Breakers look to stay on the run

Laguna Beach plays host to University High tonight in a key league game.Before last week, being on the run hadn’t been much fun for the Laguna Beach High football team.

For the first time this season, Coach Jimmy Nolan said, the Breakers ran the ball with passion -- as their 300 rushing yards will attest -- in a 28-10 Pacific Coast League victory over Beckman last week.

The rushing attack was spearheaded by two Breakers. Senior running back Jody Stevens was the main workhorse, running for 168 yards. He scored touchdowns on runs of 59 and 24 yards. Quarterback Charley Bowman also kept the Beckman defense off kilter. The sophomore signal caller rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns.

Laguna scored the final 21 points of the game to record its first league win in four games.

The Breakers, 4-3-1 overall, look to make it two wins in a row tonight when they host league foe University at Guyer Field. Kickoff is 7 p.m.

Nolan said that rushing game will need to be in full force against the Trojans.

“I was extremely proud of the boys for answering the bell when all are chips were down,” Nolan said of his Breakers, who defeated Beckman after losing two key players, Garrett Preston and George Chheng, to season-ending injuries two weeks ago. “They did what they had to do. They fought. They showed they can hit, got physical and decided they want to be in the hunt for the playoffs.

“Now we face a very tough University squad. We are very impressed with this opponent. It should be a showdown come Friday night.”

University comes into tonight’s matchup with a 2-2 record in league play. The Trojans are 4-4 overall, following last week’s 58-10 thumping from first-place Tesoro.

Laguna also lost to the defending league and CIF-Southern Section Division IX champions, 52-7, on Oct. 7.

“They have a good offense, good defense and great record,” Nolan said of University. “We are both in the same boat. Whoever wins this one has an excellent chance at making the playoffs.”

A win tonight against the Trojans, followed by a win in the regular season finale against Calvary Chapel, would propel Laguna into the thick of the race for a playoff berth.

Nolan knows what it will take for his to reach that goal.

“Desire, fight, discipline, tenacity,” he said. “We’ll need to be relentless flying to the football on every play on defense.

“We are ready, and we are ecstatic to be playing for a chance to make the playoffs. All year long these boys have been told we may be the least talented team at Laguna Beach in the past 10 years. I hope they keep hearing it. It fires us up.”

Nolan said that one main source of inspiration for the team has come from the school principal, Nancy Stevens.

“Nancy Stevens has been an instrumental part of this squad,” he said. “She gave these boys a heart-to-heart pep talk the other day. She never misses a game. We love her and consider her part of the staff.

“This next game’s for her.”

In last year’s meeting between the schools, Laguna squeezed out a 21-20 win over the Trojans.

Laguna’s regular season finale against Pacific Coast League foe Calvary Chapel, originally scheduled for Nov. 11, has been moved to Thursday, Nov. 10, athletic director Ron Schwartz announced. Kickoff is 7 p.m.