Crown up for grabs

There are still a few more chapters that the Laguna Beach High football team has to complete in the 2008 season. The thing is, the Breakers control their story’s destiny and can pen any ending they’d like.

Tonight, Laguna ends one chapter as the regular season and Orange Coast League schedule comes to an end when it takes on Costa Mesa at 7 p.m. at Estancia High.

But it’s just not any game. It’s a championship showdown.

The winner of tonight’s contest will emerge as the outright league champion. Both the Breakers and Mustangs come into the finale with 3-0 league marks. Whatever the outcome, though, both teams already have sewn up berths for the CIF playoffs that begin next week.

“What I asked the kids at the beginning of the week was how did they want the story to end,” Laguna Coach Jonathan Todd said. “It will be their story for the rest of their life. They can make their own history here and the kids are really inspired. We’ve had really great practices this week.”

Laguna will attempt tonight to wrestle back the league championship that was shared last year by Costa Mesa and Estancia. Two years ago, this game decided who would win the inaugural Orange Coast League football championship. The Breakers came away from Newport Harbor High’s Davidson Field with a 22-7 triumph over the Mustangs and the league’s first-ever title.

Laguna improved to 4-5 this season by defeating Estancia, 24-10, on Senior Night at Guyer Field on Nov. 7.

“We didn’t play our best game and had some costly fumbles that really hurt us,” Todd said. “But our offense finally started to click in the fourth quarter. Defensively, I thought we played well throughout and we came up with three big interceptions.”

Senior defensive back Andrew Paddon returned an interception 43 yards during a fourth quarter that also saw Nate Wilson also come up with a pick. Paddon’s theft, which he returned down to the Estancia four-yard line, set up a two-yard touchdown run by Zach Smith that increased Laguna’s lead to 24-10 with eight minutes to play.

Wilson’s interception came in the final minute. Junior linebacker Rouzbeh Kazemain’s had an interception late in the second quarter. It led to a 23-yard field goal by John Snedegar with 18 seconds left in the first half.

Smith led all rushers with 127 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries.

Smith needs 34 yards tonight to move up to third place on the school’s all-time career rushing list.

Costa Mesa, also 4-5 overall, was idle last week and has had two weeks to prepare for the Breakers.

The Mustangs come into tonight’s game riding a four-game win streak.

“The keys for us are stopping their run game and we need our offense to come out and execute from the start and carry through the entire game,” Todd said.

“Costa Mesa really likes to run the football and on the other side, our defense is really good at playing smash-mouth football. It’s going to be a matter of who wants it more. But I couldn’t have asked for a better scripted game for our defense.”