Breakers get it done

For the second straight year, the Laguna Beach High football team jumped on Costa Mesa early in the teams’ Orange Coast League showdown.

This time, the Breakers made sure to finish the deal.

They topped the Mustangs, 49-34, on Nov. 13 to capture the outright Orange Coast League title. Now, the Breakers (5-5) prepare for Beckman (6-3-1), who they’ll play host to tonight in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Southern Division playoffs.

The league title was great for the senior class, which was honored before the game on senior night. That senior class — Ethan Quirarte, Charlie Jackson, Rouzbeh Kazemian, Alec Jaffe, Chris Hilleman, Ryan Raffo, Michael Benson and Drew Gerhold — helped deliver the Breakers’ biggest win of the year, and their first league title since 2006.

“It was huge,” Coach Jonathan Todd said. “I had a good feeling in the locker room. You could tell by the look in their eyes, they wanted it.”

Todd is in his third year as head coach at his alma mater. His single-season rushing record is safe, as his 1,480 yards in 1986 was approached but not passed in the final regular-season game by Jaffe.

Jaffe, who had 28 carries for 146 yards and two touchdowns against Costa Mesa, finished with 1,415 yards in the regular season. Todd said he was actually trying to get Jaffe the record in the finale, and he paid him a very high honor.

“I think Jaffe is the best back we’ve ever had at Laguna,” Todd said. “There was one play, on third-and-three, he got stuffed at the line of scrimmage and he carried like eight kids for four yards, to get the first down. He’ll just lay down everything he can to help the team. That’s what I love about him.”

Sophomore Norty Penney finished with 63 rushing yards and also had two scores for Laguna Beach, which also received two interceptions returned for touchdowns. The pick-sixes by Derek Reigel and Quirarte, both of which came in the second quarter, helped give the Breakers a 36-14 halftime lead.

“That was big for us,” said junior receiver/defensive back Chris Paul, who also caught a touchdown pass from junior quarterback Austin Paxson. “Our defense has been kind of not strong throughout the year. I think we stepped up that game. We were preparing for the pass a lot and our guys played good coverage.”

Paul also had a 42-yard reverse pass play himself to Reigel, taking the ball to the Costa Mesa five-yard line in the third quarter. On the next play, Jaffe punched it in.

“I felt like we were getting a little closer [to a league title] every year,” Todd said. “The kids worked hard and got what they deserved. The theme of the night was kind of, ‘Don’t be denied.’ ”

Now Laguna will turn its attention to Beckman, the third-place team from the Pacific Coast League. Todd said he expects the Patriots to be physical, and they look good on tape.

“They’re big but we’ve played some big teams,” Todd said. “We have to be very physically tough to win this football game.”

Paul agreed.

“We’re outsized, but I think we have some pretty good speed,” he said. “We’re relying on that and relying on our tackling.”

Record Breakers

Individual Laguna football records set this year

 Rushing yards, game – Alec Jaffe, 361 (10/23 vs. Calvary Chapel)

 Touchdown passes, game – Austin Paxson, 5 (9/11/09 vs. CdM)

 Touchdown passes, season – Austin Paxson, 24

 Touchdown passes, career – Austin Paxson, 33

 Catches, game – Chris Paul, 15 (10/1/09 vs. Garden Grove)

 Touchdown catches, game – Chris Paul, 4 (9/11/09 vs. CdM)

 Touchdown catches, season – Chris Paul, 18

 Touchdown catches, career – Chris Paul, 26