LBUSD sets six goals spanning literacy, mental health, arts and the “Laguna experience”

By SARA HALL

The Laguna Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) Board of Education last week unanimously approved six district goals focused on reading and writing, mental health and wellness, student growth and challenge, governance clarity, visual and performing arts and the “Laguna experience.”

Board members voted 5-0 on September 24 to approve the 2026-27 school board goals. The “visioning process” is intended to inform future district priorities, organizational work and the metrics used to determine success.

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Courtesy of LBUSD

The school board approved six visioning goals for the district, including a focus on visual and performing arts

Overall, board members praised the goals and commended staff’s work on the effort.

“These are excellent goals. I appreciate all the hard work that you all did on this,” said Board President Sheri Morgan.

She noted that the goals have been in the works for some time.

“I’m super excited for the swiftness with which you were able to capture what has been discussed over the last two years and desired by this board for our students and for the direction of our district,” Morgan commented.

Board members also suggested a few minor adjustments and clarifications to the language.

The final categories were determined through two years of stakeholder engagement and school board discussions. In July, the board agreed on several areas of focus.

With the goals now approved, they will be included in administrative evaluations, budget allocations will be determined accordingly and a routine progress schedule will be set.

The “Laguna experience” goal states that “every LBUSD student will experience a school environment that is joyful, connected, challenging, creative, welcoming, inclusive, and reflective of the distinctive character of Laguna Beach.”

“We will build on a strong foundation of engaging and meaningful learning,” said Jennifer Moss, interim director of special education and program specialist.

The school district will develop a K-12 Laguna experience map and establish a participation index for students across schools, grade levels, programs and student groups, Moss explained. The district is also conducting a feasibility study to explore expanded programming for students with extensive support needs, she added.

For the mental health goal, the aim is to “strengthen student well-being by helping students develop self-awareness, personal strengths, healthy coping strategies, resilience, supportive relationships, and the skills necessary to navigate personal and academic challenges.”

The district plans to continue periodically reviewing student wellness data as an ongoing best practice, explained Director of Social Emotional Support Michael Keller. The data will measure student belonging, experiences with stress, levels of resilience and access to trusted adults.

Another goal ensures that “every LBUSD student will experience meaningful academic growth, appropriate challenge, and access to relevant learning opportunities that reflect individual interests, strengths, readiness, and future goals.”

The district is reviewing any potential gaps between courses and across grade spans and subjects, said Coordinator of Learning and Innovation Andrew Crisp.

As part of the governance-related goal, the aim is to “maintain a current, transparent, and locally responsive policy and governance framework through which the Board of Education establishes direction and expectations and staff implements that direction through clear roles, responsibilities, and predictable organizational processes.”

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School board reviews safety measures following contentious May meeting, protest

By SARA HALL

The Laguna Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) Board of Education on September 24 reviewed safety and preparedness recommendations for future board meetings. No action was taken on the discussion-only item.

“The time to plan for these things is when they’re not happening,” said Superintendent Don Austin.

On May 12, board members voted 3-2 in closed session to cut ties with then-Superintendent Jason Glass. Two days later, in another 3-2 vote, the board appointed Austin as superintendent.

On May 14, nearly 200 people lined the street and filled the meeting room, with almost all supporting Glass and criticizing the board for its actions. Many wore shirts or held signs that declared “Shame on you” or waved pom-poms.

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Submitted photo

Protesters at the May 14 demonstration outside of the school board meeting

Board members unanimously agreed in closed session on September 10 to release the findings of an investigation into the tumultuous meeting.

Investigators concluded that it was an exercise of First Amendment rights but was “angry, intense, loud, and targeted at specific board members who felt intimidated and harassed.” They also found no evidence of criminal activity or intent to physically harm board members or others.

Recommendations included assigning staff to review social media to identify potential issues and prepare for possible disruptions, and considering changing the meeting location.

Missing from the recommendations was a discussion of what the board could have done differently leading up to the protest, commented member Joan Malczewski.

“I find it shocking, but not surprising, that the board majority has demonstrated no ability to be reflective about the events on May 14 or to think deeply about how their actions contributed to what followed,” she said. “It’s entirely laughable for any board member to claim that they were targeted. People protested board members who made bad decisions. It’s not bullying, it’s the reason for the protest.”

It’s important for students and the public to protest and exercise their democratic rights. This could have been a lesson in democracy, she said.

“This board majority, instead of having an educative moment, launched an investigation that was targeted toward parents, students and staff,” Malczewski commented.

Board member Dee Perry was most bothered by the “I hate (specific board member)” signs, not by the fact that people were upset about the decision.

“I could see the anger in people’s eyes and that was really, really concerning to me,” Perry said. “I just don’t feel like this was a safe situation because of all the anger.”

The school district needs to do a better job preparing for future public protests and keeping them more orderly, said board member Howard Hills.

He said he thought the investigators “missed the point” in the report, particularly regarding his concern that Perry was not freely able to exercise her right of assembly because the crowd momentarily prevented her from entering the building to attend the meeting.

President Sheri Morgan recommended staff develop a follow-up process for events with any “social and emotional touchpoints.” Programs in the past have addressed what bullying, intimidation and targeting look like, she noted, and the district should use funds already in the budget to rethink that approach.

During public comment, a handful of speakers urged the board to reflect on the reason for the protest.

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Sports diplomacy comes to Laguna

By CLARA BEARD

The Olympic and Paralympic Games may be coming to Los Angeles in 2028, but a panel at the Rivian South Coast Theater made the case that Orange County has plenty at stake.

Laguna Beach resident Jayne Herring, president and CEO of the World Affairs Council of Orange County, moderated the discussion. Panelists included New Zealand Consul General Katja Ackerly, Orange County Sports Commission Executive Director Anthony Brenneman, former USA Rugby captain Todd Clever and attorney Jeremy Evans of California Sports Lawyer.

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Photos courtesy of World Affairs of OC/Jan Schrieber

Panelists take questions on sports diplomacy from moderator Jayne Herring

The discussion centered around the relationships, business opportunities and public diplomacy generated when the world’s biggest sporting events arrive in Southern California.

“The world’s biggest sporting events are no longer measured by medals or championships,” Herring told the audience. “Their lasting legacy lies in the relationships that they build between nations, communities, businesses and future generations.”

Ackerly drew on New Zealand’s experience co-hosting the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The tournament was a chance to put women athletes on the same stage as men, encourage participation and introduce more visitors to New Zealand, she said.

“The Olympics is something for everyone,” Ackerly said, adding that major events also bring practical questions about transportation, heat, ticket prices and the experience offered to international visitors.

Clever, who has played rugby in 37 countries and represented the United States internationally, spoke about athletes as ambassadors.

“I knew I represented more than myself and more than my teammates,” he said. “I represented 330 million people back home wherever I was playing.”

He said athletes have an opportunity to engage with the public beyond game day, whether through school visits, youth programs or other outreach. After retiring, Clever launched the Todd Clever Foundation to give back to the sport and help make opportunities for young people.

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Audience members listen to the discussion

“It kind of comes back to the word legacy,” Clever said. “What do you want to be known for?”

The most immediate local focus was LA28. Brenneman said Orange County will host men’s and women’s indoor volleyball at the Honda Center in Anaheim, while surfing is scheduled for Lower Trestles in San Clemente. Yet the county’s role will be much bigger than those two events, he said, with visitors expected to stay throughout Orange County with international Olympic committees exploring local training sites.

Brenneman said about 11 national Olympic committees are currently expected to train in Orange County before the Games, a number he expects to grow.

“The way that you get to look at the Olympics is not the end goal,” he said. “You have to look at it as the catalyst.”

That means using the Games to build longer-term tourism, sports and transportation improvements, he said. Brenneman pointed to the rail line connecting San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles as one existing asset that could make travel easier for visitors and residents alike.

The larger challenge is getting Orange County’s cities, institutions and businesses to think regionally, he said.

“When we’re able to put that all together, we’re able to function like a well-oiled machine that can compete with any major destination out there,” Brenneman said.

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Guests enjoy a spread from local restaurant Nirvana by Lindsay

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Fall 2026 Sports Update

Football (3-2)

The Breakers received a forfeit win from their opening opponent, Yorba Linda, who was required to forfeit four non-league wins (Laguna (34-21), Long Beach Poly (30-13), El Dorado (27-0), and Esperanza (42-7) due to a number of CIF violations. The Mustangs did lose to Laguna league rival Huntington Beach 29-25 last week. The Breakers will face the Oilers in the last regular season game on October 30 at their historic on-campus stadium.

Defense Update:

The Breakers had 2 1/2 sacks against San Pedro and 48 total tackles. Grayson Kazmouz (Boise State) led with 1.5 sacks, both resulting in key defensive stops that forced punts. Wyatt Bogdan led in tackles with 10.

This week:

#59 Breakers traveled to Fullerton High School last evening (Thursday, Oct. 1) for their Delta League opener against Troy High School. The Warriors are 3-2 and are ranked #106 in the Southern Section after losing 26-12 at El Dorado on Friday (Sept. 25). The Warriors’ wins were over Fullerton (28-21), Segerstrom (42-0) and Sunny Hills (42-0). Their other loss was (7-0) to Rio Hondo Prep.

Next week:

Another Thursday game, this time at El Modena on October 8. Laguna was 34-40 in Thursday contests out of 890 games played for the varsity program entering this week’s Troy contest.

Laguna is currently ranked #59 out of 374 SS-CIF football schools.

Remaining Games:

October 8 – El Modena #51

October 16 – Dana Hills #37

October 23 – Western #184

October 30 – Huntington Beach #22

Past games

August 21 – Yorba Linda #30

August 28 – Orange #33

September 4 – Shadow Ridge (NV) #16 in Nevada (equal to #108 in SS-CIF)

September 10 – Westlake #28

September 25 – San Pedro LA-CIF ranked # 2 (equal to #93 in SS-CIF)

October 1 – Troy #106

(Follow the team on Instagram @lbhsbreakerfootball.)

Game and season statistics are posted on MaxPreps.

Cross Country

The team is then off until October 9 when they travel to Fresno for the Clovis Invitational which is held on the State CIF course at Woodward Park.

Boys Beach Volleyball (6–2, 2–2)

The 8th Annual Laguna’s Pairs tournament was Friday, Sept. 25 at Main Beach. Winner Newport Harbor Team #1 (Hudson Mann & Jett Evans) d. Huntington Beach Team #2 (Kenno Kosty & Dylan Hunter).

Finishing in third place was Corona del Mar #1 (Marco Dibella & Cash Alexander).

How Laguna’s pairs did:

#1 Vince and Julian Merheb won their pool, but lost in the playoffs to eventual champion Newport #1, 23-21; #2 Jacob Bystrom and Declan McCormick lost in the playoffs to Los Alamitos and #3 Bo Carson and Nico Lerum won their pool, but lost 22-20 to Newport in the playoffs.

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Courtesy of Laguna High Athletics

2026 Boys Beach Volleyball – Laguna’s Top Pairs: (L-R) Coach Eric Dickson, Vince Merhab, Julian Merhab, Bo Carson, Jacob Bystrom, Declan McCormick, Nico Lerum, Head Coach Paul Cuevas and Asst. Coach Riley Gapp. Breakers will host Newport Harbor on Monday, Oct. 5 at 3 p.m. on Main Beach.

Laguna d. Crean Lutheran, 6-1, on Monday, Sept. 28 at Crean

#1 Julian Merheb/Vince Merheb lost 16-21, 18-21

#2 Nico Lerum/Bo Carson WON 21-13, 21-16

#3 Jacob Bystrom/Truman Smith WON 21-13, 21-18

#4 Quinn Halloran/Kurt Moen WON 21-13, 21-10

#5 Cole Steinke/ Ethan Cauley WON 21-13, 20-22, 15-3

Four Man – Laguna Beach WON 28-22

(Julian Merhab, Vince Merhab, Nico Lerum, Jacob Bystrom, Truman Smith, Quinn Halloran and Kurt Moen)

Laguna d. Aliso Niguel, 7-0, on Wednesday, Sept. 30 at Main Beach

#1 Julian Merheb/Vince Merheb WON 21-14, 21-5

#2 Jacob Bystrom/Declan McCormick WON 21-14, 21-10

#3 Quinn Halloran/Kurt Moen WON 21-14, 17-21, 15-9

#4 Nico Lerum/Bo Carson WON 21-11, 21-13

#5 Cole Steinke/Ethan Cauley WON 21-11, 21-9

Four Man – Laguna Beach WON 28-17

(Julian Merhab, Vince Merhab, Nico Lerum, Jacob Bystrom, Truman Smith, Quinn Halloran and Kurt Moen)

The remaining Team competition schedule:

Monday, Oct. 5 Newport Harbor

Wednesday, Oct. 7 San Clemente

(Follow the team on Instagram @lbhsboysbeachvolleyball.)

Girls Golf (4–4, 2-1)

The Breakers defeated Pacifica Christian, 241-260, on Tuesday, Sept. 29 in a league match at Ben Brown’s (par 32). Brooklyn Guerra was Laguna Beach’s low scorer, shooting a 44, while Briana Silver from PCOC had the low score for the match with 43.

The Breakers hosted Sage Hill yesterday (Thursday, Oct. 1) and will host Rosary Academy on October 7.

Flag Football (6–9, 4–2)

The Breakers appear to have clinched a playoff spot with a wild 40-6 win over Irvine on Monday, Sept. 28 at Guyer Field. Leading 7-6 at the half, the teams agreed to shorten the half-time break due to the lights automatically turning off at 9 p.m. Laguna outscored the Vaqueros 33-0 to win the contest in resounding fashion. Irvine had defeated Laguna 7-6 back on September 2.

The key remaining Pacific Hills League contest is at Pacifica Christian (0-5, 8-12) on October 7.

Girls Tennis (3–6, 0-2)

On Monday, Sept. 28 Laguna defeated San Clemente 10-8 on the Breakers’ courts, with Rachel Jolley joining Rebecca MacCallum in sweeping her singles sets. The Breakers picked up four set wins in doubles to secure the overall win.

The following day Laguna lost 14-4 at University, with Rebecca MacCallum taking all three sets for three of the Breakers’ four points.

SS-CIF rankings as of September 30 had the Breakers #75 out of 370 schools. They faced Woodbridge yesterday (Oct. 1) and next week are at Sage Hill on October 6 and Portola on October 8.

Girls Volleyball (8-13, 5–1)

The Breakers rallied and held off visiting Woodbridge on Tuesday, Sept. 29 with a 27-29, 25-17, 25-13, 25-21 win over the Warriors, clinching at least second place in the Pacific Hills League. Laguna played Pacifica Christian yesterday (Thursday, Oct. 1) and will travel to Irvine on October 8 for the league title deciding match.

Against Woodbridge, the Breakers started slowly allowing the visitors to build a 12-7 lead before battling back to lead 25-24. Teams then traded back-and-forth before Laguna miscues handed the 29-27 win to Woodbridge. Set two was tight and tied at 15-15 before tough serving by Maia Miller and Savannah Mair allowed Laguna to pull away. Set three was tied at five before Laguna’s serving took over and the Breakers coasted to the set win. In set four, the Breakers were a little too complacent and could not shake the visitors until Savannah Mair served five aces. Laguna’s tough serving by Savanna Farris also contributed to the Warriors’ passing woes in the final set.

Finley Dorst led the team with 15 match kills, Collete Dorst added 12, while the top servers were Savannah Mair with seven aces and 11 serve rotation points. Collete Dorst recorded 13 rotation serving points and had four aces. Siena Utge had 21 assists, with Savannah Mair adding 11 and Savanna Faris 7 assists.

The day before, Laguna lost a non-league match at home to Corona del Mar 25-17, 25-23, 25-21 with Zoey Bond leading the team with seven kills and three blocks. Savannah Mair had four aces.

Boys Water Polo (13–6, 2-0)

Laguna continued league play with their 14th consecutive Pacific Coast League regular season league play victory defeating host University 16-10 on Tuesday, Sept. 29. Zach Hornstein scored five goals, Finn Leverty had four and Masen McKinzie with three. Single scores were from Mason Jakle, Cash Bina, Warren Rootleib and Cade Chaldu.

Today (Friday, Oct. 2), at El Toro High School, Laguna will host Los Alamitos (8-10) in a Senior Day celebration for Laguna’s players. Game time is 4 p.m. and admission is free.

SS-CIF playoff brackets will post by Friday, Oct. 23, 2 p.m. at www.cifss.org.

(Follow the team on Instagram @laguna_boys_waterpolo.)

• • •

Have a note on LBHS sports? Email me at frank@twometer.net.

If you would like an updated free PDF file of the 2026 Football Record Book, drop me an email request – Volleyball, Boys Basketball, Girls Water Polo and Baseball are all currently being revised for 2026-27 season – older edition PDFs are also available.

2026-27 High School Schedules? Check Laguna Beach High School on the MaxPreps website or the schedules tab on the Athletics website at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/schedules. To get scores on the school site – select the sport and level, click year and move to the “Show older events” toggle under the selected season.

Follow Breaker Athletics on Instagram at lagunabeachathletics.

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Fall 2026 Sports Update

Football (2-3)

Laguna Scuttles Pirates 21-7

Laguna’s trip to the port community of San Pedro was a defensive battle as the Breakers were able to shut down the high-powered offense of the Pirates (4-1). The Breakers had a few drives stall due to dropped passes, and as the game progressed you could tell it was only a matter of time for Laguna to put the contest away.

The hosts had the initial possession of the game after the Brady Stringham kick-off went to the endzone, but their drive stalled after only six plays when Colter Steris intercepted their deep pass attempt.

Laguna responded in just three plays with a sharp Jack Hurst pass to freshman receiver Ryder Bright that was good for a 60-yard scoring play.

After an exchange of possessions that went three plays and a punt, San Pedro scored on the first play of their third possession as their speedy receiver Jaxson Brown caught a pass on the line of scrimmage and after a great block sped through the Laguna defenders for their lone score. The Pirates were never able to replicate that event as the Laguna defense stifled their numerous tries.

