On September 6th, 2024 Laguna Beach took on Kennedy High School for the first home football game of the season. The bleachers were filled with students who’d been waiting months to see the team play. The Breakers jumped to an early lead with Chesley’s 22-yard touchdown, and it’s safe to say they did not look back. The Breakers ended the first half (21-0) with remarkable defense, including Wyatt Bogdan’s jaw-dropping interception return for a touchdown. The Breakers put up a dominant display as they pummeled the Fighting Irish (51-0) with 83 rushing yards and 206 receiving yards, leaving no room for doubt about their superiority.
Jackson Kollok, a University of Minnesota commit, steered the way with 15 rushing yards and 139 passing yards. “Our defense showed up tonight,” says Kollock, “they really put 100% effort in every play”. Laguna’s defense was indeed relentless, with Charlie Hunt being voted Most Valuable Player by the defensive coach, Hunter Braun. With two sacks and a pick-6, Hunt had an outstanding game leading the defense to keep Kennedy at 0 points.
Murray had a productive game on the ground with 2 rushing touchdowns. He finished the game making it look easy with 41 receiving yards and 38 rushing yards.
As if it couldn’t get any better, Grant Regal sealed the deal with a 58-yard touchdown in the 4th quarter to put the breakers up 49-0. The breakers secured the victory, sending a message to the rest of their competitors that they’re prepared and ready to dominate this season.
The Laguna Beach football team is a close-knit group with 15 seniors and 12 juniors, most of whom have participated in the football program since day one. The team has been looking forward to this season and they’ve been putting in the work with practices almost every day of the week. The team recently traveled to Japan as part of an exchange program with a Japanese football team to experience what it was like for the Japanese team there and to get some practice and quality time in with each other. Last year the Japanese team came down to experience Laguna Beach and practice with the team, so it was Laguna’s turn this year to visit. “We’ve all really gotten closer these past months, ” says Jolley, “we’re gonna have a fun season for sure.”
OC Student Sections made an appearance at the game and our student section didn’t disappoint. The Wave Cave is currently ranked 11th place on OC student Sections socials. The Breakers have some exciting league games coming up including teams like Dana Hills, Aliso Niguel, and El Dorado. We hope to see you at the next one!
