Sophomore nearly rallies Laguna Beach to victory

LAGUNA BEACH - Laguna Beach lost for the third time this season Saturday, but those who watched the Breakers’ 17-15 loss to Piedmont might have witnessed the passing of the torch.

After a season of offensive frustration - the Breakers (0-3) were outscored in the first 10 quarters of the season, 81-0 - sophomore Austin Paxson came off the bench in the second half and led the Breakers to their first two touchdowns, a 25-yard pass and a 1-yard quarterback sneak.

His effort fell short when Lawrence Davis kicked a 25-yard field goal with 13 seconds remaining for Piedmont (1-2).

Laguna Beach was a completely different team with Paxson directing the offense in relief of senior Andrew Paddon, who completed 1 of 14 passes for 1 yard and one interception.

Paddon moved to cornerback in the second half, and Paxson stepped in to to lead the Breakers to two scoring drives.

The offense was more inspired, and that seemed to carry over to the defense.

Laguna Beach's rally began with John Snedegar’s 34-yard field goal early in the third quarter following a Piedmont fumble at its own 17.
 
Paxson completed 3 of 9 pass attempts for 45 yards and one touchdown. He scored on a quarterback sneak with 5:24 left in the game to give Laguna Beach a 15-14 lead, but the Breakers failed to score on a two-point conversion attempt.

Contact the writer: preps@ocregister.com