Sea Kings routed by La Habra

Patrick Laverty

The difference between Nos. 4 and 7 is a lot greater than three.

Corona del Mar High’s football team, ranked seventh in CIF

Southern Section Division IX, suffered its worst loss since 1997 at

the hands of No. 4 La Habra Friday, 45-0, in a nonleague game at La

Habra High.

The loss left Sea Kings Coach Dick Freeman searching for answers

at the wrong time considering Pacific Coast League play begins next

week.

How does Corona del Mar bounce back from this defeat?

“I don’t know,” Freeman said.

Making matters worse was the burgeoning injury list that the Sea

Kings (3-2) are compiling. They entered the game against the

defending Division IX champions with six players who did not suit up,

including two-way starters Andy Lujan and John Fairbanks. They left

the field with more bad news as quarterback Tom Welch suffered what

is believed to be a separated left shoulder early in the fourth

quarter.

Without Lujan (6-foot-3, 270 pounds) and Fairbanks (6-4, 242), who

give Corona del Mar a majority of its size on the offensive and

defensive lines, Welch did not have much time to throw. Conversely,

La Habra quarterback Daniel Morales was rarely pressured.

Morales, who set a school record for passing yardage last season

as a junior, picked apart the Sea Kings defense, one which played

well against the pass in its first four games.

The Highlanders (3-2) were held scoreless in the first quarter,

but erupted for 24 points in the second, including 17 points in the final 6:22 of the half.

Morales, who finished 14 of 25 for 294 yards, went deep against

Corona del Mar consistently, completing 12 passes for double-digit

gains and eight throws for 20 yards or more. Almost all of those

gains were downfield passes with virtually no gain after the catch.

When Corona del Mar did pressure him, he created more time for

himself or turned upfield for significant gains. He carried the ball

five times for 44 yards and scored two rushing touchdowns.

The Sea Kings, who were averaging four sacks per game, did not

sack Morales once. They had allowed just 114.8 yards passing per

game, but Morales threw for 214 in the first half alone. His night

was complete after he scored on a 23-yard run on the first play of

the fourth quarter. By that time he had led La Habra to more than 500

yards of total offense.

Three plays later, Welch’s night came to an end when he took a

hard hit after releasing the ball. He was replaced by sophomore Shaun

Mohler.

Welch completed just 5 of 17 passes for 31 yards and was

intercepted once. Probably the most telling stat was that of Welch’s

twin brother, Kevin, who punted seven times, but caught just two

passes for 10 yards. Kevin entered the game with four touchdowns and

was averaging 20.6 yards per catch.

Corona del Mar didn’t drive deep into Highlanders’ territory until

the final minutes of the fourth quarter when sophomore Brett Crowley

wore down La Habra’s second-string defense. Crowley finished with 79

yards on 17 carries. But the drive, which reached La Habra’s 2-yard

line, ended with a La Habra interception.

The other standout for the Sea Kings was junior Wess Presson. He

gained 30 yards on nine carries rushing and caught two passes for 12

yards.

He intercepted a Morales pass and nearly had another, but the ball

dropped from his hands when he collided with senior Mordy Ornguze,

who was also trying to make the play. Presson also returned four

kickoffs for 105 yards.