Laguna scores big win against Estancia

The Laguna Beach High girls’ golf team is on a roll.

The Breakers on Wednesday upped their Orange Coast League record to 3-0 by turning back defending league champion Estancia, 203-228, at Costa Mesa Country Club’s Mesa Linda Golf Course.

Senior Audrey Curtis shot two-over-par 36 to earn medalist honors for the match.

The win squared Laguna’s overall record at 4-4.

“Our team was ready to play today and they truly performed up to their potential,” Laguna Assistant Coach Sean Quigley said. “We shot our best team score of the season and the win puts us into sole possession of first place in league.

“The big news for us was Audrey Curtis, who had a breakout performance, shooting her career low score. It can’t be overstated what Audrey accomplished today. She’s only been playing golf for two seasons, joining the team last year, and to shoot two-over par within her first two years of playing puts her into a rare group of players.”

Quigley said senior captain Jackie McMahon had a “fantastic match,” with a score of 37, her best score of the season. Sophomore Murphy Thompson “stepped up for us,” with a 45, which was one of her best scores this season, he said.

Junior MaryKate Quellmalz had another solid performance with a score of 41. Junior Leslie Dwight and senior Jamie Hendrickson both continued to improve their scores and shot 44 and 50, respectively.

The win against Estancia came two days after Laguna was awarded a forfeit victory from Costa Mesa at Mesa Linda (par 34).

The Breakers began their league season Sept. 25 at Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley, where they scored a 258-261 victory over host Calvary Chapel. Quellmalz shot 44 (par 36) to lead the Breakers. She was followed by McMahon (49), Curtis (54), Dwight (54), Thompson (57) and Hendrickson (64).

Natalie Mattison of Calvary Chapel shot 41 on the Classic Course to take medalist honors.

“This was a really important win for us in our first Orange Coast League match, against another team that will be competing for the league title,” Quigley said. “Natalie Mattison from Calvary is our returning league MVP and she is always capable of posting a really low score. Fortunately, MaryKate Quellmalz played well and stayed within three strokes of Natalie, which gave us a chance to win with our team depth.

“At first, the girls thought they had lost the match, but there was a mistake when initially adding up the scores. Senior Audrey Curtis saved the day. She was in the last group and posted a 54, which was 10 shots better than the score initially used for the team score. Once this oversight was corrected, we went from losing by seven stokes, to winning by three strokes. What a way to start league play.”

The Breakers play host to a league four-way at 2:30 p.m. Monday at Aliso Creek Golf Course. They’ll take on Costa Mesa at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at Mesa Linda Golf Course.

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Girls’ Volleyball

The Breakers, ranked No. 4 in CIF Southern Section Division 1-A, closed out their nonleague schedule with home nonleague matches in the past week against Mira Costa and Dana Hills.

Tuesday at Dugger Gym, Mira Costa came away with a 25-15, 24-26, 25-15, 25-22 victory. Sabrina Stillwell had 12 kills and 10 digs, Cameron Dorn eight kills, Francie Holte 18 digs, and Aspen Rocha 25 set assists for Laguna.

The Breakers also were swept, 25-17, 25-17, 25-16, by Dana Hills, the No. 7 team in Division 1-AA. Stillwell had five kills, Holte 15 digs, and Rocha 10 assists.

Laguna (9-9) started its Orange Coast League schedule Thursday against Saddleback. The scores weren’t available at press time. Next week, the Breakers play host to Estancia Tuesday and travel Thursday to face Costa Mesa. Both matches begin at 5:30 p.m.

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Boys’ Water Polo

The Breakers completed play Saturday at the South Coast Tournament, where they won two games and finished 12th.

Laguna (6-6) started tourney play with a 15-11 win against La Canada, then lost, 11-7, to eventual tourney runner-up Newport Harbor. The Breakers beat Servite, 9-8, before losing consecutive games to Huntington Beach (8-7) and Foothill (11-5).

The Breakers opened up a 4-1 lead on Huntington and led much of the way in the one-goal loss. They held a 2-1 lead on Foothill and trailed only 3-2 at halftime, before the Knights pulled away in the second half.

Cade Baldridge, Jakob Colladay and Jack Dodson led Laguna in scoring during the tournament, which was won by Mater Dei, the top-ranked team in CIF Southern Section Division 1.

“Once again, this weekend provided some really great challenges for us,” Laguna Coach Ethan Damato said. “We got five good games against five good teams. We had a great game Thursday against Newport and had the feat of trying to slow down the Italian transfer, Luca Cupido. I thought we played with a ton of heart and had our chances being down (3-2) at half and 6-4 after three (quarters). We were in the game all the way through.

“Friday was a good win against Servite and set us up for tough games Saturday. We played a great first half against Huntington Beach, a good D-1 team with a lot of talent. Unfortunately, our second half, we made too many mental mistakes and let them back in the game. That is a game we have to figure out how to win. We have worked too hard to give away games in the half. Our last game against Foothill was a lot of the same, a good first half and bad second half.

“While it hurts to lose these games, I hope the guys know we only have to fix a couple mistakes here and there to win these games. I know we will do that.”

Laguna took on Dana Hills in nonleague play Thursday. The score wasn’t available at press time. Next week, the Breakers play a key, nonleague match at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Foothill.

The Breakers are ranked fifth in CIF Southern Section Division 2, one spot behind Foothill.

“The game next Tuesday has huge playoff implications,” Damato said. “Villa Park beat Foothill [Tuesday] in their league game, which really shook up the division. Foothill is a very good, senior-heavy squad with a lot of depth and experience. A win against them would not only be a great win for us a squad but could also give us a good seed going into the playoffs.”

The Breakers open up their Orange Coast League schedule at 3:15 p.m. Wednesday at Saddleback.

Laguna has won seven consecutive league championships.

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Cross-Country

The Laguna girls’ team runs Saturday at the Palos Verdes Invitational.

Both the girls’ and boys’ teams will compete Oct. 12 at the Clovis Invitational at Woodward Park in Fresno.

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CIF Weekly Rankings

Football: Laguna Beach (No. 7, Southern Division).

Girls’ Volleyball: Laguna Beach (No. 4, Division 1A).

Girls’ Tennis: Laguna Beach (No. 3, Division 2).

Boys’ Water Polo: Laguna Beach (No. 5, Division 2).

Boys’ Cross-Country: Laguna Beach (No. 4, Division 4).

Girls’ Cross-Country: Laguna Beach (No. 7, Division 4).