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Photos by Frank Aronoff

Laguna Beach team captains for the San Pedro Game take the field: (L-R) #12 Jack Hurst, # 1 Will Kimball, #17 Wyatt Bogdan and #2 Brady Stringham

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Breakers on Defense

Breakers’ defense was the key for the win, when San Pedro was forced to punt seven times, throw two interceptions and twice turned the ball over on downs

The Breakers had a great drive in the second quarter that went 43 yards before a fumble at the end of a seven-yard run and turned the ball over on the Pirates’ 19-yard line. In the third quarter they had another possession that went 35 yards before they were forced to punt.

San Pedro had no success in their first four possessions in the second half, all lasting just three plays and a punt except the last one, which ended in an interception by Dean Smith that set up Laguna’s final score. In that drive, Will Kimball caught a great pass for 12 yards, Charlie Christian ran five key times, and the final play was a classic Jack Hurst to Brady Stringham with a pass and catch touchdown.

Breakers 7-0-0-14 = 21

Pirates 7-0-0-0 = 7

First Quarter

L – Bright 60 pass from Hurst (Stringham kick) 7:47

SP – Brown 54 pass from Solorio (Moreno kick) 4:56

Second Quarter

No scoring

Third Quarter

No scoring

Fourth Quarter

L – Stringham 5 pass from Hurst (Stringham kick) 8:52

L – Stringham 16 pass from Hurst (Stringham kick) 2:19

Game Statistics:

First Downs: LB – 17, SP – 9

Rushing (Carries/Yards): LB – 30/132, SP – 23/69

Passing Yards: LB – 157, SP – 121

Total Yards/Plays: LB – 289/61, SP – 190/47

Return Yards: LB – 31, SP – 24

Fumbles/Lost: LB – 2/1, SP – 3/0

Punts/Ave: LB – 6/34.5, SP – 6/34.2

Penalties/Yds: LB – 3/40, SP – 5/44

Record Watch:

Jack Hurst is now #5 all-time for Laguna in career total offense, #3 in passing yards, #1 in efficiency rating and #2 (tied) in touchdown passes thrown.

Brady Stringham is now #3 in career scoring, #2 in career touchdown passes caught and is only the fifth Laguna player ever to pass 2,000 career receiving yards.

This week:

#59 Breakers travel to Fullerton High School on Thursday, Oct. 1 for their Delta League opener against Troy High School. The Warriors are 3-2 and ranked #106 in the Southern Section after losing 26-12 at El Dorado on Friday (Sept. 25).

The Warriors’ wins were over Fullerton (28-21), Segerstrom (42-0) and Sunny Hills (42-0). Their other loss was 7-0 to Rio Hondo Prep.

Laguna is currently ranked #59 out of 374 SS-CIF football schools.

Remaining Games:

October 1 – Troy #106

October 8 – El Modena #51

October 16 – Dana Hills #37

October 23 – Western #184

October 30 – Huntington Beach #22

Past Games:

August 21 – Yorba Linda #30

August 28 – Orange #33

September 4 – Shadow Ridge (NV) #16 in Nevada (equal to #108 in SS-CIF)

September 10 – Westlake #28

September 9/25 – San Pedro LA-CIF ranked # 2 (equal to # 3 in SS-CIF)

(Follow the team on Instagram @lbhsbreakerfootball.)

Game and season statistics are posted on Max Preps.

Cross Country

The squads were at the Carlsbad Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 26 (Cal State San Marcos) taking on a three-mile course.

Laguna Girls were led by Ella Volpe (18:45), Coco Loo (19:21), Maryam Khabazian (19:39), Natalia Chudliegh (20:04) and Emme Zajda (20:28).

The team finished third out of 25 scoring schools with just Trabuco Hills and Los Alamitos finishing ahead of them.

The top runner for the Laguna Boys was Carson Kull with a 15:57.7 time and a second-place finish. The Breakers had only three runners compete with Leo Lavorando finishing 11th overall and Deacon Demers 12th out of 144 runners.

The team is now off until October 9 when they’ll travel to Fresno for the Clovis Invitational which is held on the State CIF course at Woodward Park.

Boys Beach Volleyball (4–2, 1–2)

The 8th Annual Laguna Pairs tournament was Friday, Sept. 25 at Main Beach – no results were provided by press time.

The remaining team competition schedule:

Wednesday, Sept. 30 Aliso Niguel

Wednesday, Oct. 7 San Clemente

(Follow the team on Instagram @lbhsboysbeachvolleyball.)

Girls Golf (3–4, 1-1)

The Breakers host Pacifica Christian today (Sept. 29) and Sage Hill on October 1, all at Ben Brown’s.

Flag Football (5–9, 3–2)

Irvine (2-3, 5-6) was here yesterday (Sept. 28) for a key Pacific Hills League contest. The other key league game for the playoff spot is on October 7 at Pacifica Christian.

Only three of the five league teams are guaranteed a post-season spot in the playoffs, and the Breakers hold the tiebreaker with Rosary Academy (2-2, 4-9-1). In the first SS-CIF rankings issued on September 21, Laguna was #121 out of 347 schools.

Girls Tennis (2–5, 0-1)

University defeated Laguna 13-5 on Thursday, Sept. 24 as Rebecca MacCallum swept her singles sets, 6-0, 6-0, 6-0. The Breakers’ other two points came in doubles from the team of Alexis Berger and Grace Koury.

Yesterday (Sept. 28), the team played San Clemente and today (Sept. 29) the squad is at Santa Magarita. Then, Laguna is home on October 1 for Woodbridge (0-1, 3-3).

Girls Volleyball (7-12, 4–1)

Once again inconsistent play proved to be Laguna’s downfall as they dropped a non-league match on Thursday, Sept. 24 at Portola, 21-25, 25-17, 15-25, 17-25.

Kill leaders were Colette Dorst with eight and Finley Dorst with seven. Savannah Mair had three service aces and 15 assists, with Savanna Farris recording 20 digs.

Laguna was home yesterday (Sept. 28) with Corona del Mar in a non-league match and will have two critical Pacific Hills League matches this week hosting Woodbridge today (Sept. 29) and Pacifica Christian on Thursday, Oct. 1, both about 5:15 p.m. in Dugger Gym.

Boys Water Polo (12–6, 1-0)

Laguna opened league play with their 13th consecutive Pacific Coast League regular season league play victory taking host Northwood (9-6) by a 13-9 score. The Breakers have five remaining league contests and three non-league encounters and will be favored in all eight road games.

The league carnival is at Northwood (free admission) with the Breakers playing on October 20 and 21.

Looking at the overtime win by Laguna over Loyola at Corona del Mar on September 19, it was a bullet pass by Zach Hornstein to Mason Gruba in the closing seconds that triggered Mason’s winning shot. A big win for the Breakers this season.

SS-CIF playoff brackets will post by Friday Oct. 23, 2 p.m. at www.cifss.org.

(Follow the team on Instagram @laguna_boys_waterpolo.)

• • •

Have a note on LBHS sports? Email me at frank@twometer.net.

If you would like an updated free PDF file of the 2026 Football Record Book, drop me an email request – Volleyball, Boys Basketball, Girls Water Polo and Baseball all are currently being revised for 2026-27 season – older edition PDFs are also available.

2026-27 High School Schedules? Check Laguna Beach High School on the MaxPreps website or the schedules tab on the Athletics website at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/schedules. To get scores on the school site – select the sport and level, click year and move to the “Show older events” toggle under the selected season.

Follow Breaker Athletics on Instagram at lagunabeachathletics.

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Fall 2026 Sports Update

Cross Country

The squads participate in the Carlsbad Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 26 at Cal State San Marcos taking on their three-mile course. The team is then off until October 9 when they travel to Fresno for the Clovis Invitational which is held on the State CIF course at Woodward Park.

Boys Beach Volleyball (4–2, 1–2)

The 8th Annual Laguna’s Pairs tournament is today (Friday, Sept. 25) at Main Beach. The tourney has grown into California’s premier high school two-man beach event, showcasing top-tier talent from across the state (including plenty of past champions and players who’ve earned D1 volleyball scholarships). Competition starts at 10 a.m.

Laguna 7, Dana Hills 0, Wednesday Sept. 23 at Main Beach

#1 Vince Merheb/Julian Merheb WON 21-9, 21-11

#2 Bo Carson/Nico Lerum WON 21-13, 21-18

#3 Jacob Bystrom/Declan McCormick WON 21-14, 21-16

#4 Quinn Halloran/Kurt Moen WON 21-8, 21-4

#5 Ethan Cauley/Cole Steinke WON 21-17, 21-10

Four-Man Laguna Beach team WON 28-16

(Vince Merheb, Julian Merheb, Jacob Bystrom, Declan McCormick, Bo Carson and Nico Lerum)

The remaining Team competition schedule:

Wednesday, Sept. 30 Aliso Niguel

Wednesday, Oct. 7 San Clemente

(Follow the team on Instagram @lbhsboysbeachvolleyball.)

Girls Golf (3–4, 1-1)

The Breakers defeated Foothill (Las Vegas), 229-251, on Wednesday (Sept. 23) in a non-league match at Ben Brown’s (par 32). Quincy Krizman was the match medalist and low scorer for Laguna Beach, shooting a 42.

This past Tuesday, Laguna lost to El Toro, 220-231, in a non-league match at Ben Brown’s. Sofia Carr had the low score for Laguna Beach with a 42 and the overall low score for the match was shot by El Toro’s Marianne Son with a 37.

Flag Football (5–9, 3–2)

Laguna defeated Pacifica Christian/OC, 14-7, on Wednesday, (Sept. 23) at Guyer Field to move close to a post-season berth. Irvine (2-3, 5-6) will be here on Monday, Sept. 28, 7:30 p.m., for a key Pacific Hills League contest.

Football (1–3)

Up Next:

Laguna travels to LA-CIF #2 San Pedro (4-0) tonight (Sept. 25) for a contest in the port community. The Pirates are one of the oldest high schools in Southern California now in their 120th year. The Breakers and Pirates were in a shootout last year at Guyer Field, with Laguna pulling out a 49-45 win.

Next week:

The #61 Breakers travel to Fullerton High School on Thursday, Oct. 1 for their Delta League opener against Troy High School. The Warriors are 3-1 entering their game tonight with El Dorado and are ranked #81 in the Southern Section.

(Follow the team on Instagram @lbhsbreakerfootball.)

Game and season statistics are posted on Max Preps.

Girls Tennis (2–4, 0-1)

League play opened with a 16-2 loss to Portola, with Rebecca MacCallum winning two of her three singles sets for the only Breakers’ points.

Laguna was at University yesterday (Sept. 24).

Girls Volleyball (7-11, 4–1)

The Breakers struggled for consistency, losing 14-25, 25-23, 22-25, 25-21, 17-19 to Irvine this past Tuesday, Sept. 22 at Dugger Gym. Laguna had match point at 14-13 and 15-14 but could not earn the win.

For the match, Iris Rowe had 12 kills, Finley Dorst nine and Zoey Bond seven. Savannah Mair served a school five-set match record of 11 service aces, also recording 13 digs and dishing out 15 assists. The 20 services aces by the team was the second most in a five-set match since rally scoring began in 2003.

Click on photo for a larger image

Courtesy of Laguna Athletics

Savannah Mair (Fr.) set a new single five-set match school record with 11 service aces against Irvine this past Tuesday, Sept. 22 at Dugger Gym. Despite her heroics, the Breakers fell to the visiting Vaqueros in the thriller.

Laguna is home on September 28, 5:15 p.m., with their 60th meeting with Corona del Mar in a non-league match and then on September 29 in a league match with Woodbridge.

Boys Water Polo (11–6)

This week they traveled to Northwood (7-5) in their Pacific Coast League opener yesterday (Sept. 24) and to University then on September 29.

Key non-league games are October 2 with Los Alamitos (at El Toro) and October 10 at Mater Dei.

The league tournament is October 19-21 at Northwood (free admission).

(Follow the team on Instagram @laguna_boys_waterpolo.)

• • •

Have a note on LBHS sports? Email me at frank@twometer.net.

If you would like an updated free PDF file of the 2026 Football Record Book, drop me an email request; Volleyball, Boys Basketball, Girls Water Polo and Baseball all are currently being revised for 2026-27 season – older edition PDFs are also available.

2026-27 High School Schedules? Check Laguna Beach High School on the MaxPreps website or the schedules tab on the Athletics website at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/schedules. To get scores on the school site – select the sport and level, click year and move to the “Show older events” toggle under the selected season.

Follow Breaker Athletics on Instagram at lagunabeachathletics.

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School Notes

News and notes from our colleges and universities

Connor Dudley, of Laguna Beach, was named to The University of Maryland Global Campus Dean’s List for the summer 2026 term.

To be eligible for the honor, a student must complete at least six credits during the term, earn a grade point average of at least 3.5 for the term, and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.5 at UMGC.

The University of Maryland Global Campus was founded more than 75 years ago specifically to serve the higher education needs of working adults and military servicemembers. Today, UMGC is the largest provider of postsecondary education in Maryland and continues its global tradition with online and hybrid courses, more than 175 classroom and service locations worldwide, and more than 100 degrees and certificates backed by the reputation of a state university and the University System of Maryland.

Have your son or daughter register at their respective school to have information forwarded to Stu News Laguna at tomjohnson@me.com.

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Fall 2026 Sports Update

Cross Country

The Breakers sent runners to participate in the 45th Annual Woodbridge Invitational held on a three-mile course at the Great Park. The Laguna Boys sent lower division runners with Charlie MacGillivray (So.) posting the team’s top mark at 16:02.8. On the Girls side, Ella Volpe had the program’s top time with an 18:57.

Boys Beach Volleyball (3–2, 0-2)

Edison 5, Laguna 2, on Thursday, Sept. 17 at Newland Street Courts, Huntington Beach

#1 Vince Merheb/Julian Merheb WON 21-15, 21-15

#2 Jacob Bystrom/Declan McCormick Lost 12-21, 17-21

#3 Bo Carson/Nico Lerum Lost 21-13, 21-23, 14-16

#4 Quinn Halloran/Kurt Moen Lost 22-20, 13-21, 9-15

#5 Ethan Cauley/Cole Steinke WON 21-19, 21-19

Four-Man Laguna Beach team Lost 27-29

(Vince Merheb, Julian Merheb, Jacob Bystrom, Declan McCormick, Bo Carson and Nico Lerum)

The remaining team competition schedule:

Wednesday, Sept. 9 Newport Harbor – postponed due to heat

Thursday, Sept. 17 at Edison

Wednesday, Sept. 23 Dana Hills

Wednesday, Sept. 30 Aliso Niguel

Wednesday, Oct. 7 San Clemente

The 8th Annual Laguna’s Pairs tournament is Friday, Sept. 25 at Main Beach. The tournament has grown into California’s premier high school two-man beach event, showcasing top-tier talent from across the state (including in years past plenty of past champions and players who’ve earned D1 volleyball scholarships).

Competition starts at 10 a.m.

(Follow the team on Instagram @lbhsboysbeachvolleyball.)

Girls Golf (2–3, 1-1)

The squad returns to action today (Tuesday, Sept. 22) with El Toro; they will host Foothill tomorrow (Wednesday, Sept. 23) and then travel to Trabuco Hills on Thursday, Sept. 24.

Flag Football (4–8, 2-1)

The Breakers were at St. Margaret’s (3-0, 11-3) yesterday (Sept. 21) and will host Pacifica Christian (0-2, 8-8) tomorrow (Sept. 23) for play this week. Irvine will be here on Monday, Sept. 28, 7:30 p.m. for a key Pacific Hills League contest.

Football (1–3)

Up Next:

Laguna travels to LA-CIF #2 San Pedro (4-0) for a Friday, Sept. 25 contest in the port community. The Pirates are one of the oldest high schools in Southern California now in their 120th year. The Breakers and Pirates were in a shootout last year at Guyer Field with Laguna pulling out a 49-45 win.

SS-CIF rankings: Laguna is #61 out of 374 SSCIF football schools. (State: #118 out of 1,040)

September 25 San Pedro (LA-CIF) – ranked #2 in L.A., equal to #101 in SS-CIF.

October 1 Troy #83

October 8 El Modena #58

October 16 Dana Hills #38

October 23 Western #189

October 30 Huntington Beach #19

Past opponents:

August 21 Yorba Linda #30

August 28 Orange #36

September 4 Shadow Ridge (Nevada) #14 ranking equal to #98 in SS-CIF.

September 10 Westlake #29

(Follow the team on Instagram @lbhsbreakerfootball.)

Game and season statistics are posted on Max Preps.

Girls Tennis (2–3)

League play opens today (Sept. 22) with Portola on the Breakers’ courts and then at University on Thursday (Sept. 24).

Girls Volleyball (7-10, 4-0)

Even with missing leading hitter Finley Dorst, the Breakers kept their undefeated league record intact with a comeback 26-24, 13-25, 14-25, 25-21, 15-11 win over University at the Trojan gym on Thursday, Sept. 17.

In set one, they were down 16-13 before tying the contest at 17 off a kill by Evie Rowe. A later rally tied the set at 24. Then a free-ball passing error gave Laguna a point and the Breakers sealed the set win with a block by Zoe Bond and Maia Miller.

In set two and three, the team played poorly, falling behind early and things did not look good.

In set four, Sienna Utge’s hot serving got the Breakers off to a 4-0 start. University did not give up and kept the set close until at 17-14, Savanna Mair had a serving hot streak, scoring four aces on five serves, to pad the lead to 23-14. Laguna held off the University rally to win the set 25-21.

The fifth set was tight up until 11-10 Laguna advantage, when Savannah Mair got a kill off a dump followed by a serving ace from Sienna Utge. After a kill from University, Uni had a serving error to give Laguna a 14-11 lead, followed by the match point after a long rally ended with a Zoey Bond kill off a set from Utge.

Zoey normally is in the middle but moved to outside with Finley injured, recording 10 kills for the match, a career high at Laguna for the senior.

Laguna will host Irvine (2-0, 5-8) today (Sept. 22) in the only Pacific Hills League match this week.

Boys Water Polo (11–6)

The Breakers went 2-3 with some tough losses at the South Coast Water Polo tournament held this past weekend in Orange County. On Thursday (Sept. 17) at Newport Harbor they defeated San Ramon Valley, 16-11, before falling to host and eventual champion Newport Harbor, 23-7. On Friday (Sept. 18), they lost another tough game, 12-11, to Dos Pueblos in the Newport pool and on Saturday morning to Mira Costa, 10-9, in a contest played at Corona del Mar. That afternoon, also at the CdM pool, they defeated Loyola, 12-11, in double overtime to finish 15th.

