Laguna Beach is ready for battle in the Foxtrot League opener

The realignment of leagues across Orange County's high school football landscape largely meant lesser-known opponents.

However, Laguna Beach had a long history with Northwood, its first opponent in the new Foxtrot League.

In a game unlike any in the previous three seasons, Laguna Beach edged Northwood 7-6 in a tough battle at Irvine High.

The Breakers defeated the Timberwolves for the fourth time in as many seasons, but had averaged 34.7 points per game in the previous three meetings.

Laguna Beach (6-0) got the ball into the red zone on its first drive, but Jackson Kollock was chased out of the pocket multiple times. The senior quarterback dropped two tackles for a short completion, threw himself over the body on another attempt and was eventually intercepted by Joseph Harper.

Northwood (5-1) again had the answer defensively on the Breakers' next possession. Kollock threw a deep throw over the middle, but Cole Hidalgo pursued it like a center fielder for another interception.

Possession was critical, especially as the Timberwolves methodically moved the ball upfield. A 15-play drive that included its longest gain – a 31-yard run by Harper – ended with no points when a 22-yard field goal did no good.

Three plays later, Kollock launched a throw down the right sideline. Luke Jolley made a contested catch and outran the defender the rest of the way for a 78-yard touchdown.

Laguna Beach's Redmond Chesley (0) finds a gap behind his blockers during the Foxtrot League opener against Northwood on Friday at Irvine High.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

“We pretty much told Jackson we wanted to give it a try,” Laguna Beach coach John Shanahan said. “We have to stretch them vertically. Sometimes we throw things like that, but we're not necessarily trying to score a touchdown. We're really just trying to scare the defense a little bit and get them to back away from us a little bit, but Jolley made a great catch and didn't go down and intercepted it in the end zone.”

Northwood's next attack began near midfield, and once again the Timberwolves effectively ran the clock. Nearly six minutes had passed before the Timberwolves stormed from the huddle to the line, with Gavin Lounsbury scoring on a quarterback sneak with 55 seconds left in the half. The extra point kick was blocked.

Charlie Hunt intercepted a Timberwolves one-two pass attempt on the first play of the second half, but the Breakers turned the ball over on downs and were unable to take advantage of prime field position.

Northwood returned to the red zone midway through the fourth quarter, but another special teams error played a big role in the outcome. Lounsbury was preparing for a 35-yard field goal to take the lead and had to pull the ball out because it came too low to get hold of the ball in time for the kickoff.

Laguna Beach defensive back Wyatt Degner (7) trips against Northwood running back Jace Lin on Friday at Irvine High.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Hidalgo ran through the kick and into a wheel route. Lounsbury received a pass, Hidalgo made the catch down the right sideline, but was tackled from behind by Wyatt Bogdan and Henry Rounaghi at the 10-yard line, just 2 yards from first down.

Behind an offensive line of left tackle Leonardo Adjemian, left guard Ollie Lyles, center Fletcher Liao, right guard Alex Wang-Huhem and right tackle Gage Lee, the Breakers were able to hold onto the ball for the final seven minutes. Shanahan said the Breakers lost three offensive linemen this season — Charlie Kelly, Hudson Mills and Sam Boxberger.

“We have so many injuries up front,” Shanahan said. “We're just not in the rhythm. We really have problems. We'll find out. Jackson didn't play particularly well tonight, but he did some things that mattered late in the game, made some good throws and made some good decisions to get the long drive at the end.

“We play really good defense. We do a great job on special teams and we just have to find a way to be a little better on offense. We could be a pretty good football team.”

Northwood's Cole Hidalgo (1) is surrounded by Laguna Beach's Henry Rounaghi (53), Redmond Chesley (0), Will Kimball (15) and Wyatt Bogdan (17), preventing him from scoring a decisive fourth goal.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

In the battle of the undefeated, Laguna Beach was the one that kept its winning streak alive. Kollock believes the team has shown a “toughness” that can lead to further success.

“The hardness with which we all played definitely stood out to me,” Kollock said. “Between the defense and ours [offensive] Line, I just have to hand it to these guys. It's amazing to end up putting together a seven minute ride. If you can do that, you will win a lot of football games. When your defense can hold teams to six points, it’s hard to lose games when that happens.”

The Breakers rattled off three straight stunning victories, the last being a 40-0 victory over El Dorado, which led to Laguna Beach's first-round exit from the playoffs last season.

Laguna Beach's Henry Rounaghi runs down Northwood's Joseph Harper with help from Wyatt Bogdan, Redmond Chesley (0) and Wyatt Degner (bottom).

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

“Both teams’ defense really kept the score down, which just made the game more entertaining and competitive,” Jolley said after the Breakers outscored the team 132-0 in their last three games.

Harper had a game-high 94 rushing yards and added a reception of 27 yards.

“I was afraid of big games, and that’s exactly what happened,” Harper said. “The quarterback [Kollock]there are a lot of plays where he spreads out and just throws it down the field. … I thought if we could keep them to 14 or seven [points]we could really give ourselves a chance and we did. It's just really disappointing. I really wanted to beat these guys.”

Laguna Beach quarterback Jackson Kollock (12) throws on the run during a Foxtrot League opener against Northwood.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Foxtrot League

Laguna Beach 7, Northwood 6

RESULTS BY QUARTERS

Laguna Beach 0 – 7 – 0 – 0 – 7

Northwood 0 – 6 – 0 – 0 – 6

FIRST QUARTER

None.

SECOND QUARTER

LB – Jolley 78 pass from Kollock (Jolley kick), 6:56.

N – Lounsbury 2 run (Hidalgo kick blocked), 0:55.

THIRD QUARTER

None.

FOURTH QUARTER

None.

INDIVIDUAL HEALING

LB-Chesley, 7-39.

N-Harper, 17-94.

INDIVIDUAL HAPPENING

LB – Kollock, 20-31-2, 219, 1 TD.

N – Lounsbury, 10/19/0, 81.

INDIVIDUAL RECEPTION

LB – Jolley, 3-85, 1 TD; Stringham, 5-55.

N-Harper, 1-27; Hidalgo, 3-22.