Summer Sports
Laguna Beach High School Athletics summer programs
Check out the programs for all sports here. Don’t miss out if you plan to play sports at Laguna Beach High School.
Basketball
The boys squad went 15-9 for the summer while the girls team did make it to the championship of the summer El Toro tournament losing to Trabuco Hills 56-50.
Water Polo
Junior Olympics are underway this week and next up in the Palo alto area. Boys started on July 20 and concluded July 23 while Girls were held July 25-28. Report next week.
LAGUNA FALL SPORTS:
Cross Country
Coach Tommy Newton-Neal is back at the helm for his third season rebuilding the boys’ program. Coach Steve Lalim is returning for his 17th year, making every section finals since becoming the girls’ coach in 2008. The first meet is Aug. 30.
Girls Golf
Coach Sean Quigley returns for his third season as the girls team now joins the equally competitive Pacific Coast League. The first non-league match is on Aug. 26.
Boys Sand Volleyball
Paul Cuevas is the coach, and the team hopes to improve on its 8-3 run last season. Kai Patchel will be a force on this team. The schedule will be posted in late August for the sport’s eleventh season at Laguna. Matches are held at Main Beach.
Girls Tennis
Coach Robert Klugman also returns for his third season. After winning the D2 SSCIF Title last season, the squad will be in the competitive Pacific Coast League.
Boys Water Polo
The 61st season opens on Aug. 22 with Crean Lutheran. The squad will compete in the Santa Barbara, South Coast and Bellarmine Memorial Cup tournaments. Camron Hauer is back for his third season at the helm, and the team is a favorite for the Pacific Coast League title after finishing second in the Sunset last season.
Girls Volleyball
Sinan Tinek is back for his fourth season and expecting a competitive run. The benefits of Leif Hansen’s Laguna Coast Volleyball Club are showing as Laguna will be in their 52nd season under CIF. Queens Court Tournament concludes the summer training on August 3-4.
90 Years of Laguna Football
Five weeks until the start of the 2024 season: Aug. 23 at St. Margaret’s
Part 4 – The “Dark” Era 1988-2005
Last week, we looked at how Laguna kept up with the urbanization of Orange County after Disneyland opened in 1955. The program’s winning ways ended abruptly when the school enrollment plunged over 30%, making it difficult for the school to compete in 11-player football. Over the next 18 seasons, Laguna was in the Pacific Coast League for all sports at a substantial competitive disadvantage. The league affiliation was based on geography: Trabuco Hills (8 seasons replaced by University; Laguna Hills was followed by Corona del Mar; Woodbridge – replaced by Estancia, then Tesoro; Costa Mesa (16 seasons), replaced by Calvary, and Orange followed by Century; Aliso Niguel then finally Northwood. After averaging an enrollment of over 1,000 students from 1963-1987 – 25 seasons, the next 18 saw an enrollment average of under 800 students, with the bottom hit in 1989 with barely 300 boys in the school. Laguna struggled, only going 42-135-4 overall and 13-76-1 in league play, with many lopsided scores and a real safety concern for the players with a very thin roster of players.
The squad did have a few talented athletes honored by the league despite Laguna’s record. Kickers Jason Crabbe, Brad Bohn and Todd Merz; receivers Will Blodgett and Eric Fegraus; quarterbacks Pat Wood and Alex Wilson were among the top players. Laguna sports finally got county support for a competitive league in 2006 with the formation of the Orange Coast League and an enrollment surge back above 1,000 students.
Happy Birthday to Skipper Carrillo, who turned 86 last week. Carrillo has been part of the local youth sports scene since 1958.
Have a note/question on Laguna sports/correction/update? E-mail Frank at Frank@twometer.net. Looking for the 2023-24 high school schedules and scores? Check Laguna Beach High School on the Max Preps website.
