Laguna Beach won its first two football games of the season by a combined score of 87-7.
The Breakers didn’t face much adversity in those two games against lesser opponents. But when Laguna Beach leveled up in competition last week, the team had to overcome some challenges that were self-imposed.
Laguna Beach trailed 15-14 at the start of the fourth quarter against Tesoro, largely due to 140 penalty yards on 15 penalties for the Breakers.
Early in the fourth quarter, freshman running back Charlie Christian ran for a 6-yard touchdown where he ran through two Tesoro defenders. The score shifted the momentum in Laguna Beach’s direction.
“We struggled with a lot of penalties early in the game and we finally cleaned that up,” Laguna Beach coach John Shanahan said. “Our kids played extremely hard late and a physical touchdown run was the real turning point of the game.”
Laguna Beach’s Jack Hurst throws a long pass during a season-opening game against St. Margaret in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)The Breakers outscored Tesoro 22-0 in the fourth quarter. Jack Hurst threw two touchdowns to Brady Stringham in the quarter and Stringham had 109 yards receiving with three touchdowns in the game.
Laguna Beach’s defense struggled late in the 2024 season but has made major improvements this season, allowing less than eight points per game. Wyatt Bogdan had 15 tackles with two sacks against Tesoro. Bob Gardner had an interception with a forced fumble and Noah Thompson had an interception.
“We have put a huge emphasis on special teams and defense since the end of last season and our defensive coordinator, Hunter Braun, has done a great job of getting our kids to play fast and confident,” Shanahan said. “A few guys that have been playing great football for us on defense are Wyatt Bogdan, Xavier Brooks and Garrett Byerly.”
Laguna Beach has a tough test against El Dorado (3-1) on Friday. The Golden Hawks are coming off a 36-0 win over Valencia.
The Breakers beat El Dorado 40-0 last season but Shanahan isn’t dismissing the Golden Hawks.
“We have tremendous respect for coach (Zack) LaMonda and his program,” Shanahan said. “This is going to be another huge challenge for us.”
SHORT MEMORY
Typically after a difficult loss, teams watch the game film on Saturday morning and quickly move on to their next opponent.
After El Toro suffered a convincing loss to Tesoro in Week 0, the Chargers had an unexpected bye week as its scheduled game against Aliso Niguel was postponed.
“I believe the rescheduling of the Aliso game caused us to linger on Tesoro longer than we should have,” El Toro coach Peter Lofthouse said. “After that game, we held a team meeting to address why we didn’t play to our potential. It turned out to be a very positive conversation. Those next two weeks were filled with some of our most competitive and focused practices of the season.”
El Toro High School football head coach Peter Lofthouse stands in the stadium at the school on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)Since that team meeting, El Toro beat El Dorado 28-21 and dominated crosstown rival Trabuco Hills 56-14. It was the first time El Toro had beaten Trabuco Hills since the pandemic spring season of 2021.
“It validated their hard work and commitment to our process, showing them that their dedication truly pays off,” Lofthouse said of the win over Trabuco Hills. “The victory proved that we can compete with other strong programs in our area.”
El Toro travels to Henderson, Nev., to play Foothill on Friday. The Chargers have several team-bonding experiences planned during the trip including a bowling night, a trip to the movies and a few team meals.
“Experiences like these bring our players closer, strengthening the trust and cohesion that carry over onto the field,” Lofthouse said.
QUICK HITS
• The two county teams that wear black and yellow color schemes in their uniforms meet on Friday when Foothill plays Capistrano Valley at Saddleback College. The Cougars had four interceptions in a win over Aliso Niguel last week and led 28-0 at halftime.
• Two of the best small schools in the county play Friday when Capistrano Valley Christian plays St. Margaret’s. CVC coach Brandon Camarillo was the offensive coordinator for St. Margaret’s in 2023 for coach Dan O’Shea. St. Margaret’s is 3-0 and junior quarterback Kai Letcher is one of the more underrated quarterbacks in the county.
• Los Alamitos hosts one of the top teams in San Diego in Granite Hills. Granite Hills has won three consecutive CIF championships in San Diego and lost to Los Alamitos’ Alpha League foes Mission Viejo and Edison in the state playoffs the last two seasons.
• Expect a quick game when Troy and Segerstrom play each other Friday. Troy runs the ball on 86 percent of its offensive plays and Segerstrom runs it on 84 percent of its plays. Ethan Mundt (Troy) and Ayden Morales (Segerstrom) each may have 20 rushing touchdowns at the end of the season.
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