This week they travel to Northwood (7-5) in their Pacific Coast League opener on Thursday, Sept. 24 and to University on September 29.

(Follow the team on Instagram @laguna_boys_waterpolo.)

• • •

Have a note on LBHS sports? Email me at frank@twometer.net.

If you would like an updated free PDF file of the 2026 Football Record Book, drop me an email request; Volleyball, Boys Basketball, Girls Water Polo and Baseball all are currently being revised for 2026-27 season – older edition PDF’s are also available

2026-27 High School Schedules? Check Laguna Beach High School on the MaxPreps website or the schedules tab on the Athletics website at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/schedules. To get scores on the school site – select the sport and level, click year and move to the “Show older events” toggle under the selected season.

Follow Breaker Athletics on Instagram at lagunabeachathletics

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School Notes

News and notes from our colleges and universities

Sara Jacobs, of Laguna Beach, has been named to The University of Alabama Dean’s List for Summer Semester 2026.

A total of 624 students enrolled during Summer Semester 2026 at The University of Alabama were named to the Dean’s List with an academic record of 3.5 (or above) or the President’s List with an academic record of 4.0 (all As).

The University of Alabama is the future-ready flagship. UA develops leaders and a workforce for a changing world, advances research and innovation that solve real problems and strengthens communities across Alabama and beyond. Part of The University of Alabama System, UA holds a global reputation for excellence and offers more than 200 degree programs.

Have your son or daughter register at their respective school to have information forwarded to Stu News Laguna at tomjohnson@me.com.

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Boys basketball sign-ups now open at the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach

Registration is now open for the Boys Basketball League at the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach (BGCLB) Main Branch.

Click on photo for a larger image

Courtesy of BGCLB

Boys basketball 2025 Fall Champs show off their trophies

The league is open to boys in kindergarten through eighth grade and provides participants with the opportunity to develop basketball skills, build self-esteem, make new friends and experience being part of a team in a positive and supportive environment.

The cost to participate is $225 per player for the entire season and includes a new team uniform. Participants must also be club members. Non-members who wish to participate in the winter season can purchase a club membership for $125.

Registration will remain open through October 17. Registrations received after October 17 will be subject to a late fee.

Mandatory player evaluations will take place during the week of October 5-16, after which teams will be formed. One-hour team practices begin November 2, with games beginning December 1.

Boys & Girls Club Athletic Director Erik Vasquez leads the league and has earned an outstanding reputation among club members and parents for creating a fun, welcoming and rewarding basketball experience for participants.

Parents can also get involved in the season, with volunteer opportunities available for those interested in coaching a team.

For questions about the Boys Basketball League or registration, contact Erik Vasquez at erikv@bgclaguna.org, or 949.715.7817.

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Fall 2026 Sports Update

Big weekend in Laguna with the historic Laguna Open Beach Volleyball Tournament (established 1955) on the Main Beach courts and the US Lawn Bowling National Championships at the historic Laguna Lawn Bowling course.

Website for the Lawn Bowling event:

Lawn National Championships – Bowls USA

Boys Beach Volleyball (3–1, 0-1)

The remaining team competition schedule:

Wednesday, Sept. 23 Dana Hills

Wednesday, Sept. 30 Aliso Niguel

Wednesday, Oct. 7 San Clemente

Laguna’s Pairs tournament is Friday, Sept. 25 at Main Beach featuring players from all over Southern California high schools.

(Follow the team on Instagram @lbhsboysbeachvolleyball.)

Girls Golf (2–3, 1-1)

Laguna Beach defeated Trabuco Hills 224-239 on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at Ben Brown’s (par 32), with the low score of 41 set by Laguna’s Quincy Krizman and the Mustangs’ Mari Borunda.

Flag Football (4–8, 2-1)

Laguna climbed back into playoff contention with a sweep of Rosary Academy (2-2, 4-9-1) this week. On Tuesday, Sept. 15, the Breakers surprised the Royals 19-0 and then again on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 12-6. Both games were at Guyer Field, with Rosary’s home game on Wednesday held in Laguna due to field issues in Fullerton.

The Breakers are at St. Margaret’s (11-3, 3-0) on September 21 and will host Pacifica Christian (8-8, 0-2) on September 23.

Football (1–3)

Up Next:

Breakers are off this weekend and travel to LA-CIF #2 San Pedro (4-0) for a September 25 contest in the port community. The Pirates are one of the oldest high schools in Southern California now in their 120th year.

Update on the Breakers defense: (After four games):

Total tackles: 31 – #17 Wyatt Bogdan, 30 – #19 Xavier Brooks, 23 – #9 Garrett Byerly; Bogdan and Brooks each have four tackles for losses and two sacks, while Brooks leads in solo tackles with 24.

In “hurries” – quarterback pressure: #0 Grayson Kazmouz leads with eight, Brooks has seven and Byerly has six.

The remaining games/rankings as of September 13: San Pedro #107 (Equivalent), Troy #87, El Modena #74, Dana Hills #38, Western #174, Huntington Beach #24.

Past opponents: Yorba Linda #22, Orange #43, Shadow Ridge #105 (Equivalent) and Westlake #29.

(Follow the team on Instagram @lbhsbreakerfootball.)

Girls Tennis (2–3)

Rebecca MacCallum continued to dominate as Laguna defeated Aliso Niguel, 10-8, on Monday, Sept. 14, but lost 8-10 to Crean Lutheran on Tuesday, Sept. 15. MacCallum has yet to drop a set this season.

League play opens on September 22 with Portola on the Breakers’ courts.

Girls Volleyball (6-10, 3-0)

Finley Dorst’s 12 kills and sharp blocking led by Dorst and Zoey Bond rallied Laguna past University, 16-25, 25-20, 25-16, 25-19, on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at Dugger Gym. Colette Dorst added eight in the effort with Sienna Utge adding 17 assists, two service aces and a number of key digs.

Breakers were at University yesterday (Sept. 17) and will host Irvine (4-8, 1-0) on Tuesday, Sept. 22 in another Pacific Hills League match.

Boys Water Polo (9–3)

This week is Newport’s South Coast Tournament on September 17-19, one of the oldest tournaments in So Cal Water Polo. Originally hosted by Anaheim, the event moved to Newport’s pool in the early 1970s and was eventually transferred to their administration in the mid ‘70s. All the top teams will be participating in this event.

The Breakers are seeded ninth out of 30 teams and will have opened yesterday against San Ramon Valley. If the Breakers prevailed, they would have then met the winner of the St. Marks (Texas)-Newport Harbor game.

The tournament concludes on Saturday, Sept. 19.

(Follow the team on Instagram @laguna_boys_waterpolo.)

• • •

Have a note on LBHS sports? Email me at frank@twometer.net.

If you would like an updated free PDF file of the 2026 Football Record Book, drop me an email request; Volleyball, Boys Basketball, Girls Water Polo and Baseball all are currently being revised for 2026-27 season – older edition PDF’s are also available

2026-27 High School Schedules? Check Laguna Beach High School on the MaxPreps website or the schedules tab on the Athletics website at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/schedules. To get scores on the school site – select the sport and level, click year and move to the “Show older events” toggle under the selected season.

Follow Breaker Athletics on Instagram at lagunabeachathletics.

Open story in new window…

Fall 2026 Sports Update

Cross Country

The squads traveled to Hawaii for the 27th Iolani Invitational on September 12.

Results:

Championship Division:

Girls – Natalia Chudleigh 20:16 led the team that finished 7th (Champion – Great Oak).

Boys – Sloan Shearer 16.41 led team that finished 6th (Champion – Loyola).

Open Division:

Girls – Juliette Fox led the team with a 22:07 mark for the course with the Breakers finishing 6th (Tesoro won the meet).

Boys – Wade Jurkowski led Laguna with a 17:17 with the team finishing 2nd (Loyola won the meet).

Follow the teams on their websites:

Girls XCC – www.lbxc.org

Boys XCC – www.lagunabeachcrosscountry.com

Boys Beach Volleyball (3–1, 0-1)

Newport 4-Man tournament – September 10 Results:

Laguna Team #1: Declan McCormick, Bo Carson, Nico Lerum. Jacob Bystrom, Vinnie Merheb, Ethan Cauley

Pool #3 – d. Newport Harbor #2 21-18, d. Corona del Mar #2 21-13, d. Santa Margarita #2 21-6, lost to Los Alamitos #1 19-21; Quarterfinals d. Edison #1 21-14; Semifinals lost to Santa Margarita #1 15-21

Laguna Team #2: Quinn Halloran, Kurt Moen, Julian Merheb, Jack Jameson, Graham Richland, Cole Steinke

Pool #1 – d. Dana Hills 22-20, lost to Huntington Beach #1 10-21, lost to Santa Margarita #1 11-21, d. Newport Harbor #3 21-16. Playoffs: d. Edison #2 22-20; Quarterfinals lost to Santa Margarita #1 15-21.

Remaining schedule:

Thursday 9/17 at Edison

Wednesday 9/23 Dana Hills

Wednesday 9/30 Aliso Niguel

Wednesday 10/7 San Clemente

Laguna’s tournament is Friday, Sept. 25.

(Follow the team on Instagram @lbhsboysbeachvolleyball.)

Girls Golf (1–3, 1-1)

Breakers defeated Pacifica Christian, 267-281, on Thursday (Sept. 10) in a league match at the Costa Mesa Country Club (Mesa Linda Course, par 35). The low score for Laguna Beach and the match was turned in by Brooklyn Guerra, who shot a 48, with the low score for Pacifica Christian a 52 shot by Leah Levin.

Flag Football (2–8, 0-1)

Breakers lost 51-8 to Woodbridge (10-4) in a non-league contest on September 10 on the Warriors’ field. Laguna returned to Pacific Hills League play yesterday (Monday, Sept. 14) hosting Rosary and will travel to the Fullerton on Wednesday, Sept. 16. Breakers are at St. Margaret’s on September 21 and will host Pacifica Christian on September 23.

Football (1–3)

Breakers gave it their all in a 28-23 loss at Westlake.

Laguna’s comeback on Thursday night (Sept. 10) in Westlake ended with a fumble in the closing seconds on the Warriors’ one-yard line after they battled back from an 11-point fourth quarter deficit to score a touchdown, recover the onside kick and drive to the Westlake six-yard line with four tries to score.

The game opened under 89-degree heat with Westlake taking the first possession, netting no yards after five plays and two penalties. Laguna then took their first possession 52 yards in 13 plays to score with just three minutes left in the period.

Brady Stringham’s kickoff was a touch-back and the Warriors were held to one yard in three plays, forcing a punt. Laguna second possession went 67 yards in nine plays for Laguna’s second touchdown early in the second quarter. After that, the game changed when Brady Stringham was clearly blocked from the back, allowing a Warrior pass-play to succeed for a 74-yard touchdown play. This event energized the home team, and Laguna was now in a game. On their next possession, the Breakers lost yards from a sack and were forced to punt after three plays. Westlake then tied the score on a five play, 41-yard drive.

Laguna had the final possession of the first half and did move 37 yards in 12 plays before turning the ball over on downs as the period expired.

In the third quarter, Laguna took the first possession of the half after a touchback kickoff. On the third play, Jack Hurst was intercepted and the Warriors had the ball on the Breaker 28-yard line. Laguna held on two runs and an incomplete pass play forcing the Warriors to a field goal attempt that was wide.

Laguna then drove 70 yards in 17 plays to the Westlake 10 before settling for a Stringham field goal, his first of the year and his second of his career.

Westlake responded, scoring just as the quarter ended.

Laguna went three plays and out after the touchback kickoff to open the fourth quarter. Westlake then extended their lead after a Breaker punt, scoring on a six play drive with just over seven minutes remaining in the contest.

Laguna did not give up, scoring on a six-play drive but fell short on the following two-point conversion, as the completed pass-play was stopped short of the goal line. Stringham then executed the onside kick with Wyatt Bogdan recovering the ball on the Westlake 49-yard mark. A dead-ball Warrior penalty gave Laguna 15 more yards with the final series starting on the Westlake 34-yard line. Four plays later and it was first and goal at the Westlake six-yard line. Laguna gained one yard on a pass, then missed two straight attempts. A penalty moved the ball back to the 10-yard line and the final play was a completed pass to the one-yard line that was fumbled on the tackle and recovered by the hosts as the game ended.

Westlake (4-0) is the favorite of the Channel League (Santa Barbara, Ventura, Moorpark, Thousand Oaks, Rio Mesa) and was ranked #37 in the SS-CIF computer rankings. Laguna is now 34-40-0 for Thursday games.

Box Score:

Westlake: 00–14–07–07=28

Laguna: 07–07–03–06=23

First Quarter Summary

L – Stringham 2 pass from Hurst (Stringham kick) 3:13

Second Quarter Summary

L – Stringham 6 pass from Hurst (Stringham kick) 9:20

W – Dezeurn 74 pass from F. Green (Goroyan kick) 8:32

W – E Green 16 pass from F. Green (Goroyan kick) 4:02

Third Quarter Summary

L – Stringham 28 FG 2:22

W – Davis 7 pass from F. Green (Goroyan kick) 0:00

Fourth Quarter Summary

W – Davis 6 pass from F. Green (Goroyan kick) 7:39

L – Kimball 6 pass from Hurst (conversion pass play failed) 4:47

Team Stats

First Downs: L-21, W-9

Rush: L-60, W-59

Pass: L-255, W-217

Total Yards: L-315, W-276

Fumbles/lost: L-1/1, W-0/0

Return yards: L-0, W-12

Punts: L-2/23, W-2/37.5

Penalties/Yards: L-2/10, W-11/126

Individual Stats

Rush: Christian 10-43, Golden 9-39, Hurst 6-(-22)

Receiving: Stringham 16-80, Kimball 5-47, Christian 4-35, Golden 3-24, Guzman 2-45, Byerly 1-3, Smith 1-13, Bogdan 1-8

Passing: Hurst 47-33-1, 255 yards 3 TDs

KOR: none

Punts: Smith 2-23.0 average

Records

Jack Hurst’s 33 completions is a new school record, with the old record of 29 shared by Andrew Johnson, Will Bingham and Jackson Kollock.

Brady Stringham’s 16 catches breaks the school record 15 set by Chris Paul against Garden Grove in 2009.

Up Next

Breakers are off this week and travel to LA-CIF #2 San Pedro (4-0) for a September 25 contest in the port community. The Pirates are one of the oldest high schools in Southern California, now in their 120th year.

The remaining games/rankings as of September 13: San Pedro #107 (Equivalent), Troy #87, El Modena #74, Dana Hills #38, Western #174, Huntington Beach #24.

Past opponents: Yorba Linda #22, Orange #43 Shadow Ridge # 105 (Equivalent), Westlake #29.

(Follow the team on Instagram @lbhsbreakerfootball.)

Girls Tennis (1–2)

The San Clemente match was canceled due to weather and on Friday, Sept.11 Laguna lost to Palm Desert 7-11 on the Laguna courts. Rebecca MacCallum continued to sweep her sets winning 6-1, 6-2, 6-0, while Naomi Taylor (Fr.) won her first set in singles.

Aliso Niguel was moved to yesterday (Sept. 14) and Crean Lutheran today (Sept. 15) both on the Laguna courts. League play opens on September 22 with Portola on the Breakers’ courts.

Girls Volleyball (5-10, 2-0)

Last Friday at Pacifica Christian Laguna swept the Tritons 25-16, 25-19, 25-21 with the entire squad playing. Kill leader was Finley Dorst with 11, while Zoey Bond added seven along with a number of big blocks. Savannah Faris had 22 digs on defense.

This week they have a pair of league contests hosting a strong University squad today (Sept. 15 at 5:15) and traveling to the Trojans’ gym on Thursday, Sept. 17.

Boys Water Polo (9–3)

Lucas Neushul, from Dos Pueblos, scored the deciding goal in the closing seconds of the second overtime to give the Chargers a wild 17-16 victory over the Breakers in the championship game of the Santa Barbara Invitational this past Saturday at the Dos Pueblos pool. The Breakers trailed early but eventually led until the final minutes of regulation, when the Chargers were able to tie the contest to force the two overtime periods.

Warren Rootlieb led the Breakers with four goals, Finn Leverty and Mason Jakle added three each. Ellis Minck and Zach Hornstein each scored twice, with single scores from Dane Seybold and Mason Gruba. Henry Day was outstanding in the cage.

To get to the finals, the Breakers started the tournament on Friday, Sept. 11 with a 13-7 win over San Clemente at Santa Barbara High School. Later that day they defeated San Marcos/Santa Barbara 13-9, also at the Santa Barbara pool.

On Saturday morning (Sept. 12), Laguna edged Corona del Mar, the top tournament seed, 17-16, as Ellis Minck scored the winning goal in the final seconds of regulation. It was the first meeting between the two schools since 2021, and the win was Laguna’s fifth straight over the Sea Kings. CdM led 12-8 at the intermission but Laguna slowly battled back with a goal by Zach Hornstein tying the contest at 14 in the first minute of the final quarter. The teams traded goals down to the wire before Ellis sealed the win. Warren Rootlieb had seven goals in the game for Laguna.

Click on photo for a larger image

Courtesy of Laguna Boys Water Polo

Ellis Minck scored the winning goal the final seconds as Laguna upset Corona del Mar 17-16 on Saturday in Goleta

This week is Newport’s South Coast Tournament from September 17-19 – one of the oldest tournaments in So Cal Water Polo. Originally hosted by Anaheim, the event moved to Newport’s pool in the early 1970s and was eventually transferred to their administration in the mid ‘70s. All the top teams will be participating in this event.

(Follow the team on Instagram @laguna_boys_waterpolo.)

• • •

Have a note on LBHS sports? Email me at frank@twometer.net.

If you would like an updated free PDF file of the 2026 Football Record Book, drop me an email request; Volleyball, Boys Basketball, Girls Water Polo and Baseball all are currently being revised for 2026-27 season – older edition PDF’s are also available

2026-27 High School Schedules? Check Laguna Beach High School on the MaxPreps website or the schedules tab on the Athletics website at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/schedules. To get scores on the school site – select the sport and level, click year and move to the “Show older events” toggle under the selected season.

