way the girls played, and became a team.”
Before starting its CIF season, Laguna dominated the OCL tournament, taking the top two spots in singles, and the top three finishes in doubles. Two seniors, Summer Dvorak, the tournament’s top-seed in singles, and Kira Hamilton, seeded No. 2, met in the final. Dvorak won the league title with a 6-0, 6-0 victory.
Ashley Shelton and Madeline Loomis claimed the doubles crown. The tournament’s second-seeded team, rallied for a 2-6, 6-4, 10-3 (super set tiebreaker) victory over the top-seeded team of Laguna teammates Bailey Jaeger and Kelly Keller. Natasha Keces and Malia Helms, the No. 3-seed, fell in the semifinals to Shelton and Loomis but took third place overall.
Summer Dvorak etched her name into the program’s record book. The senior took the 2014 CIF Southern Section season to the max by reaching the singles championship match of the CIF-SS Individual Tennis Tournament in early December. Dvorak took a runnerup finish at the Seal Beach Tennis Center. The Vanderbilt-bound Dvorak is the first Laguna singles player to reach the CIF Individual Tournament final, Davis said.
Laguna sent both its singles players, Dvorak and Kira Hamilton, and both doubles teams, Bailey Jaeger/Kelly Keller, and Madeline Loomis/Ashley Shelton, to the tournament’s qualifying round (quarterfinals). Davis said it was the first time that Laguna had placed two singles players and two doubles teams in the tournament’s qualifying round.
“What a fantastic run for Summer,” Davis said. “She played great all the way through. It was a great ending to the season for our team. It couldn’t have been better.”
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Girls’ Volleyball
The Breakers completed another perfect run through Orange Coast League competition in early November, then the third-ranked team in Division 2AA headed into the CIF-SS playoffs. Their 10-0 league season took their consecutive league victory streak to 90 matches, the eighth-longest streak in CIF-SS history.
Laguna’s season came to an end later that month after the Breakers dropped a tough five-game second-round match at Esperanza. The Breakers finished the year 17-12.
“We had some up-and-down moments early in the year, but overall it was a good season,” Coach Raul Papaleo said. “We learned some things as the season went along. We went 10-0 in league again, and I thought we played better in league this year than last year. We graduate some key players but I think we will have a very strong team next year.”
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Girls’ Golf
It was a season of superlatives for the Breakers who won the Orange Coast League championship, had six team members earn all-league status, and reached the CIF-SS team and individual playoffs.
Laguna clinched the OCL title — and with it, a CIF team playoff berth, in mid-October with a victory over Estancia. The Breakers later went on to grab top honors at the OCL Tournament at Mesa Linda Golf Course in Costa Mesa. The battle for the MVP of the league went down to a playoff between two Breakers, seniors Halle Redfearn and MaryKate Quellmalz. The two finished in a tie for first place but that tie was broken with a sudden-death playoff. Redfearn went on to claim the league title.
Making first-team all-league were Redfearn, Quellmalz and BellaRose Robinson. Second-team honors were earned by Leslie Dwight, Hannah Burnett and Hailey McCullough.
Redfearn and Quellmalz qualified for the CIF Southern Individual Regional Tournament at Dad Miller Golf Course in Anaheim. Neither made the cut to advance in the tournament. Quellmalz qualified for the CIF regional for the second consecutive year.
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Boys’ Sand Volleyball
In its inaugural season on the sand, Laguna captured the championship of the Orange County High School Beach League postseason tournament championship by defeating Huntington Beach, 5.50-1.0, at the outset of November. The Breakers, who tied for first place in the South Division of the league, defeated a Huntington team that won the North half of the league standings. Eight teams, four from each division, competed for the tournament title.
Competing for Laguna in the tourney title match were the teams of Jack Burgi/Reed Donenfeld, Dane Olson/Cole Paxson, Tyler Alter/Nick Rieckhoff, Pete Obradovich/Adam Lythgoe, Liam Christiansen/Tyler Jackson, and the four-man team of Donenfeld, Olson, Paxson and Burgi.
At the league individuals tournament in November, Laguna won five two-man division titles as well as the four-man division title: Division 1: Burgi/Donenfeld; Division 2: Olson/Paxson; Division 3: Alter/Rieckhoff; Division 4: Lythgoe/ Obradovich; Division 5: Christiansen/Jackson; Four-man: Donenfeld/Burgi/Olson/Paxson.
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Cross-Country
Both the Laguna girls’ and boys’ teams turned in outstanding seasons. Both won an Orange Coast League championship, and both ranked among the top five in Division 4 and made their way through the CIF-SS Cross-Country Championships prelims meet, to the CIF-SS finals at Mount San Antonio College.
