Beckman

The start to the 2007 girls? volleyball season may have been a slow one out of the gate for the Laguna Beach Breakers, but now the team is on a roll heading into the start of the second season: the CIF-Southern Section playoffs. Laguna, which won the Division II-AA title last November, began defense of that title Thursday against Beckman. Laguna , the division?s top-seed, drew a first-round bye but Beckman had to defeat Glendora in the opening round of the playoffs Tuesday to earn a date with the Breakers.

Four victories in five games earned the Laguna Beach High boys' basketball team the Silver Bracket championship last week at the Cerritos-Gahr Tournament. The Breakers bounced back from a tournament-opening loss to St. John Bosco to win its final four games to earn the bracket title. In a 71-57 loss to the Braves, Cheyne Martin scored 24 points and Brian Delino had 13. The Breakers then began their four-game win streak with a 50-28 romp past Long Beach Millikan. Martin netted 25 points and Marcus Hairston nine points in the win. Next came a 79-65 win over Animo of Inglewood, with Martin producing 35 points to go along with 12 rebounds and four assists.

Boys boosts record to 6-1 with victory over Beckman. Northwood is up next.A second half surge Wednesday was enough to secure another Pacific Coast League triumph for the Laguna Beach High boys' soccer team. By opening up its arsenal in the second half, which included using the give-and-go and chip passes, the Breakers posted four goals and shut down visiting Beckman, 5-0. The win improved Laguna's league record to 6-1 and overall mark to 11-3-1. This victory pushes the Breakers back into first-place in the league standings.

Laguna High boys', girls' teams look strong as they cruise to easy league victories.The Laguna Beach High boys' basketball team worked its way back into the win column Wednesday when it routed host Beckman, 57-23, in Pacific Coast League action. The Breakers controlled the game early and improved to 2-5 in league. Both victories have come at the expense of Beckman. The entire Laguna lineup got into the scoring act, paced by 22 points by Cheyne Martin. Ryan Lawler scored nine points and had six rebounds, and Jeff Clark and Bobby Monroe each scored seven points.

Boys open league play with 3-0 victory.A 2 1/2 -week break from competition didn't seem to faze the Laguna Beach High boys' soccer team Wednesday. Showing no signs of rust from the long layoff, the Breakers trotted past visiting Beckman, 3-0, at Guyer Field. The Pacific Coast League opener for both teams was played on a surface wet from Monday's heavy rains. "The field conditions weren't the best in the world, seeing that it rained quite a bit this week, but my boys played well and we got that all-important first league win," Laguna coach Giovanni Vlahos said.

Boys roll past Marina High; girls top Garden Grove in overtime.The Laguna Beach High boys' basketball team kicked off the week by playing one of its most complete games of the young 2005-06 season, as the Breakers ran past Marina, 72-56, in the opening round of the Century Holiday Classic. The 16-team tournament is hosted by Century High in Santa Ana. The Breakers and Vikings tipped off at 10:30 a.m. Monday, but the early start didn't faze the Breakers. Laguna bolted out to a 28-9 lead after one quarter and was in command at the half, 49-23.

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.

Chheng and Preston out for season as Laguna loses to CdM.When the Laguna Beach High football team dropped a 27-0 Pacific Coast League game to Corona del Mar on Oct. 20, the setback proved to be more costly than just a loss. Two key cogs on the team, Garrett Preston and George Chheng, suffered season-ending injuries. The seniors were both two-way starters. Preston suffered a torn quadricep and Chheng a knee injury. The good news in the loss to Corona del Mar, Breakers coach Jimmy Nolan said, was the fact that Laguna's defense played "much better" than it did in its previous game, a 52-7 loss to Tesoro on Oct. 7. For the third consecutive week, the Laguna offense was held to a touchdown or less.

Laguna Beach will face the new Irvine school for the first time Thursday in a league game.Two schools which have never met on the gridiron will do so Thursday when Laguna Beach takes on Beckman of Irvine in a Pacific Coast League game at Tustin High. Beckman opened its doors in 2004 and is in its first year of playing football at the varsity level. Laguna, on the other hand, first fielded a team in 1935. But like two other teams who call the Pacific Coast League home, Laguna coach Jimmy Nolan says that this is a program to keep an eye on. "They are a future powerhouse, like Northwood and Tesoro have become," he said.