Follow Breaker Athletics on Instagram at lagunabeachathletics

Open story in new window…

Fall 2026 Sports Update

Heat protocols required by SS-CIF canceled or postponed a number of athletic events this past week.

Cross Country

The squads will be traveling to Hawaii for the Iolani Invitational on September 12. Follow the teams on their websites:

Girls XCC – www.lbxc.org

Boys XCC – www.lagunabeachcrosscountry.com

Boys Beach Volleyball (3–1, 0-1)

The remaining schedule:

Wednesday, Sept. 9 Newport Harbor – postponed due to heat

Thursday, Sept. 17 at Edison

Wednesday, Sept. 23 Dana Hills

Wednesday, Sept. 30 Aliso Niguel

Wednesday, Oct. 7 San Clemente

Newport four-man tournament is Thursday, Sept. 10.

Laguna’s tournament is Friday, Sept. 25.

(Follow the team on Instagram @lbhsboysbeachvolleyball.)

Girls Golf (0-3)

The golf match with Rosary was postponed due to heat. Next scheduled match was scheduled in Costa Mesa with Pacifica Christian yesterday (Thursday, Sept. 10).

Flag Football (2–7, 0-1)

The next home game is September 14 with Rosary Academy. The game this past week with Capo Valley Christian was rescheduled into mid-October. Laguna faced Woodbridge yesterday (Thursday, Sept. 10).

Football (1–2)

Yesterday (Thursday, Sept. 10) Laguna traveled to Ventura County to take on #33 Westlake (3-0), with the team favored to win the Channel League this season.

In 92 seasons, Laguna is 420-449-19 with 73 games actually played on Thursday (34-39-0). Laguna has played on every day of the week except Sunday.

A look at our Breakers’ defense after three games:

Total tackles: 27 – #17 Wyatt Bogdan, 25 – #19 Xavier Brooks, 22 – #9 Garrett Byerly; Bogdan and Brooks each have four tackles for a loss and two sacks. In “hurries” – quarterback pressure: #0 Grayson Kazmouz leads with six, Byerly has five and Brooks has four.

Click on photo for a larger image

Courtesy of Laguna Football

Click on photo for a larger image

Courtesy of Laguna Football

The Breakers’ defensive leaders, Wyatt Bogdan (top) and Xavier Brooks (bottom)

Remaining games/rankings:

Westlake #33, San Pedro #130 (Equivalent), Troy #91, El Modena #82, Dana Hills #42, Western #139, Huntington Beach #21

Past games:

Yorba Linda #22, Orange #43 Shadow Ridge #102 (Equivalent)

(Follow the team on Instagram @lbhsbreakerfootball.)

Girls Tennis (1-1)

The Aliso Niguel match was moved to September 14; San Clemente was still planned to be played yesterday; Palm Desert on Friday, Sept. 11 and Crean Lutheran on Tuesday, Sept. 15, all on the Laguna courts.

Girls Volleyball (4-10, 1-0)

On Tuesday in the 95 degree-plus heat in a non-airconditioned Woodbridge Gym, Laguna rotated 14 players to help survive the conditions and defeat Woodbridge, 25-23, 25-19, 25-11. Evie Rowe had six kills, Iris Rowe five, with Colette Dorst, Zoey Bond and Finley Dorst with four kills each. Sienna Utge, Natalia Calef and Savanna Mair shared the setting. Laguna used four freshmen in the game.

Breakers lead the all-time series 13-6.

Up Next:

A league showdown this today (Friday, Sept. 11) at Pacifica Christian. The winner will have an inside track for the league title.

Next week they have a pair of league contests hosting a strong University squad on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 5:15 p.m., before traveling to the Trojans’ gym on Thursday, Sept. 17.

Boys Water Polo (6–2)

This week:

Major tournaments with playoff placement/ranking on the line are ahead in the Santa Barbara Tournament on September 10-12 (results on Tuesday, Sept. 15).

Next week is Newport’s South Coast Tournament from September 17-19 – one of the oldest tournaments in SoCal Water Polo. Originally hosted by Anaheim, the event moved to Newport’s pool in the early 1970s and was eventually transferred to their administration in the mid-‘70s.

(Follow the team on Instagram @laguna_boys_waterpolo.)

• • •

Have a note on LBHS sports? Email me at frank@twometer.net.

If you would like an updated free PDF file of the 2026 Football Record Book, drop me an email request; Volleyball, Boys Basketball, Girls Water Polo and Baseball all are currently being revised for 2026-27 season – older edition PDF’s are also available

2026-27 High School Schedules? Check Laguna Beach High School on the MaxPreps website or the schedules tab on the Athletics website at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/schedules. To get scores on the school site – select the sport and level, click year and move to the “Show older events” toggle under the selected season. Scores are also posted on X @LagunaSports.

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Fall 2026 Sports Update

Cross Country

The squads will be traveling to Hawaii for the Iolani Invitational on September 12. Follow the teams on their websites:

Girls XCC – www.lbxc.org

Boys XCC – www.lagunabeachcrosscountry.com

Boys Beach Volleyball (3–1, 0-1)

The remaining schedule:

Wednesday, Sept. 9 Newport Harbor

Thursday, Sept. 17 at Edison

Wednesday, Sept. 23 Dana Hills

Wednesday, Sept. 30 Aliso Niguel

Wednesday, Oct. 7 San Clemente

Newport four-man tournament is Thursday, Sept. 10.

Laguna’s tournament is Friday, Sept. 25.

(Follow the team on Instagram at @lbhsboysbeachvolleyball.)

Girls Golf (0-2)

Laguna faced El Toro High on September 3 in a non-league match at Oso Creek Golf Course (par 31) with El Toro winning the match 212-237. The low score for Laguna was turned in by Quincy Krizman at 44.

Flag Football (2–7, 0-1)

The recent league opener was a 7-6 loss at Irvine last Wednesday (Sept. 2) – Coach Ryan Kollock noted:

“Varsity was a defensive battle. Score was 0-0 halftime. We scored in the 3rd quarter and then Irvine scored in the 4th. We were able to move the ball down the field, but could not finish our drives. We were able to stop Irvine on every drive except for that one. Then we went into overtime and had six overtime attempts to score. It was a back-and-forth defensive battle from the three-yard line. Irvine came up with a completion in the end zone. We had one last attempt, got the completion and fell inches short.”

Next home game is September 14 with Rosary Academy.

Football (1–2)

Breakers Use Mustang Errors for a 21-7 Victory

Laguna took advantage of three interceptions and four key fumbles to defeat visiting Shadow Ridge from Las Vegas on Friday night (Sept. 4) at Guyer Field. The Mustangs are only the second Nevada team to play Laguna in football; the last time was in 1965 when the Artists defeated Bishop Gorman 26-6 at Guyer Field.

The Breakers had the first possession on Friday going deep to the Mustang 26-yard line before a sack forced a punt. Shadow Ridge only had four plays succeed before Brady Stringham picked off a pass on the Mustang 42-yard line returning it to the 22. Four plays later the Breakers were up 7-0.

The Mustangs got a great kickoff return, but their second possession ended on a fumble on the first play of the second period recovered by William Golden on the Mustang 48.

Six plays later, Jack Hurst found Brady Stringham for a sharp 27-yard pass play for the score.

Shadow Ridge didn’t quit and were able to drive 67 yards without a mistake to score their only touchdown.

The Breakers’ next drive stalled after five plays defended by a now-inspired visiting team. The success didn’t last long as Liam Nassour intercepted a Mustang pass on the Laguna 49 returning it to the Mustang 39.

It then only took one play for Hurst to find Stringham streaking down the sideline in double coverage and a perfect pass made it 21-7 in the final seconds of the first half.

Shadow Ridge got the ball to open the second half and started with a 23-yard kickoff return to gain good field position. Eight plays and two Laguna penalties brought the visitors inside the Laguna five-yard line before the fumbles returned. The first lost two yards and the final on a fourth down on the three-yard line lost 12 yards.

The remaining tries by the teams:

Laguna: Five plays – punt

Shadow Ridge: Three plays – punt

Laguna: Two plays then an interception

Shadow Ridge: Seven plays to the Laguna 10, turnover on downs

Laguna: 12 plays to the Shadow Ridge 34, turnover on downs

Shadow Ridge: First play pass intercepted by Liam Nassour, no return

Laguna: 1 play – Hurst took a knee to run out the clock.

Shadow Ridge: 0- 7-0-0 = 7

Laguna 7-14-0-0 = 21

First Quarter Summary:

L – Mousally 3 pass from Hurst (Stringham kick) 1:34

Second Quarter Summary:

L – Stringham 27 pass from Hurst (Stringham kick) 8:41

S – Holmstrom 10 pass from Keao ( Brimhall kick) 3:31

L – Stringham 39 pass from Hurst ( Stringham kick) 0:09

Team Stats

First Downs: L-14, SR-14

Rush; L-5, SR-171

Pass: L-227 , SR-41

Total Yards: L-232, SR-212

Plays: L-46,SR-48

Fumbles/lost: L-0/0, SR-4/1

Return yards: L-32, SR-0

Punts/Ave: L3-31, SR1-29

Penalties/Yards: L5-35, SR4-20

Individual Stats

Rush: Hurst 3-(-7), Christian 4-6, Gardner 13-11 Team 1-(-5)

Receiving: Stringham 10-182, Golden 2-9, Kimball 2-17, Gardner 1-10, Bogdan 1-6, Mousally 1-3

Passing: Hurst 25-17-1, 227 yards, 3 TDs

KOR: Golden 2-46, Stringham 1-33, Kimball 1-13

Interceptions: Stringham 1-20, Nassour 2-12

Punts: Smith 3 for 22, 29, 43 1 – inside 20

This Week

Thursday, Sept. 10 Laguna travels to Ventura County to take on #33 Westlake (3-0), the favored team to win the Channel League this season. The Warriors beat Newbury Park 32-26 and Agoura 38-7 to open the season and beat Chatsworth/LA-CIF 49-14 this past Friday.

Rankings

Laguna is ranked #61 this week in the official SS-CIF rankings.

The remaining games/rankings:

Westlake #33, San Pedro #130 (Equivalent), Troy #91, El Modena #82, Dana Hills #42, Western #139, Huntington Beach # 21

Past games:

Yorba Linda #22, Orange #43 Shadow Ridge #102 (Equivalent)

(Follow the team on Instagram at @lbhsbreakerfootball.)

Girls Tennis (1-1)

The Breakers are hosting Aliso Niguel today (Sept. 8), San Clemente on Sept. 10 and Palm Desert on Sept. 11.

Girls Volleyball (3-10)

The Breakers finally got on the winning track last Thursday (Sept. 3) with a 25-19, 26-28, 25-21, 22-25, 15-4 upset of Tesoro at the Titans’ Gym. Iris Rowe had 13 kills, Maia Miller 12, Finley Dorst 10 and Evie Rowe 10 kills in the attack.

Savanna Mair dished out 26 assists, 10 digs and five service aces. Natalia Calef returned to action after being off, due to an injury to provide 19 assists and four aces.

At the Mohs Orange County Tournament on Friday (Sept. 4), the Breakers lost to Temecula Valley 22-25, 20-25, then dropped a tough match to host Huntington Beach 25-19, 17-25, 6-15. In the final match of the day, the Breakers defeated Sage Hill 25-23, 25-15 with Iris Rowe and Maia Miller each recording 10 kills against the Lightning. The Breakers recorded 10 net blocks against Sage tying the team record for a two-set match.

On Saturday (Sept. 5), Laguna upset Yorba Linda 25-16, 25-21, as Savanna Mair tied the school two-set match record with nine service aces and the team tied the team match record with 17 aces. The individual record was originally set by Kyra Zaengle against Cajon in 2019, as was the team record.

The Breakers then dropped a tough match to Vacaville, the #9 team in the San Joaquin CIF Section 25-17, 25-20. In their final match they lost to Menlo School 25-22, 20-25, 10-15.

Up Next:

League play opens today, Sept. 8, at Woodbridge followed by a trip to Pacifica Christian on Friday (Sept. 11). The following week they have a pair of league contests hosting University on Tuesday, Sept. 15 and traveling to the Trojans’ gym on Thursday, Sept.17.

Boys Water Polo (6–2)

This week:

Major tournaments with playoff placement/ranking on the line are the Santa Barbara Tournament on September 10-12.

The following week is Newport’s South Coast Tournament on September 17-19, one of the oldest tournaments in So Cal Water Polo. Originally hosted by Anaheim. the event moved to Newport’s pool in the early 1970s and was eventually transferred to their administration in the mid ‘70s.

(Follow the team on Instagram at @laguna_boys_waterpolo.)

• • •

Have a note on LBHS sports? Email me at frank@twometer.net.

If you would like an updated PDF file of the Football, Baseball and Girls Water Polo record books – drop me an email request – all are currently being revised for 2026-27 season.

2026-27 High School Schedules? Check Laguna Beach High School on the MaxPreps website or the schedules tab on the Athletics website at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/schedules. To get scores on the school site – select the sport and level, click year and move to the “Show older events” toggle under the selected season. Scores are also posted on X @LagunaSports.

Open story in new window…

Fall 2026 Sports Update

Cross Country

The squads will be traveling to Hawaii for the Iolani Invitational on September 12.

Boys Beach Volleyball (3–1, 0-1)

The Breakers lost their opening league match, 4-3, losing on Main Beach to Santa Margarita.

#1 Julian Merhab & Vince Merhab lost 21-17, 18-21, 11-15

#2 Nico Lerum & Bo Carson won 21-16, 21-15

#3 Jacob Bystrom & Declan McCormick won 21-11, 21-14

#4 Quinn Halloran & Kurt Moen won 14-21, 21-3, 15-12

#5 Cole Steinke & Ethan Cauley lost 21-15, 14-21, 9-15

Laguna four-man lost 16-28

Remaining schedule:

Wednesday, Sept. 9 Newport Harbor

Thursday, Sept. 17 at Edison

Wednesday, Sept. 23 Dana Hills

Wednesday, Sept. 30 Aliso Niguel

Wednesday, Oct. 7 San Clemente

Newport four-man tournament is Thursday, Sept. 10.

Laguna’s tournament is Friday, Sept. 25.

(Follow the team on Instagram @lbhsboysbeachvolleyball.)

Girls Golf (0-2)

Laguna had a dual match with Irvine on September 2 at Ben Brown’s (par 32). The Vaqueros won the match 238-245, with low score going to Irvine’s Melody Lin at 43. The low score for Laguna was Sofia Carr shooting 46.

Flag Football (2–7, 0-1)

Laguna lost to University, 31-14, on Monday, Aug 31, in a non-league match and then lost their league opener at Irvine, 7-6, on Wednesday, Sept. 2.

The next home game is September 14 with Rosary Academy.

Football (0-2)

This Week: Friday, Sept. 4, 7 p.m., the Breakers will host Shadow Ridge from Las Vegas, now the #21 team in the state of Nevada after falling 35-7 to then SS-CIF #70 Simi Valley on August 28. The Breakers are now favored over the Mustangs and, as of Wednesday, Sept. 2, held the #63 ranking in the SS-CIF.

Next Thursday, Sept. 10 Laguna travels to Ventura County to take on #37 Westlake (2-0), the favored team to win the Channel League this season. The Warriors beat Newbury Park 32-26 and Agoura 38-7 to open the season and face Chatsworth/LA-CIF this week.

(Follow the team on Instagram @lbhsbreakerfootball.)

Girls Tennis (1-1)

Laguna defeated Irvine in a non-league match 12-6, this past Tuesday (Sept.1) on the local courts, with Rebecca MacCallum sweeping her singles 6-1, 6-0, 6-2 and the doubles team of Marlow Johnsen & Easton Trozak and Grace Koury & Alexis Berger sweeping their three sets to highlight the wins.

The Breakers are hosting Aliso Niguel on September 8, San Clemente on the 10th and Palm Desert on the 11th.

Girls Volleyball (0-6)

The Breakers suffered another four-set loss losing at Aliso Niguel 25-23, 18-25, 16-25, 15-25. Evie Rowe (Jr.) led Laguna with 11 kills, with sister Iris (Fr.) adding 10. Savanna Mair (Fr.) provided 24 assists, three kills and 11 digs.

Today (Friday, Sept. 4) and Saturday (Sept. 5), Laguna is in the Orange County Championships/Dave Mohs Tournament, opening with Temecula Valley, Huntington Beach and Sage Hill in pool play today.

Boys Water Polo (6–2)

OC #5 Breakers took care of #8 San Juan Hills with a 10-7 win on Tuesday (Sept. 1) at the loser’s pool. Laguna’s defense controlled the game with the visitors holding a 7-2 advantage at the intermission. Dane Seybold had three goals, Zach Hornstein and Ellis Minck adding two each. Henry Day continues to provide strong defense in the cage.

On Wednesday (Sept. 2), Laguna crushed Crean Lutheran 19-8 in a contest played at Irvine’s Woollett Center. Eleven different Breakers scored, led by Colin Gregg with four.

Major tournaments with playoff-placement rankings on the line are the Santa Barbara Tournament on September 10-12 and Newport’s South Coast Tournament, September 17-19.

(Follow the team on Instagram @laguna_boys_waterpolo.)

• • •

Have a note on LBHS sports? Email me at frank@twometer.net.

If you would like an updated PDF file of the Football, Baseball and Girls Water Polo record books – drop me an email request – all are currently being revised for 2026-27 season.

2026-27 High School Schedules? Check Laguna Beach High School on the MaxPreps website or the schedules tab on the Athletics website at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/schedules. To get scores on the school site – select the sport and level, click year and move to the “Show older events” toggle under the selected season. Scores are also posted on X @LagunaSports.

Open story in new window…

LBUSD refocuses accountability plan on targeted student needs, support systems

By SARA HALL

Members of the Laguna Beach Unified School District Board of Education on Thursday (Aug. 27) heard a presentation on a more focused approach to the 2027-30 Local Control and Accountability Plan.

LCAP is a three-year strategic planning and accountability framework. It connects student needs and state priorities with goals, actions, services, expenditures and measurable outcomes.

