LAGUNA BEACH – Laguna Beach rode its physical defense to a 21-14 win against Boron in a CIF-SS Division 13 second-round playoff game Friday night at Laguna Beach High.
Boron entered play with two of the most prolific running backs in the division: Laron Cherry and Emilio Gutierrez. The duo rushed for 175 and 188 yards, respectively, but scored just twice.
“I coached at Tustin High for a long time and I’ve seen good running backs. Those guys are warriors over there,” Laguna Beach coach John Shanahan said. “Our kids just gutted it out.”
The Breakers were kept off the scoreboard in the first half and trailed 6-0 at halftime. Laguna Beach quarterback Curtis Harrison made plays with his legs in the second half. The junior rushed for 51 yards on six attempts after halftime and ran for all three of the Breakers’ touchdowns.
On the opening possession of the second half, Harrison scored on a 34-yard run to give the Breakers a 7-6 lead early.
On the ensuing Boron possession, sophomore Sean Nolan intercepted a pass for the Breakers and returned it to the Boron 15-yard line. Harrison scored on a quarterback sneak to give Laguna Beach a 14-6 lead.
Gutierrez answered with a 15-yard touchdown run and then converted the two-point conversion to tie the score at 14.