At the CIF-SS prelims meet, Laguna’s girls took third place in Division 4 with individual placements by Natalie Kimball (13th), Brenna Merchant (16th), Kirsten Landsiedel (19th), Janie Crawford (27th), Grace LaMontagne (28th), Taylor Alvarez (29th), and Lauryn Alvarez (30th).
The boys’ team placed fourth in the Division 4 team standings. Running for the Breakers were Cameron Zuziak (fourth), Mason Pitz (23rd), Grant Barton (24th), Liam Corrigan (31st), Drake Butler (38th), Tim Andrews (55th), and Jake Mangus (56th).
At the CIF-SS finals meet the following weekend, the Laguna girls placed fourth in the Division 4 team standings and advanced to the CIF State Championships at Woodward Park in Fresno. The boys’ team placed 12th in Division 4 but did not advance to the state meet.
At the CIF State Championships on the last Saturday of November, the girls’ team just missed reaching the podium and finished in fourth place (among 23 teams) in Division 4. Competing for the Breakers at State were Janie Crawford (34th), Brenna Merchant (43rd), Kirsten Landsiedel (47th), Grace LaMontagne (49th), Natalie Kimball (52nd), Taylor Alvarez (64th), and Pearl Shoemaker (73rd). Alternates were Allison Konno and Lauryn Alvarez.
“I’m incredibly proud of the girls’ performance,” girls’ Coach Steve Lalim said. “To run at the state meet is an honor in itself, then to place fourth in our division in the entire state of California...it was a great ride.
“I thought the girls had a great season. Our win-loss record was 96-10, a 92% winning percentage. The girls are very dedicated, hardworking, committed, and will do whatever it takes to be successful. I was fortunate to coach such an amazing group of girls. I’m so proud of every one of them.”
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Boys’ Water Polo
Winning, once again, the Orange Coast League championship in late October, was only a sign of bigger things to come for the Breakers.
After beating Costa Mesa on Oct. 30 to claim the OCL title, and getting through the regular season, Laguna started its bid to win the CIF-SS Division 3 crown. The Breakers entered postseason play with a No. 1 ranking. After four postseason victories, that’s exactly where they finished.
Laguna captured the D-3 title at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatic Center in Irvine on a cool late-November night by turning away the challenge of No. 3-seeded Montebello, 12-8. It was the third CIF title for Coach Ethan Damato — in his seventh year as Breakers head coach, and the program. He also had taken the Laguna girls’ team to the Southern Section Division 1 title last spring.
“I’m just really proud of these guys,” said a soaking-wet Damato poolside, moments after the customary victory jump into the pool. “They have a ton of heart and were resilient all season. It’s just a great group of seniors and a great group of guys, all-around
“I was so impressed with the fire and passion the guys played with in the championship game. They truly battled together and played with so much energy. It was a great game and great way to finish the season. “
Laguna (25-6) never trailed against Montebello. In four playoff games, the Breakers never trailed and had scored previous wins over Vista Murrieta (21-3), Aliso Niguel (19-6), and fourth-seeded Capistrano Valley (16-7) in the semifinals.
In the title game, senior Jack Dodson led all scorers with four goals to go with an assist and two steals. Senior Aki Andersen scored three goals and had a pair of assists and two steals. Senior Cade Baldridge also scored twice with an assist and steal, junior Jakob Colladay had a goal and three assists, and senior Connor Hauer had an assist and a goal. Senior goalie Garret Hartley registered 12 saves.
Dodson, who shared the Orange Coast League co-MVP honor with Baldridge, was named Player of the Year, and Damato, Coach of the Year, for the 2014 All-CIF Southern Section Division 3 team. That team also included Andersen, Baldridge and Colladay.
Laguna had 13 seniors listed on its CIF championship roster for the CIF-SS Division 3 final, and the class is going out in style.
“I’m really proud of this group,” Damato said. “They have put the work in as a team to get to where they are and they have accomplished a lot together. It’s not just the guys who score the big goals or get all the playing time in the big game, it’s about the guys who sacrifice for the team every day doing the little things to make us better. It’s about the daily grind, the long hours and selflessness these guys have shown as a team to be great. I really appreciate what they have given to the team in their four years.”
The Breakers gave the school its final Southern Section championship in 2014.
“This was the best season we ever had in my coaching tenure here at Laguna,” Damato said. “We were undefeated at home, ranked No. 1 in our division the entire season, and ranked in the top three of the (Orange) county all year. On top of that, we made the semis in two of the major tournaments of the year, placing in the top four for the first time in the Santa Barbara Invite and North-South Challenge.
“We were definitely battle-tested going into the playoffs. We had every type of win and loss you can have under our belts and we were confident we could win in any type of game in the playoffs.”
Twitter: @MikeSciacca