Historically, LBUSD has used the LCAP as a broad planning document. Going forward, Superintendent Don Austin explained that the district plans to more clearly distinguish the LCAP from its broader strategic planning so the LCAP provides a focused view of targeted student needs, the resources directed toward them and whether those investments are improving outcomes.

Approximately 96% of the district’s overall budget is currently identified as LCAP expenditures, Austin explained. By comparison, similar community-funded (“basic aid”) school districts typically identify approximately 4 to 6% of their budgets as LCAP expenditures.

“What we’re doing here, it’s going to feel like a dramatic shift, but it’s a dramatic shift that aligns with the industry standard,” Austin said.

That doesn’t mean other items will be reduced or cut; they would just be part of different conversations, he clarified.

This is moving LBUSD in a good direction, said Board Member Dee Perry.

“This is going to help us get to the bullseye,” she commented. “Really focusing and using the resources that we need to for our students.”

Board Member Howard Hills congratulated Austin and district staff for moving forward with the update.

“(The LCAP process) needs to be opened up and it needs to be revitalized and rejuvenated,” Hills commented.

Click on photo for a larger image

Photo by Candice Dartez

The school district’s refined Local Control and Accountability Plan aims to sharpen the focus on targeted student needs

A more focused LCAP would emphasize strategies grounded in demonstrated student need, said Director of Assessment and Accountability Elisabeth Kannenberg.

“We are not simply asking what serves the greatest number of students. We are considering where particular students or student groups are experiencing less favorable outcomes and what evidence-based supports could help close these gaps,” she explained.

Under the refined framework, LCAP will focus on:

–Specific student groups: Addressing academic needs for students with disabilities, English learners, students from economically disadvantaged homes and fosterunhoused youth.

–Multi-tiered systems of support: Providing specialized academic, behavioral and social-emotional support interventions for any students demonstrating a need.

–Chronic absenteeism: Using early identification and individualized support to combat chronic absenteeism.

–Family engagement and professional learning: Providing targeted family engagement and outreach, along with professional learning directly connected to student needs.

At the same time, the broader district budget, aligned with strategic planning and board goals, will continue to fund the full LBUSD operating program, Kannenberg explained.

“This is not a distinction between what matters and what does not. Rather, it distinguishes the district’s full operating program from the focused improvement strategies highlighted through the LCAP,” she said.

Kannenberg explained the nearly year-long process, which includes an early draft the board can preview; a public hearing to gather community input; a mid-year progress update; community surveys and stakeholder meetings; and the final board meeting for adoption.

Click open story button to continue reading…

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Fall 2026 Sports Update

Cross Country

The squads skipped the originally scheduled meets for this past weekend and will not compete until September 12 when a select group of runners will travel to Hawaii for the Iolani Invitational.

Boys Beach Volleyball (3-0)

Breakers defeated Dana Hills 7-0 in the final non-league match on August 27 at Main Beach.

The pairs results:

#1 Julian Merhab & Vince Merhab won 21-12, 21-9

#2 John Tavey & Dylan Sweet won 21-14, 21-14

#3 Nico Lerum & Bo Carson won 21-12, 21-9

#4 Jacob Bystrom & Declan McCormick won 21-18, 21-8

#5 Quinn Halloran & Kurt Moen won 21-15, 21-13

Laguna four-man won 28-11

Photos courtesy of Laguna Boys Beach Volleyball

Bo Carson on attack in the recent four-man match verses Dana Hills last Thursday (Aug. 27). Looking on are Nico Lerum and Ethan Cauley. Laguna won this game 28-11 and took the match 7-0. The Breakers have five remaining Wednesday afternoon home matches on the Main Beach courts, 3:30 p.m. starts.

Nico Lerum goes up big

League Schedule:

Wednesday, Sept. 2 Santa Margarita

Wednesday, Sept. 9 Newport Harbor

Thursday, Sept. 17 at Edison

Wednesday, Sept. 23 Dana Hills

Wednesday, Sept. 30 Aliso Niguel

Wednesday, Oct. 7 San Clemente

Newport 4-Man tournament is Thursday, Sept. 10

Laguna’s tournament is Friday, Sept. 25.

(Follow the team on Instagram @lbhsboysbeachvolleyball.)

Girls Golf (0-1)

The varsity golf team played Aliso Niguel on Thursday (Aug. 27) in a non-league match at Ben Brown’s (par 32) and the visiting Wolverines won the match 167-232. Ryhan Heine from Aliso Niguel had the low score for the match, shooting 29 (3 under par) while Laguna freshman Brooklyn Guerra had the Breakers’ low score, shooting 41.

Flag Football (2–5)

Laguna was hammered by Ayala, 30-7, on August 26 at Guyer Field. They played University yesterday (Monday, Aug. 31) and open league play tomorrow (Wednesday, Sept. 2) at Irvine. The next home game is September 14 with Rosary Academy.

Football (0-2)

Panthers hold off Breakers, 28-21

The visiting Panthers got off to a fast start last Friday night (Aug. 28) at Guyer Field, scoring on both first quarter possessions before the Breakers regrouped and almost pulled off a win in the 20th meeting between the two schools over the past 90 seasons.

Orange returned the opening kickoff 41 yards, then scored on a five-play drive with a 35-yard toss from Star Thomas to Dylan Stone for the points.

The Breakers then went 53 yards in eight plays, but turned the ball over on downs at the Panther 27-yard line when a fourth down pass-play fell short of the first down mark. The Breakers scored on their second try, marching 54 yards in 10 plays to score early in the second period.

The two teams traded possessions before Orange scored again on a big 63-yard pass play to take a 21-7 lead. Laguna tried to come back with a 61-yard drive on 15 plays, but the half ended when a Hurst pass was intercepted in the endzone.

The two teams again traded possessions in the third quarter before Laguna scored on a classic Hurst to Stringham pass play as the quarter ended.

The Breakers stopped Orange on their first fourth quarter try, but on Laguna’s possession they fumbled the ball deep in Orange territory. Orange scored after a big 62-yard pass play got them to the Breakers’ 5-yard line, but Laguna quickly answered with Charlie Christian’s 60-yard run setting up the final points.

Laguna then stopped Orange on three great defensive plays to get the ball back for a final try, but their seven-play 33-yard drive ended on a deep interception to end the game.

Orange: 14-7-0-7 = 28

Laguna: 0-7-7-7 = 21

First Quarter

O – Stone 35 pass from Thomas (Valenzuela kick) 9:49

O – Taylor 45 pass from Thomas (Valenzuela kick) 2:50

Second Quarter

L – Stringham 4 pass from Hurst (Stringham kick) 9:08

O – Woodbury 63 pass from Thomas (Valenzuela kick) 4:29

Third Quarter

L – Stringham 17 pass from Hurst (Stringham kick) 0:00

Fourth Quarter

O – Dunklin 7 run (Valenzuela kick) 5:07

L – Stringham 2 pass from Hurst (Stringham kick) 3:54

Team Statistics

First Downs: L 19, O 12

Rush: L 192, O 58

Pass: L 168, O 280

Total Yards: L 360, O 338

Fumbles/lost: L 1/1, O 0/0

Return yards: L 23, O 0

Punts: L 1-23, O 3-44:

Penalties/Yards: L 4-35, O 11-98

Individual Statistics

Rush: Hust 1-(-6), Christian 25-167, Gardner 5-31

Receiving: Stringham 14-117, Christian 4-7, Gardner 4-23, Kimball 3-2, Guzman 1-19

Passing: Hurst 38-26-2, 168 yards, 3 TDs

KOR: Golden 2-46, Stringham 1-33, Kimball 1-13

Punt Ret: Stringham 1-23

Punts: Smith 1-23

This Week:

Friday Sept. 4 at 7 p.m., the Breakers will host Shadow Ridge from Las Vegas, now the #21 team in the state of Nevada after falling 35-7 to then SS-CIF #70 Simi Valley on August 28. The Breakers are now favored against the Mustangs and as of Sunday, Aug. 30 held a #63 ranking in the SS-CIF.

(Follow the team on Instagram @lbhsbreakerfootball.)

Girls Tennis (0-1)

The squad is off until September 1 when they will host Irvine in a non-league match.

Girls Volleyball (0-5)

The Breakers lost a tough five-set match at Sage Hill (4-5) on Friday (Aug. 28) losing 23-25, 11-25, 25-18, 25-13, 11-15. In set five, Sage Hill broke a 3-3 tie with four straight points to control the set and the match victory.

Iris Rowe led the Breakers with 14 kills, Finley Dorst added 11 and Evie Rowe 10. Other top performances were Savannah Faris with three service aces and 23 digs, Sienna Utge with two aces, 25 assists, and 11 digs, and Savannah Mair with three aces, six kills, 14 assists and 11 digs.

This week: Today (Sept. 1) at Aliso Niguel, September 3 at Tesoro, Friday and Saturday at the Orange County Championships/Dave Mohs Tournament.

Boys Water Polo (4–2)

Laguna went 2-2 at the 9th Annual Long Beach Tournament last Friday and Saturday at the new Long Beach Wilson aquatics center. On Friday (Aug. 28), Laguna lost to San Diego’s #1 team, and the eventual tournament champion, La Jolla 16-9. Zach Hornstein scored four goals, Finn Leverty added three.

On Saturday morning (Aug. 29), host Wilson confirmed their high ranking with a 10-8 win over the Breakers. Midday, Laguna defeated San Diego #5 Torrey Pines, 15-12, and in the final contest edged San Diego #7 Poway, 13-12.

This week, Laguna is at San Juan Hills today and will face Crean Lutheran tomorrow (Sept. 2) at Irvine’s Woollett Center. The Santa Barbara Tournament is September 10-12, and Newport’s South Coast Tournament is September 17-19.

(Follow the team on Instagram at @laguna_boys_waterpolo.)

• • •

Have a note on LBHS sports? Email me at frank@twometer.net.

If you would like an updated PDF file of the Football, Baseball and Girls Water Polo record books – drop me an email request – all are currently being revised for 2026-27 season.

2026-27 High School Schedules? Check Laguna Beach High School on the MaxPreps website or the schedules tab on the Athletics website at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/schedules. To get scores on the school site – select the sport and level, click year and move to the “Show older events” toggle under the selected season. Scores are also posted on X @LagunaSports.

Open story in new window…

Fall 2026 Sports Update

Cross Country

The squads are in Norco today (Friday, Aug. 28) for the PR City Invitational and then the Saddleback Cup on Saturday, Aug. 29.

After these meets, the team is off until September 12 when a select group of runners will travel to Hawaii for the Iolani Invitational.

Boys Beach Volleyball (2-0, 1-0)

The Breakers defeated Santa Margarita on August 19 at Main Beach.

Pairs results:

#1 Julian Merhab & Vince Merhab lost 21-19, 18-21, 11-15

#2 John Tavey & Dylan Sweet won 21-17, 21-17

#3 Nico Lerum & Bo Carson won 21-19, 19-21, 15-10

#4 Jacob Bystrom & Declan McCormick won 21-16, 21-15

#5 Quinn Halloran & Kurt Moen won 21-23, 21-11, 15-13

Laguna four-man lost 30-32

Laguna Beach will host Newport Harbor on Main Beach, Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 3:30 p.m. The league four-man tournament is at Newport on September 10.

Girls Golf

The season opening match on Tuesday, Aug. 25 at Aliso Niguel was canceled due to heat. The Breakers were expected to face the Wolverines yesterday, Aug. 27, at Ben Brown’s.

Flag Football (2-4)

Laguna rallied to defeat Arlington, 19-6, last Monday at Guyer Field. According to coach Ryan Kollock:

“We gave up a touchdown at the very beginning of the game and then the defense shut down the Arlington offense for more than 3 1/2 quarters. Pressure by our rusher Caroline Talarico led to multiple incompletions, stops in the backfield and three interceptions. The defense sparked the start of our comeback at the beginning of the second half with a big interception. The offense was led by sophomore QB Stella Kollock who did a great job distributing the ball. She connected for touchdowns with Evie Hurst and Sloane Flemming. Caroline Talarico also had a rushing touchdown that led the Breakers to 19 unanswered points in the second half and victory over Arlington.”

Football (0-1)

This week: The 20th meeting with Orange High School is this evening (Friday, Aug. 28), 7 p.m. at Guyer Field.

The teams first met in 1936 in a league playoff contest held at the Santa Ana Bowl, won 18-7 by the Panthers. Orange has dominated the series holding a 13-6 advantage. Last year, they upset the Breakers 24-9 at El Modena’s Kelly Field behind the skills of quarterback Star Thomas, who shredded the Breakers. Thomas is back this season giving the Breakers motivation to turn the tables in 2026.

Tickets: Must be purchased online at GoFan (https://gofan.co/app/school/CA7969), or a QR Code can be found at the Athletic Boosters home page at www.lbhsathletics.com and the code is also posted outside Guyer Field for game day access. Adults are $11 with Seniors and Students $6. Concessions: Food trucks will arrive about 5:30 on game day evening.

Next Week: Friday Sept. 4 – The Breakers will host Shadow Ridge from Las Vegas, the #7 team in Nevada. Last week, the Mustangs defeated Durango/Las Vegas, 41-7, and will travel to SS-CIF #70 Simi Valley tonight (Aug. 28). As of now they will be the strongest of the remaining teams Laguna will host this season.

Girls Tennis (0-1)

The squad is off until September 1 when they will host Irvine in a non-league match.

Girls Volleyball (0-4)

The Breakers lost another four-set match, losing on Tuesday at Dugger Gym to Santa Margarita, 18-25, 25-15, 25-11, 25-16. The girls played great in set one with Iris Rowe collecting four kills and the team recording five serving aces. However, in the final three sets, inconsistent play plagued the Breakers. Evie Rowe led the team overall with 10 kills, Savannah Ferris had 17 digs and three aces, and Iris Rowe finished with nine kills.

Boys Water Polo (1-0)

The Breakers were at San Clemente this past Wednesday and defeated the Tritons, 14-11. Laguna Beach exploded in the second period, going 7-1, to take control of the contest with three goals by Finn Leverty, two from Mason Gruba and single scores by Zach Hornstein and Warren Rootleib.

c

Click on photo for a larger image

Courtesy of Laguna Athletics

2026 Laguna Varsity Boys Water Polo – Front: (L-R) Colin Gregg, Shore Barry, Masen McKinzie, Cade Chaldu, Quinn Riley, Mason Jakle and Bence Whiteback; Back: Ellis Minck, Charlie Miller, Zach Hornstein, Heaton Peabody, Warren Rootlieb, Henry Day, Cash Bina, Dane Seybold and Finn Leverty

The highly ranked Breakers are in their 63rd season and will be on the road this season with the local pool under construction. Laguna is favored to capture the Pacific Coast League crown.

Laguna is at the 9th Annual Long Beach Tournament today and tomorrow (Saturday) in the new Long Beach Wilson aquatics center. Laguna plays La Jolla (San Diego CIF) tonight (Aug. 28) and will have three games tomorrow: 8 a.m. vs. Long Beach Wilson; 11 a.m. vs. Torrey Pines (SD-CIF) and 4 p.m. vs. Poway (SD-CIF).

Next week, Laguna is at San Juan Hills on Tuesday and will face Crean Lutheran on September 2 at Irvine’s Woollett Center.

• • •

Have a note on LBHS sports? Email me at frank@twometer.net.

If you would like an updated PDF file of the Football, Baseball and Girls Water Polo record books – drop me an email request – all are currently being revised for 2026-27 season.

2026-27 High School Schedules? Check Laguna Beach High School on the MaxPreps website or the schedules tab on the Athletics website at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/schedules. To get scores on the school site – select the sport and level, click year and move to the “Show older events” toggle under the selected season. Scores are also posted on X @LagunaSports.

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School Notes

News and notes from our colleges and universities

Catherine Herrick, of Laguna Beach, has graduated from the University of Rhode Island (URI) with Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Biology.

The URI celebrated more than 4,000 of their newest alumni during the 2026 Commencement, which took place May 15-17.

The URI is a diverse and dynamic community whose members are connected by a common quest for knowledge. As a global education leader and the state of Rhode Island’s flagship public research institution, URI offers distinctive opportunities designed to meet the global challenges of today’s world and the rapidly evolving needs of tomorrow. Founded in 1892, URI now enrolls more than 18,000 students and offers more than 200-degree programs across nine schools and colleges.

Have your son or daughter register at their respective school to have information forwarded to Stu News Laguna at tomjohnson@me.com.

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Fall 2026 Sports Update

The summer is ending for Laguna High School sports with the 93rd sports season officially starting this weekend.

Girls Volleyball (0-3)

Breakers host Santa Margarita on Thursday, Aug. 27 and travel to Sage Hill on Friday.

Boys Beach Volleyball (1-0)

13th season of the sport at Laguna is underway under fourth year coach Paul Cuevas (24-11).

The Breakers defeated Downey, 7-0, on Wednesday, Aug. 19 at Main Beach.

#1 Nico Lerum/Bo Carson, 21-15, 21-19 – W

#2 Julian Merheb/Vince Merheb, 21-10, 21-15 – W

#3 Declan McCormick/Jacob Bystrom, 21-11, 21-14 – W

#4 Quinn Halloran/Cole Steinke, 21-5, 21-6 – W

#5 Truman Smith/Graham Richland, 21-10, 21-16 – W

4-Man – Laguna won 28-14

(Nico Lerum, Bo Carson, Julian Merheb, Vince Merheb, Declan McCormick, Jacob Bystrom and Ethan Cauley played in the 4-Man contest.)

Girls Golf

The season opens today (Tuesday, Aug. 25) at Aliso Niguel and a return match with the Wolverines is on Thursday (Aug. 27) at Ben Brown’s.

Flag Football (1-4)

Laguna fell 19-13 at Laguna Hills last Wednesday, Aug. 19. Details on the game were not provided. The Breakers played host to Arlington yesterday (Monday, Aug. 24) at Guyer Field and will play Ayala tomorrow (Wednesday, Aug. 26 at 6:30 p.m. Admission is always free.

Football (0-1)

Yorba Linda’s speed, especially on defense, proved to be the difference in a tough 34-21 loss to the higher-ranked Mustangs last Friday night (Aug. 21) at Guyer Field. Throughout the contest, it appeared Laguna had made the stops to force a possession change only to have a penalty or broken play give the visitors more downs.

Initially, Yorba Linda took over the ball after the first of three Brady Stringham touchback-kicks into the end zone. The Mustangs were midfield after six plays when they connected on their first score.

The Breakers then stalled after six plays giving the ball back to Yorba Linda, who scored after 12 plays into the second quarter. That drive was kept alive on a questionable fourth down penalty call on the Breakers. The Mustangs’ final score of the first half came off a Laguna turnover after QB Jack Hurst was intercepted.

However, the Breakers scored on their final two possessions of the first-half scoring on two great pass plays to energize the home crowd.

Then, late in the third period, Charlie Christian scored to pull close. Yet, on the ensuing possession by Yorba Linda, a scrambling Hail Mary toss on a long third down resulted in a 44-yard gain to put the visitors into the red zone for their final points.

The Breakers’ last possession sadly ended on an interception.

Yorba Linda……….6 – 15 – 7 – 6 – 34

Laguna Beach…….0 – 14 – 7 – 0 – 21

First Quarter:

Y – Aguilar 45 pass from N Trujillo (kick blocked) 6:30

Second Quarter:

Y – I Trujillo 5 run (kick) 9:14

Y – Aguilar 69 pass from N Trujillo (T Trujillo run) 5:32

L – Stringham 9 pass from Hurst (Stringham kick) 2:18

L – Byerly 32 pass from Hurst (Stringham kick) 0:36

Third Quarter:

Y – Gutierrez 1 run (kick) 8:08

L – Christian 13 run (Stringham kick) 0:29

Fourth Quarter

Gutierrez 2 run (kick failed) 6:59

Individual Stats

Rush: Hurst 2-(-11), Christian 6-22, Gardner 2-15

Pass: Hurst 34-21-2, 193 – 72.3 HS rating, 117.61 NCAA rating

Receiving: Kimball 9-62, Stringham 5-39, Christian 3-36, Gardner 2-9, Byerly 1-32, Bogdan 1-15

Punts: D. Smith 3-105, 35.0 avg., 1 inside 20

KO: Stringham 4 KO, 3 touchbacks, 195 yds

SS–CIF Official Rankings as of Sunday, Aug. 23:

Laguna is #46 out of 374 SS-CIF football schools.

August 28 – Orange is #69; September 4 – Shadow Ridge (NV) #7 in Nevada, ranking equal to #42 in SS-CIF; September 10 – Westlake is #43; September 25 – San Pedro (LA-CIF) ranked #3 in L.A., equal to #133 in SS-CIF; October 1 – Troy is #67; October 8 – El Modena is #101; October 16 – Dana Hills is #45; October 23 – Western is #100 and October 30 – Huntington Beach is #27.

This week:

The 20th meeting with Orange High School is next Friday, Aug. 28, 7 p.m. at Guyer Field. The teams first met in 1936 in a league playoff contest held at the Santa Ana Bowl, won 18-7 by the Panthers. Orange has dominated the series holding a 13-6 advantage.

Last year they upset the Breakers 24-9 at El Modena’s Kelly Field behind the skills of quarterback Star Thomas, who shredded the Breakers. Thomas is back this season giving the Breakers motivation to turn the tables in 2026.

Tickets:

Must be purchased online at GoFan. The direct link QR Code can be found at the Athletic Boosters home page at www.lbhsathletics.com and the code is also posted outside Guyer Field for game day access. Adults are $11, with Seniors and Students $6. Concessions: Food trucks will arrive about 5:30 p.m. on game day evening.

Girls Tennis (0-1)

The squad lost 14-4 to JSerra on August 20 on the local courts and are off until September 1 when they will host Irvine in a non-league match.

Boys Water Polo (1-0)

The Breakers lived up to their pre-season expectations as they rolled past OC #7 Beckman, 16-12. Mason Jakle scored four goals, including three penalty shots, to lead Laguna. Finn Leverty and Ellis Minck each added three goals, while Warren Rootlieb and Heaton Peabody scored twice. Henry Day was stellar in the goal for Laguna.

Click on photo for a larger image

Photos courtesy of Laguna Beach High School

The junior, Mason Jakle (#28), was three-for-three in scoring penalty shots leading the #5 OC ranked Breakers Boys Water Polo team to a 16-12 win over OC #7 Beckman last Saturday (Aug. 22) at the Patriots’ pool

The Breakers are at San Clemente tomorrow (Wednesday) in a rematch of their State summer tournament showdown won by Laguna 15-11 on July 12.

Cross Country

The squads ran in the Mountie Express meet held at Mt. San Antonio College this past Saturday (Aug. 22). Natalia Chudliegh had the girls’ squad best two-mile time at 12:36. The Breakers were 12th out of 62 scoring teams. Jake Kirstein had the fastest boys’ time at 10:43.8, with Laguna finishing eighth out of 67 competing teams.

Click on photo for a larger image

2026 Laguna Beach Girls Cross Country Team: (Front – L-R) Anja Stedman, Emme Zajda, Natalia Chudleigh, Olivia Bixby, Isla Aguilar, Jordan Casolari, Livi Lalim; (Back – L-R) Morgan Lee, Madalena Orvalho, Maryam Khabazian, Ava Lowe, Ella Volpe, Helena Lowe, Juliette Fox, Coco Loo and Lucia Lerum

Click on photo for a larger image

2026 Laguna Beach Boys Cross Country Team: (L-R) Carson Kull, Brayden Martino, Sloan Shear, Charlie MacGillivray, Wade Jurkowski, Henry Hitzel, Deacon Demers, Kellan Gruba, Jake Kirstein and James Wilson

• • •

Have a note on LBHS sports? Email me at frank@twometer.net.

If you would like an updated PDF file of the Football, Baseball and Girls Water Polo record books – drop me an email request – all are currently being revised for 2026-27 season.

2026-27 High School Schedules? Check Laguna Beach High School on the MaxPreps website or the schedules tab on the Athletics website at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/schedules. To get scores on the school site – select the sport and level, click year and move to the “Show older events” toggle under the selected season. Scores are also posted on X @LagunaSports.

Open story in new window…

Fall 2026 Sports Update

The summer is ending for Laguna High School sports with the 93rd sports season officially starting this weekend.

Girls Volleyball (0-3)

Breakers are still struggling with consistency dropping two four-set matches. On August 13, Laguna lost to Foothill 14-25, 17-25, 25-23,17-25.

Kill leaders were Finley Dorst and Evie Rowe both with 10 kills. Savanna Mair had three aces and 10 assists, Sienna Utge 17 assists, and Savannah Faris led in digs with 18.

This past Tuesday (Aug.18), Breakers lost to Dana Hills 14-25, 17-25, 25-20, 13-25 in their 37th meeting held at Dugger Gym. Iris Rowe led all hitters for Laguna with six kills, with both Zoey Bond and Sienna Utge adding five. Savannah Farris had 14 digs, and Savanna Mair had three service aces, four kills and eight assists.

Breakers host Santa Margarita on Thursday, Aug. 27 and travel to Sage Hill on Friday.

Girls Golf

The season opens next week with a match on Tuesday, Aug. 25 at Aliso Niguel and a return match with the Wolverines on Thursday at Ben Brown’s.

Flag Football (1-3)

Breakers were overwhelmed by San Clemente (1-2) on August 18 on the Triton campus, falling 59-8. Laguna was at Laguna Hills this past Wednesday (Aug. 19) and hosts Arlington at 6 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 24 at Guyer Field, and Ayala on Wednesday, Aug. 26 at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free.

Football

The 92nd Varsity Season opens tonight (Friday, Aug. 21) at 7 p.m. against Yorba Linda from the Alpha League. The Mustangs went 9-2 last season, and both teams are expected to stay among the top public schools in Orange County football.

Click on photo for a larger image

Courtesy of Laguna Football

Breakers’ running backs for 2026 with 2025 statistics: (L-R) #11 Bob Gardner (30 carries, 116 yards, 2 TDs), #7 Carlton Mousally (9 carries, 88 yards), #44 Charlie Christian (94 carries, 463 yards 6 touchdowns) and #34 London Blincoe

Tickets: Must be purchased online at GoFan. The direct link QR Code can be found at the Athletic Boosters home page at www.lbhsathletics.com, and the code is also posted outside Guyer Field for game day access. Adults are $11, with Seniors and Students $6. Concessions: Food trucks will arrive about 5:30 on game day evening.

Next week: The 20th meeting with Orange High School is next Friday, Aug. 28, 7 p.m. at Guyer Field. The teams first met in 1936 in a league playoff contest held at the Santa Ana Bowl with a Panthers win, 18-7. Orange has dominated the series holding a 13-6 advantage.

Last year, they upset the Breakers 24-9 at El Modena’s Kelly Field behind the skills of quarterback Star Thomas who shredded the Breakers. Thomas is back this season giving the Breakers’ motivation to turn the tables in 2026.

Girls Tennis

The squad met JSerra on August 20 on the local courts and are off until September 1 when they will host Irvine in a non-league match. Robert Klugman is back guiding the team for his fifth season with Laguna with two league titles and CIF title to his credit.

Boys Water Polo

The 63rd season of the sport at Laguna opens on Saturday, Aug. 22 at Beckman. Laguna travels to San Clemente next Wednesday (Aug. 26) and they are in the Long Beach tournament on August 28-29.

Players to watch include Dane Seybold, Finn Leverty and Zach Hornstein. The Breakers were 24-9 last season finishing #8 in the SS-CIF rankings.

Cross Country

First event is Saturday, Aug. 22.

• • •

Have a note on LBHS sports? Email me at frank@twometer.net.

If you would like an updated PDF file of the Football, Baseball and Girls Water Polo record books – drop me an email request – all are currently being revised for 2026-27 season.

2026-27 High School Schedules? Check Laguna Beach High School on the MaxPreps website or the schedules tab on the Athletics website at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/schedules. To get scores on the school site – select the sport and level, click year and move to the “Show older events” toggle under the selected season. Scores are also posted on X @LagunaSports.

Open story in new window…

Fall 2026 Sports Update

The summer is ending for Laguna High School sports with the 93rd sports season officially starting.

Girls Volleyball (0-1)

The Breakers dropped their first regular season match losing a four-set contest with Beckman, 18-25, 25-21, 20-25, 19-25. Kill leader was Iris Rowe (Fr.) with 10. Liberio Savannah Faris had 18 digs, Sarah Durand 16 and Rowe had 11. Durand and Faris each had three aces, Sienna Utge was very effective in setting.

Laguna was at Foothill yesterday (Aug. 13) and hosts Dana Hills on Tuesday, Aug. 18 at Dugger Gym. Start time is 5:45 p.m.

Flag Football (1-2)

Injuries and absences caused the Breakers to forfeit their first two games of the 2026 season. On August 12, the Breakers surprised Dana Hills 23-0, and next week on August 18 they are at San Clemente and at Laguna Hills on August 19.

Football

The 92nd Varsity Season opens Friday, Aug. 21, 7 p.m., against Yorba Linda from the Alpha League. The Mustangs went 9-2 last season, won Bravo League, losing to Los Alamitos and Tustin, while beating Edison and Corona del Mar. Their squad returns seven starters led by QB Noah Trujillo and running back Isaiah Trujillo.

Click on photo for a larger image

Photos courtesy of Laguna Football

Head Coach John Shanahan – the Breakers’ football coach – is 77-35-0 in 10 seasons with the Breakers, with six league titles. Before Laguna, he was the successful Frosh coach at JSerra (42-8) for five seasons, including one Trinity League title when he was hired at Laguna Beach in spring 2016. Prior to that, he was involved with the Tustin program serving as an assistant to the Tillers. Shanahan is a native of Boston, but grew up in the Tustin area graduating from Foothill High School and Fullerton College before attending Boston College.

Click on photo for a larger image

QB Coach Mark Flippen (center) appears with 2026 quarterbacks – (L-R) Braden Hansen (Fr.) and Jack Hurst (Sr.), returning for his final season with Laguna. Last year, Hurst threw for 2,973 yards and a school record 45 touchdown passes.

Guyer Field

It was built in 1962 with the current grandstand and lights added for the 1963 season. The artificial turf was installed in 2003, replaced in 2016 and again in 2025. The Breakers are 152-174-5 at the field.

Prior to Guyer, Laguna played on their original field that ran parallel to St. Anns. Lights were added to the Laguna field in 1954, and the squad was 76-36-7 there over the 27 seasons.

Tickets

Must be purchased online at GoFan. The direct link QR Code can be found at the Athletic Boosters home page at www.lbhsathletics.com, and the code is also posted outside Guyer Field for game day access. Adults are $11, with seniors and students $6.

Concessions

Food Trucks will arrive about 5:30 p.m. on game day evening.

Remaining schedule

August 28 – #92 Orange

September 4 – Shadow Ridge (Nev.), #9 in Nevada ranking equal to #58 in SS-CIF

September 10 – at #45 Westlake

September 25 – at San Pedro (LA-CIF), ranked # 3 in L.A. equal to #136 in SS-CIF

October 1 – at #66 Troy*

October 8 – at #91 El Modena*

October 16 – #48 Dana Hills*

October 23 – #79 Western*

October 30 – at #28 Huntington Beach*

(*Delta League Game)

Other Fall Sports

Boys Water Polo opens on August 22 at Beckman; Girls Tennis hosts JSerra on August 20 and Cross Country’s first event is Saturday, Aug. 22.

• • •

Have a note on LBHS sports? Email me at frank@twometer.net.

If you would like an updated PDF file of the Football, Baseball and Girls Water Polo record books – drop me an email request – all are currently being revised for 2026-27 season.

2026-27 High School Schedules? Check Laguna Beach High School on the MaxPreps website or the schedules tab on the Athletics website at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/schedules. To get scores on the school site – select the sport and level, click year and move to the “Show older events” toggle under the selected season. Scores are also posted on X @LagunaSports.

Open story in new window…

Fall 2026 Sports Update

The summer is ending for Laguna High School sports with the 93rd sports season officially starting this weekend.

Girls Volleyball

The Breakers competed in the 17th Annual Queens Court Tournament at the Momentous Sports Center in Irvine last weekend for their final “summer” contests prior to the start of the regular season. Coach Sinan Tinek is in his sixth season with a D-7 CIF title in 2024 and a second place finish in the Sunset Surf League in 2021 and 2nd in the Sunset Wave League in 2023.

Click on photo for a larger image

Photo by Frank Aronoff

The 2026 Laguna Beach Girls Varsity Volleyball squad lines up in preparation for their first contest as a team in the 17th Annual Queens Court Tournament in Irvine last Saturday, Aug. 1

The 2026 Roster:

# 1 Savanna Mair (Fr.)

# 2 Collette Dorst (Fr.)

# 4 Tessa Durand (Jr.)

# 5 Finley Dorst (Sr.)

# 6 Natalia Calef (Sr.)

# 7 Stella Evans (Sr.)

# 8 Zoey Bond (Sr.)

# 9 Sienna Utge (Jr.)

# 10 Evie Rowe (Jr.)

# 11 Iris Rowe (Fr.)

# 12 Katie Boultinghouse (So.)

# 14 Jeffrey Anderson (Jr.)

# 22 Savannah Farris (Sr.)

# 28 Maia Miller (Sr.)

# 36 Charlotte Hulley (Fr.)

The Breakers lost their top four kill leaders from 2025 with one going to boarding school, two opting for home schooling and one transferring to a local private school.

At the tournament (mentioned above), Laguna beat Sunny Hills 25-22, 27-29, 15-9; lost to Ontario Christian 21-25, 24-26; lost to St. Margaret’s 14-25, 20-25; lost to Valencia/Valencia 25-20, 19-25, 12-15 and lost to Ayala 25-14, 20-25, 11-15.

Tournament statistical leaders:

Kills: I. Rowe – 27, E Rowe – 16, F. Dorst – 15

Net Blocks: F. Dorst – 3.5, Z. Bond – 3.0

Aces: S. Mair – 5

Assists: S. Mair – 52

The 55th CIF season opens at home on Tuesday, Aug. 11 vs. Beckman, with varsity play starting about 5:15 p.m. at Dugger Gym.

Flag Football

The season opens this Saturday, Aug. 8 with tournament games versus Etiwanda at 9 a.m. and then they’ll face host El Modena at 10 a.m.

The tournament will move to a single elimination playoff format later in the day after the seeding play.

Key players are QB and safety Stella Kollock, corner and running back Olivia Kirkbride, RB and rusher Caroline Talarico and wide receiver Evie Hurst.

Their next contest is August 12 against Dana Hills, with the JV game at 6 p.m., followed by varsity about 7:30 p.m. at Guyer Field. Admission is free.

Football

HSRatings, the service used by CIF to determine post season seeding, has issued their initial 2026 projections. They have Laguna ranked #49 in the SS-CIF and going 6-4 overall, while finishing third in the Delta League. The Breakers’ schedule with the opponents’ current SS-CIF rankings (out of 373 schools):

Opening contest:

August 21 – #26 Yorba Linda

YL went 9-2 last season, winning Bravo League, losing to Los Alamitos and Tustin, beating Edison and Corona del Mar. Their squad returns seven starters led by QB Noah Trujillo and RB Isaiah Trujillo.

Remaining games:

August 28 – #92 Orange

September 4 – Shadow Ridge (NV), #9 ranking in Nevada equal to #58 in SS-CIF

September 10 – at #45 Westlake

September 25 – at San Pedro (L.A.-CIF) – ranked #3 in L.A., equal to #136 in SS-CIF

October 1 – at #66 Troy*

October 8 – at #91 El Modena*

October 16 – #48 Dana Hills*

October 23 – #79 Western*

October 30 – at #28 Huntington Beach*

* Delta League Game

• • •

Have a note on LBHS sports? Email me at frank@twometer.net.

If you would like an updated PDF file of the Football, Baseball and Girls Water Polo record books – drop me an email request – all are currently being revised for 2026-27 season.

2026-27 High School Schedules? Check Laguna Beach High School on the MaxPreps website or the schedules tab on the Athletics website at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/schedules. To get scores on the school site – select the sport and level, click year and move to the “Show older events” toggle under the selected season. Scores are also posted on X @LagunaSports.a

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Thurston Middle School Sports

Fifth sports season begins August 31

One of outgoing District Athletic Administrator Dr. Denise Selbe’s achievements was establishing a competitive sports program at Thurston Middle School. The Waveriders have now completed four successful years of competition against area middle schools in the Coastal Athletic League (Dwyer and Sowers from Huntington Beach, Ensign, TeWinkle, Corona del Mar and Costa Mesa from the Newport-Mesa Unified School District and Harbor Day School).

Courtesy of LBUSD

Tommy Newton-Neal, athletic director, Thurston Middle School

Tommy Newton-Neal serves as the school athletic director, and coaches Thurston’s cross country teams as wells as the high school’s boys cross country and track teams. He is a Laguna grad, class of 2010 and as a high school athlete he was All-CIF in cross country and a member of the 2009 State Championship squad. Tommy is also a UCI grad.

Thurston’s 14 sport teams involve students from 6th, 7th and 8th grade and compete in the following fall sports:

Girls Basketball

Coaches: Vince Hamasaki & Conner Rozean

Tryouts on August 31, with the season opening on Thursday, Sept. 24 at Sowers Middle School.

Boys Volleyball

Coaches: Chanel Stewart & Bryan Lewis

Tryouts start September 1 (see website). Season also opens at Sowers Middle School on Wednesday, Sept. 23.

I will review WINTER SPORTS (Boys Basketball, Girls Volleyball, Cross Country) later in the fall and SPRING SPORTS (Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer, Track & Field) early next year.

You can view more information on the TMS sports programs, tryout dates, schedules, titles at their excellent website at https://tms.lbusd.org/athletics.

LBHS Fall 2026 Sports Update

The summer is short for Laguna High School sports with the 93rd sports season starting this past week.

Girls Volleyball

The Breakers roster will be set today (Friday, July 31), with the squad playing in the 17th Annual Queens Court Tournament at the Momentous Sports Center in Irvine this Saturday and Sunday (Aug. 1 and 2). This event is considered by CIF as the final summer tournament for girls volleyball, so the results will not affect the upcoming season rankings.

The Breakers finished the season #110 out of 527 ranked schools in the SS-CIF. Laguna will face #30 Sunny Hills, #114 La Canada and #165 Capistrano Valley on Saturday. The 55th season under CIF opens at home on Tuesday, Aug. 11 vs. Beckman.

Coach Sinan Tinek is back for his sixth season at the helm of the Breakers.

Flag Football

The sport’s fourth season at Laguna opens with the El Modena Tournament on Saturday, Aug. 8.

Football

Practice is underway with the opening game on Friday, Aug. 21 vs. Yorba Linda.

The Los Angeles Times has Laguna’s September 10 opponent, Westlake, ranked #22 in the Southern California Top 25 rankings. HSRankings, which is used for CIF playoff placement, has the Breakers at #46 out of 374 section schools.

Opponents: Yorba Linda is #24, Huntington Beach #27, Westlake #47, Dana Hills #48, Troy #66, Western #79, Orange #81 and El Modena #100.

The Times also mentioned Laguna QB Jack Hurst and receiver Brady Stringham on their short list of players to watch this season in Southern California.

Boys Water Polo

The Breakers had a strong summer training program and will be training and playing home games this season at El Toro High School.

The Breakers open their 63rd season on August 22 at Beckman. Camron Hauer is back for his fifth season as coach after going 24-9 last year.

• • •

Have a note on LBHS sports? Email me at frank@twometer.net.

If you would like an updated PDF file of the Football, Baseball and Girls Water Polo record books – drop me an email request – all are currently being revised for 2026-27 season.

2026-27 High School Schedules? Check Laguna Beach High School on the MaxPreps website or the schedules tab on the Athletics website at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/schedules. To get scores on the school site – select the sport and level, click year and move to the “Show older events” toggle under the selected season. Scores are also posted on X @LagunaSports.

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Anneliese School and Rebel Mountain Farm donate more than 144 lbs. of heirloom tomatoes to Laguna Food Pantry

Over the past few weeks, Laguna Food Pantry (LFP) has gratefully received more than 144 pounds of organic heirloom tomatoes from Anneliese School and Rebel Mountain Farm. Grown at Rebel Mountain Farm, Anneliese School’s regenerative urban farm in Claremont, the vibrant tomatoes were a welcome addition to shoppers’ groceries, providing fresh flavor, nutrition and quality produce for many families.

Click on photo for larger image

Photos courtesy of LFP

(L-R) Laguna Food Pantry Program Director Kim Moten-Bogan accepting Anneliese School’s donation with Rebel Mountain Farm Manager Paulo Garcia and Lucas Martin-Schimmelpfennig

The donations reflect Anneliese School’s commitment to environmental education and community stewardship. Through Rebel Mountain Farm, students gain hands-on experience in sustainable agriculture while helping grow produce that nourishes both their school community and local organizations like Laguna Food Pantry.

The tomatoes were delivered over several visits by members of the Anneliese School and Rebel Mountain Farm team.

Click on photo for larger image

Donated heirloom tomatoes from Anneliese School and Rebel Mountain Farm

The Pantry extends their sincere thanks to Anneliese School, Rebel Mountain Farm, Cora Sorenson, Lucas Martin-Schimmelpfennig, Chef Andrew Johnson, and everyone involved in making these generous donations possible. Partnerships like these help ensure families have access to fresh, nutritious groceries while demonstrating that kindness and healthy communities grow through collaboration.

Laguna Food Pantry is open Monday through Friday, 8:10-10:30 a.m., offering free, fresh, nutritious groceries via a drive-through system. Visit www.lagunafoodpantry.org to learn more, volunteer, or donate. The Pantry currently needs more volunteer drivers to help with grocery rescue. Your support is vital to their mission of ending food insecurity and hunger in our community. They believe no one should go hungry.

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School board “visioning process” discussion highlights priorities including reading, technology use, mental health and arts

By SARA HALL

Members of the Laguna Beach Unified School District Board of Education on Thursday (July 23) identified several priorities during the first discussion of a “visioning process.”

The process is intended to inform future district priorities, organizational work and the metrics used to measure success. Thursday was the first step, gathering the initial comments of each board member. No action or vote was taken. Staff is tentatively planning two additional meetings.

Board President Sheri Morgan said she has wanted this type of evaluation for some time.

“It’s important that we reclaim the role that the board is elected to do, which is oversight and vision setting for the direction of our district,” she said.

A vision is more than a strategic plan or a list of goals, added Trustee Joan Malczewski.

“We also have to create the conditions that allow a school district to improve,” she said. “Those conditions begin with trust and collaboration.”

Click on photo for a larger image

Photo by Candice Dartez

The school board held its first visioning process discussion last week, highlighting several student-centered priorities

Malczewski highlighted two priorities: reading and instructional technology.

She emphasized the importance of focused and engaged reading and the skills it teaches young students, including following complex ideas, sustaining attention and understanding different perspectives.

“Those aren’t just academic skills, they’re habits of mind,” Malczewski commented. “They prepare students for success across every subject area and for thoughtful participation in their communities.”

Trustee Jim Kelly focused on social-emotional support programs.

“One of the core strengths of Laguna Beach Unified has been our commitment to educating the whole child,” Kelly commented. “Our board has consistently invested in high quality professionals and comprehensive systems of support because student wellness is a foundation to academic achievement.”

Trustee Howard Hills emphasized engaging students through storytelling.

He also cautioned against excessive screen time and overreliance on classroom technology.

“In Laguna Beach, before the pandemic, we took a big dive into technology,” Hills said. “I think we over-committed and we over-extended and we over-relied on technology very early on.”

He said the greatest contribution schools can make is promoting academic and athletic achievement and socialization.

Trustee Dee Perry underscored the importance of reading and its associated health benefits, including improving a person’s mental well-being. She also cautioned about the use of technology and artificial intelligence.

Perry also suggested introducing career exploration earlier so students have meaningful opportunities to explore their interests.

“Students that have a goal for themselves…they’re so much more confident and then their learning is better,” she commented.

Perry also highlighted the arts and the value of creativity.

Board President Sheri Morgan noted the mental health benefits of the arts and said the district should protect and expand arts programming. She also suggested incorporating art into other classes, like athletes participating in dance class, which would help with footwork and coordination.

“I would really love to see a broader integration of our arts programs into our curriculum for our students,” Morgan said.

Morgan emphasized investing in “exciting ways to learn.”

“I think that’s going to be why people come here, that we’re a destination because of how we teach and the opportunities that we provide,” she said.

During public comment, several speakers praised the discussion and said the early ideas were encouraging.

The superintendent’s report highlights that LBUSD already has a strong foundation and that even great districts should always strive to improve, noted parent Amy Kramer.

“It’s encouraging to see such a balanced vision, one that values academic achievement alongside student well-being, the arts, career pathways, innovation and strong communication within our community,” Kramer said.

~~~~~~~~

Sara Hall covers City Hall and is a regular contributor to Stu News Laguna.

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New Athletic Director – Chris Esperanza

Click on photo for a larger image

Photo by Mary Hurlbut

Chris Esperanza

The Chris Esperanza era has begun as the Breakers’ 21st athletic director started last week at the helm of the Laguna program. A graduate of Orange High School and USC, Esperanza taught in the Anaheim Union High School District prior to joining Laguna, following his longest run at Magnolia High School from 2011 to 2023. His head coaching experience includes baseball and wrestling at Orange, lower-level football at El Modena, assistant varsity coaching in football at Orange and El Modena, baseball at El Modena and basketball at Katella.

Currently on his plate this summer is filling the coaching vacancy in Girls Lacrosse, with former AD Denise Selbe helping in the transition through August. Fall Sports begins in two weeks.

Dr. Denise Selbe

Click on photo for a larger image

Courtesy of Laguna Athletics

Dr. Denise Selbe

I asked Dr. Selbe to reflect on her five years at Laguna. She came to the Breakers from the Anaheim Union High School District after a long career at Cypress High School, her alma mater, and later as a district administrator.

“Looking back on the five years as LBHS athletic director, I most enjoyed the relationships I built with student-athletes, coaches, families and district staff. Laguna is an amazing community!”

Facilities

“We made significant improvements to our athletic facilities, and I was proud to be a part of the many projects including upgrades to our field with the new turf and graphics. I was grateful to be part of the nearly three-year planning process for the new pool, working alongside district leaders, school board members, coaches, student-athletes, families and the LB community. It’s exciting to see the construction underway and I cannot wait to see the finished product!”

Athletes of Character

“I was proud of the implementation of our new Athletes of Character leadership group a few years ago. It gave student-athletes opportunities to grow beyond competition through leadership, sportsmanship, community service, mentoring students at El Morro and TOW and in providing input on school issues that affect student-athletes.”

Re-leaguing

“We navigated two tough rounds of the Orange County re-leaguing process, but was proud of being able to represent the unique and nuanced needs of the Laguna athletic programs and to land in a conference that is fair and appropriate for our programs.”

Success on the Field/Court/Pool

“We’ve enjoyed tremendous success in the last five years, winning five CIF championships in five different sports – girls’ tennis, football, girls’ water polo, girls’ volleyball and boys’ soccer. We also reached the CIF finals three times in baseball, boys’ water polo and girls’ water polo. I don’t know the number of league championships, but there were a lot! Especially after moving to the PCC!

“The last five years at Laguna was a dream-ending to my 39-year career in education. I spent six years teaching, 12 years as a school counselor, and 21 years as a site administrator. To close-out in a community like Laguna Beach was a blessing.”

The community will also notice some significant changes in Dugger Gym as Dr. Selbe’s makeover of the facility interior will be completed soon, including a new on-line records website.

Summer Sports Camps

Check the schedule at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/summer-programs. The website details dates, time, cost and contacts. Some programs continue into August.

Participation in summer camps is optional for Laguna student-athletes. All participants must have current HS athletic clearance prior to the start of their respective camp. Athletic clearance is valid for one calendar year and applies to any sport the student-athlete participates in during the 2026-27 school year. To begin the clearance process, visit https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/athletic-clearance. Registration for summer camps will be available through the Sports Engine website.

Fall 2026 Sports Dates

The summer is short for Laguna High School sports with the 93rd sports season starting soon:

Girls Volleyball

Official tryout – Friday, July 31, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Queens Court Tournament: August 1-2 p.m.

Home Opener: Tuesday, Aug. 11 vs. Beckman

Flag Football

Opens season at El Mo Tournament on August 8

Girls Tennis

Thursday, Aug. 20 vs. J Serra

Football

Friday, Aug. 21 vs. Yorba Linda

Cross Country

Friday, Aug. 28 at the PR City Invitational in Norco

• • •

Have a note on LBHS sports? Email me at frank@twometer.net.

If you would like an updated PDF file of the Football, Baseball and Girls Water Polo record books – drop me an email request – all are currently being revised for 2026-27 season.

2026-27 High School Schedules? Check Laguna Beach High School on the MaxPreps website or the schedules tab on the Athletics website at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/schedules. To get scores on the school site – select the sport and level, click year and move to the “Show older events” toggle under the selected season. Scores are also posted on X @LagunaSports.

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Baseball

Naess and Bonn Selected in Major League Baseball Amateur Draft

Breaker alumni were selected in the recent MLB draft with Nick Bonn, a 2022 graduate of Laguna and a first-team All-Big West Conference as a closing pitcher for the league champion Cal Poly Mustangs, going in the 10th round to St. Louis. At Laguna, he was the Sunset Wave League “Pitcher of the Year” in 2022.

Griff Naess, also a pitcher for Cal Poly and a 2023 Laguna grad, went in the 15th round to Detroit, becoming the 10th Laguna Beach High School player to be drafted.

The highest drafted player ever was Damon Berryhill (’82), a catcher, in the 1984 draft – a first round choice and the #4 overall pick. Berryhill’s Laguna team went 2-18 his senior year but his talent was recognized even at the high school level. Damon played in 683 games in 11 seasons in the National League.

Amateur Baseball Draft (since 1965) – Laguna Beach High School Selections

1971 Greg Kessler (‘71) 21st round (#492) to Oakland

1984 Damon Berryhill (‘82) 1st Round (#4) to Chicago (Orange Coast College)

1988 Danny Lane (‘88) 45th round (#1156) to San Francisco

1992 Danny Lane (‘88) 24th round (#659) to Montreal (UC Santa Barbara)

2015 Chris Paul (‘11) 6th round (#170) to Minnesota (California)

2015 Keaton Jones (‘11) 15th Round (#460) to Detroit (TCU)

2017 Preston Grand Pre (‘14) 24th round (#730) to Los Angeles Dodgers (California)

2019 Cutter Clawson (‘19) 33rd round (#993) to Washington

2026 Nick Bonn (‘22) 10th Round (#294) to St. Louis (Cal Poly)

2026 Griff Naess (’23) 15th Round (#457) to Chicago Cubs (Cal Poly)

Football Update – Breakers Back From Carolina Big Weekend Event

This year’s team trip took us through North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Starting off in Raleigh/Durham, the Breakers scrimmaged a Top 10 in North Carolina, and visited the campuses of University of North Carolina, NC State and Duke University.

Next was South Carolina where Laguna hopped on a boat to visit the historical Fort Sumter and explored the beautiful city of Charleston.

Our squad finished up their trip in Georgia, navigating the famous streets of Savannah, getting a beach day at Tybee Island and finished off with a boat cruise on the Savannah River.

This Saturday (July 18), Laguna is participating in the South County Classic passing league at Mission Viejo High School, along with 18 other top SoCal schools. The Breakers are in a pool that includes Corona del Mar, Mater Dei and Santa Margarita.

Boys Basketball

The Breakers are playing in the George Yardley Tournament that opened yesterday (Thursday, July 16) at Newport Harbor High School. The Breakers opened against Aliso Niguel to start and will play either Newport Harbor or Mater Dei in the second round. The tournament concludes on Sunday, July 19.

New Athletic Director

Chris Esperanza is now on campus as the Breakers’ 21st AD over 93 years of athletics at Laguna. Red Guyer held the job the longest, going 31 seasons for the school.

Summer Sports Camps

Check the schedule at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/summer-programs. The website details dates, time, cost and contacts.

Participation in summer camps is optional for Laguna student-athletes. All participants must have current HS athletic clearance prior to the start of their respective camp. Athletic clearance is valid for one calendar year and applies to any sport the student-athlete participates in during the 2026-27 school year. To begin the clearance process, visit: https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/athletic-clearance. Registration for summer camps will be available through the Sports Engine website.

Fall 2026 Sports Dates

The summer is short for Laguna High School sports with the 93rd sports season starting soon:

Girls Volleyball

Official tryout – Friday, July 31, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Queens Court Tournament: August 1-2

Home Opener: Tuesday, Aug. 11 vs. Beckman

Flag Football

Opens season at El Mo Tournament on August 8

Girls Tennis

Thursday, Aug. 20 vs. J Serra

Football

Friday, Aug. 21 vs. Yorba Linda

Cross Country

Friday, Aug. 28 at the PR City Invitational in Norco

• • •

Have a note on LBHS sports? Email me at frank@twometer.net.

If you would like an updated PDF file of the Football, Baseball and Girls Water Polo record books – drop me an email request – all are currently being revised for 2026-27 season.

2026-27 High School Schedules? Check Laguna Beach High School on the MaxPreps website or the schedules tab on the Athletics website at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/schedules. To get scores on the school site – select the sport and level, click year and move to the “Show older events” toggle under the selected season. Scores are also posted on X @LagunaSports.

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Football Update – Breakers in North Carolina

Coach John Shanahan is back for his 11th season, and the 2026 version of Laguna football may be the best ever in the 92 varsity seasons of the sport at the high school. The Breakers are 77-35 over the past 11 seasons under Shanahan and 28-9 in league play with five consecutive league titles.

The Breakers had a great Spring Camp in April/May, and more than 40 college coaches visited the campus to recruit Laguna athletes during the open recruiting period.

The annual Summer Camp started on June 29, and the squad is currently on a team trip to the Carolinas. The Breakers will be visiting University of North Carolina, Duke & North Carolina State. In addition they had a joint practice with Cardinal Gibbons High School/Raleigh, the #9 program in North Carolina.

Click on photo for a larger image

Photos courtesy of Laguna Beach HS Athletics

The Breakers practiced with Cardinal Gibbons High School of Raleigh, N.C. The Crusaders were 12-2 last season finishing the season ranked #13 (equivalent to #20 in the SS-CIF).

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Laguna visiting Chapel Hill, home of the Tar Heels of UNC

Laguna has done a number of summer trips or an out-of-state game over the past seasons including a trip to Japan, along with games in Maryland and Idaho.

Sixty-nine Orange County high schools (66 public, three privates) are organized into 11 leagues based on a weighted calculation of their record over the past two seasons. This is the second cycle using this format. The Breakers were in the fifth league (Foxtrot) the past two years capturing the title both seasons.

This year they move to the third highest league – Delta League with Troy, El Modena, Western, Dana Hills and Huntington Beach. The Breakers will compete in this league for 2026 and 2027.

The 2026 season opens on Friday, Aug. 21 at Guyer Field facing their toughest opponent based on pre-season rankings – Yorba Linda. The Mustangs are in the Alpha League with Edison, Los Alamitos, Mission Viejo, San Clemente and San Juan Hills.

Laguna Notes:

–#15 ranked team in OC

–30 Division 1 scholarships received

–1 All-CIF (Jack Hurst)

–2 All-County (Jack Hurst & Brady Stringham)

–League MVP (Brady Stringham)

–League Offensive Player of the Year (Jack Hurst)

–League Defensive Player of the Year (Wyatt Bogdan)

–12 returning All-League Players: J. Hurst, W. Bogdan, G. Byerly, G. Kazmouz, X. Brooks, L. Bogdan, B. Stringham, W. Kimball, B. Gardner, C. Christian, C. Steris, W. Darrow

Summer Sports Camps

Check the schedule at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/summer-programs. The website details dates, time, cost and contacts.

Participation in summer camps is optional for Laguna student-athletes. All participants must have current HS athletic clearance prior to the start of their respective camp. Athletic clearance is valid for one calendar year and applies to any sport the student-athlete participates in during the 2026-27 school year. To begin the clearance process, visit https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/athletic-clearance. Registration for summer camps will be available through the Sports Engine website.

Fall 2026 Sport Dates

The summer is short for Laguna High School sports with the 93rd sports season starting in just six weeks.

Girls Volleyball plays in the Queens Court Tournament – August 1-2 and has their home opener on Tuesday, Aug. 11 vs. Beckman.

Flag Football opens the season at the El Mo Tournament on August 8.

Girls Tennis opens Thursday, Aug. 20 vs. J Serra.

Football begins play Friday, Aug. 21 vs. Yorba Linda.

Cross Country takes part in the PR City Invitational in Norco on Friday, Aug. 28.

• • •

Have a note on LBHS sports? Email me at frank@twometer.net.

If you would like an updated PDF file of the Football, Baseball and Girls Water Polo record books – drop me an email request – all are currently being revised for 2026-27 season.

2026-27 High School Schedules? Check Laguna Beach High School on the MaxPreps website or the schedules tab on the Athletics website at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/schedules. To get scores on the school site – select the sport and level, click year and move to the “Show older events” toggle under the selected season. Scores are also posted on X @LagunaSports.

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School Notes

News and notes from our colleges and universities

Kamal Dimler of Laguna Beach has earned the distinction of Faculty Honors for spring 2026 at the Georgia Institute of Technology. This designation is awarded to undergraduate students who have earned a 4.0 academic average for the semester.

The Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is one of the top public research universities in the U.S., developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition.

The institute offers business, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts and sciences degrees, as well as professional development and K-12 programs for fostering success at every stage of life. Its more than 56,000 undergraduate and graduate students represent 54 U.S. states and territories and more than 146 countries. They study at the main campus in Atlanta, at instructional sites around the world, and through distance and online learning.

Have your son or daughter register at their respective school to have information forwarded to Stu News Laguna at tomjohnson@me.com.

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2025-26 Season Athletic Awards

Branson Wade and Brooke Schneider named top athletes

Belatedly, the 20th consecutive Laguna Beach High School Athletic Awards were recently provided to Stu News Laguna honoring the school’s 92nd athletic season. Laguna has selected a top athlete most of the seasons either by local media or by the school. After a lapse, the school’s athletic boosters reestablished the tradition in 2007, and the selection process has evolved to the current format.

The end of season LBHS Athletic Awards are selected from nominations submitted by coaches. The coaches provide a rationale for why they are nominating the athlete. Those rationales are provided on a ballot to the Laguna Beach high school staff which includes all teachers, support staff, counselors, coaches and administrators.

Three awards are announced before graduation: Rotary honors, SS-CIF Athlete of Character and the Pacific Coast Conference Sportsmanship honors.

This year’s honorees:

2025-26 LBHS Athletic Awards

Coach of the Year: Steve Lalim (Cross Country/Track)

Scholar-Athletes of the Year: Hayden Joseph (Cross Country/Track) and Liam McRae (Cross Country/Track)

Rotary Award: Teddy Hackett (Basketball) and Brighton Welch (Flag Football, Girls Basketball & Swimming)

PCC Sportsmanship: Cade Lalim (Basketball) and Daniela Suh (Water Polo/Swimming)

Female Athlete of Character: Brooke Schneider (Water Polo/Swimming)

Male Athlete of Character: Reidley Babcock (Cross Country/Track)

Female Athlete of the Year: Brooke Schneider (Water Polo/Swimming)

Male Athlete of the Year: Branson Wade (Baseball)

Branson Wade

Courtesy of Laguna Beach High School Athletics

Branson Wade

Baseball – League Pitcher of the Year 2025 and 2026, All CIF.

Wade broke the 58-year-old season strikeout record and innings pitched record, set the career record for strikeouts and earned run average, and tied the school record for career wins.

Brooke Schneider

Click on photo for a larger image

Courtesy of Laguna Beach High School Athletics

Brooke Schneider

Water Polo/Swimming – Led team in steals for 2026, First Team All-League 2025 and 2026, Second Team D1 All CIF in 2025 and Honorable Mention All CIF in 2026.

Summer Sports Camps – Start Monday, June 29

Check the schedule at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/summer-programs which includes details dates, time, costs and contacts.

Participation in summer camps is optional for Laguna student-athletes. All participants must have current HS athletic clearance prior to the start of their respective camp. Athletic clearance is valid for one calendar year and applies to any sport the student-athlete participates in during the 2026-27 school year. To begin the clearance process, visit https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/athletic-clearance.

Registration for summer camps will be available through the Sports Engine website.

Contributors Lost

I omitted mentioning the passing of Art Wahl last month. Art was a guidance counselor at Laguna and was the boys tennis coach for 20 seasons, where his teams captured nine league titles and SS-CIF banners in 1973, 1980 and 1982.

Fall 2026 Sports Dates

The summer is short for Laguna High School sports with the 93rd sports season starting in just six weeks.

Girls Volleyball plays in the Queens Court Tournament – August 1-2 and has their home opener on Tuesday, Aug. 11 vs. Beckman.

Flag Football opens the season at the El Mo Tournament on August 8.

Girls Tennis opens Thursday, Aug. 20 vs. J Serra.

Football begins play Friday, Aug. 21 vs. Yorba Linda.

Cross Country takes part in the PR City Invitational in Norco on Friday, Aug. 28.

• • •

Have a note on LBHS sports? Email me at frank@twometer.net.

If you would like an updated PDF file of the Football, Baseball and Girls Water Polo record books – drop me an email request – all are currently being revised for 2026-27 season.

2026-27 High School Schedules? Check Laguna Beach High School on the MaxPreps website or the schedules tab on the Athletics website at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/schedules. To get scores on the school site – select the sport and level, click year and move to the “Show older events” toggle under the selected season. Scores are also posted on X @LagunaSports.

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School Notes

News and notes from our colleges and universities

Sydney Streeb of Laguna Beach has been awarded the degree of Master of Science in Nursing from the College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions at the University of Hartford (UHart).

This spring as part of the Class of 2026, 1,093 UHart students were awarded graduate and undergraduate degrees.

The University of Hartford blends raw passion with emerging talent, offering intentional preparation across six career-focused schools and colleges so every student can thrive. Located on a 350-acre campus neighboring Connecticut’s capital city – and positioned midway between New York City and Boston – the university is home to approximately 4,300 undergraduate and 1,700 graduate students from 42 states and 53 countries.

Have your son or daughter register at their respective school to have information forwarded to Stu News Laguna at tomjohnson@me.com.

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2025-26 Season in Review

Fall 2025

Football had their highest ranking in 91 seasons, finishing 9-2 and capturing their fifth consecutive league title. The talented group was led by Jack Hurst, Brady Stringham (MVP), Wyatt Bogdan and Xavier Brooks, who will be back in 2026 for a chance to make more history for Laguna sports. Boys Water Polo won league and were awarded with a Top Eight SS-CIF Open Division playoff berth. Cross Country teams advanced to the CIF finals, with girls finishing 13th at State. Girls Tennis (10-6) easily won the Pacific Hills League title but fell in the SS-CIF D2 opening round. The girls finished ranking #29 out of 374 teams competing in SS-CIF Girls Tennis. Girls Volleyball did not make the playoffs, ranked #110 out of 527 schools in SS-CIF Girls Volleyball, but they did defeat controversial Jurupa Valley 25-23, 26-24 in the final week of the season. Boys Beach Volleyball was 7-5 overall and tied for fifth in the playoffs. Flag Football finished seventh in league and Girls Golf also struggled in the very competitive Pacific Hills League.

Winter 2025-26

Boys Basketball (8-20) struggled most of the season finishing 7th in the eight-team league. Girls Basketball was 14-14 overall playing in a very tough five-team Pacific Coast League but did not receive an at-large spot for the SS-CIF playoffs. Laguna finished ranking #216 out of 499 teams competing in SS-CIF girls basketball. Boys Soccer went 6-11-1 missing the playoffs after earning a title in 2025. Girls Soccer finished third in the Pacific Coast League but lost at Saugus in the D2 CIF playoffs. Girls Water Polo (18-12) once again won league advancing to the SS-CIF D1 quarterfinals. The team should be better in 2027. Wrestling – The Breakers wrestling program is enjoying their best individual performances in the nine-year history of the sport at Laguna. Xavier Brooks captured the SS-CIF Southern Division individual title in the 215-weight class last Saturday (June 13) at Glenn High School in Norwalk, sweeping his matches for the program’s first CIF individual title. Prior to Brooks, Jeremy Kanter’s 2023 second place in the 182 class had been the school’s top performance. The individual title is Laguna’s 43rd in the school’s 92 years of athletic competition.

Spring 2026

Baseball (20-13) advanced to the SS-CIF finals for only the second time in program history, losing a tough 3-2 D4 finals contest to Glendora, the defending D3 champs. Branson Wade ( Sr.-Pitcher) and Dylan Yencho (Jr.-Inf) were selected All-CIF. Boys Golf – The squad went 4-9-1 on the season and Noah Kimball was named 1st team All-Pacific Hills League team. Cruz Ballesteros was named to the 2nd team. Girls Beach Volleyball, under first year coach Brian Lewis, won their sixth league title and advanced to the D2 SS-CIF semifinals. The squad’s top pairs team of Sienna Lee and Mimi Spangler finished fifth in the 4th Annual Individual Pairs Tournament. Girls Lacrosse finished 14-4, losing in the SS-CIF D2 Round of 16 and finishing the year ranked #14 in the SS-CIF. Boys Tennis was winless this season, but freshman singles player Jacob MacCallum was a standout player. Swimming – Girls were second in the league taking eight league meet events while the Boys were third with Finn Leverty taking the backstroke. At SS-CIF Finals, the girls finished fourth in D2 and should return all scoring swimmers and their diver next season. Track & Field saw the Laguna Girls take their first league title since 2018 and the program’s 10th in 54 CIF seasons. The Boys were third in the Pacific Hills League, with Brody Azadian taking the shot-put title. Boys Volleyball had a young team with only two seniors, while struggling with injuries and absences all season, but rallied to finish 15-15 on the year; ranked #96 out of 420 SS-CIF Boys Volleyball schools, just missing an at-large selection for the playoffs.

Contributors lost

Long-time coaches/administrators passing this past sports season included Lynn Meade, the last GAA Athletic Director before the merger with the boys program…she was the first CIF coach for Girls Volleyball, taking three league titles and qualifying for CIF the first three years of the playoffs.

Laguna also lost George Carey Sr., who replaced Meade as Girls Volleyball Coach, then took Laguna to the 1976 CIF title and going 71-5 in his three seasons. George also coached Boys Water Polo for five years, capturing the program’s first league title in 1971.

Also leaving us this season was Tom Purdy, football and volleyball assistant coach and the Athletic Director from 1986-90.

Fall 2026 Sports Dates

The summer is short for Laguna High School sports with the 93rd sports season starting in just six weeks.

Girls Volleyball – Queens Court Tournament – August 1-2, followed by their Home Opener on Tuesday, Aug. 11 vs. Beckman

Flag Football – Opens season at El Mo Tournament on Saturday, Aug. 8.

Girls Tennis – Thursday, Aug. 20 vs. J Serra

Football – Friday, Aug. 21 vs. Yorba Linda

Cross Country – Friday, Aug. 28 at the PR City Invitational in Norco

• • •

Have a note on LBHS sports? Email me at frank@twometer.net.

If you would like an updated PDF file of the Football, Baseball and Girls Water Polo record books – drop me an email request – all are currently being revised for the 2026-27 season.

2026-27 High School Schedules? Check Laguna Beach High School on the MaxPreps website or the schedules tab on the Athletics website at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/schedules. To get scores on the school site – select the sport and level, click year and move to the “Show older events” toggle under the selected season. Scores are also posted on X @LagunaSports.

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School Notes

News and notes from our colleges and universities

Sara Jacobs of Laguna Beach was named to the spring semester 2026 Dean’s List at The University of Alabama (UA). This designation is awarded to students who have earned an academic record of 3.5 (or above).

The University of Alabama, part of The University of Alabama System, is the state’s flagship university. UA shapes a better world through its teaching, research and service. With a global reputation for excellence, it provides a forward-thinking environment and more than 200 degree programs on a beautiful, student-centered campus.

Connor Dudley of Laguna Beach was named to the spring semester 2026 Dean’s List at the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC). To be eligible for the honor, a student must complete at least six credits during the term, earn a grade point average of at least 3.5 for the term and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.5 at UMGC.

University of Maryland Global Campus was founded more than 75 years ago specifically to serve the higher education needs of working adults and military servicemembers. Today, UMGC is the largest provider of postsecondary education in Maryland and continues its global tradition with online and hybrid courses, and more than 175 classroom and service locations worldwide.

Have your son or daughter register at their respective school to have information forwarded to Stu News Laguna at tomjohnson@me.com.

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Laguna Beach High School grad rescues swimmer caught in powerful rip current at Fisherman’s Cove

By CLARA BEARD

What started as a family beach day at Fisherman’s Cove turned into a dramatic ocean rescue when 20-year-old Laguna Beach resident Brad Beshear spotted a swimmer struggling in heavy surf during last week’s large swell.

Click on photo for a larger image

Courtesy of Bryan Beshear

Brad Beasher saves a swimmer out of the ocean current

Beshear, a former lifeguard and current UC Irvine student, was at the beach with family members June 10 when a neighbor shouted from a nearby balcony asking if anyone was watching a man in the water.

“I got up to go look, and there’s a guy in there, and he didn’t look great,” Beshear said.

The swell had already put beachgoers on edge. According to Beshear and his father, Bryan, most locals were staying out of the water because of the large surf and strong rip currents.

Earlier in the day, Beshear had walked back to his nearby home to grab his swim fins after seeing several inexperienced beachgoers venturing close to the water.

“The whole vibe of the beach was kind of watch the waves and stay out,” Beshear said.

When people on the beach realized the swimmer was waving for help, Beshear grabbed his fins and a community rescue float and ran toward the water.

“It was kind of me or nobody,” he said.

Beshear, who worked as a lifeguard as a teenager, said his training immediately kicked in.

“It was mostly just a sense of duty,” he said. “How do I help this guy? How do I save this guy?”

The rescue was made more difficult by the powerful rip current and large surf conditions.

“I haven’t had to rescue anyone from this big of a swell and this much rip current,” Beshear said. “It was just pulling, pulling, pulling.”

After reaching the swimmer, Beshear considered allowing the current to carry them toward Shaw’s Cove before deciding to fight back toward shore. The rescue took several minutes as he guided the man through breaking waves and back to safety.

One thing that helped, Beshear said, was that the swimmer remained calm and followed instructions.

“He did a great job being rescued,” Beshear said. “He followed all my instructions.”

Bryan Beshear said the rescued man appeared exhausted and relieved once he reached shore.

“When Bradley got him out of the water, he hugged Brad like I don’t think he’s ever hugged a guy before,” Bryan said.

As the pair reached a stretch of sand, the man began applauding his rescuer and others on the beach joined in.

Click on photo for a larger image

Courtesy of Brad Beshear

Laguna Beach High School grad Brad Beasher rescued a swimmer at Fisherman’s Cove last week

“The whole beach erupted into applause,” Bryan said.

The swimmer did not require medical treatment and was able to leave on his own after resting on the beach.

Beshear hopes the incident serves as a reminder for visitors to respect ocean conditions, especially during large swells.

“You have to do what you’re comfortable with and what you know you can do,” he said.

He also encouraged visitors unfamiliar with local beaches to ask questions before entering the water.

“Talk to people who live around there and see what they’re thinking,” Beshear said. “And don’t go in without fins.”

Looking back, Beshear said he was simply doing what anyone with his training should do.

“Once I hear someone yelling for help, it’s just a sense of duty,” he said. “How do I help this guy? How do I save this guy?”

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LBHS Class of 2026 celebrates graduation at the Irvine Bowl

Photos by Mary Hurlbut

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Flower arches created for the Procession of the Graduates

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The day is finally here

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Graduates wait for the diploma procession

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A milestone day for all the grads

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Graduation garb included lots of flowers and some beads

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Zachary Menter served as Valedictorian

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Remarks from LBHS Principal Jason Allemann

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Valedictorian speech by Zachary Minter, Senior Address by Meghan Manion and Pledge of Allegiance by Kaia Gamber, National Anthem sung by Isabella Badran with Principal Jason Allemann at podium and Graduate Address by Caitlin Brady

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After presentation of the diplomas, a happy moment

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Graduate feels the joy

For more graduation photos by Mary Hurlbut, go here.

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Hats off to the LBHS Class of 2026

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Photo by Mary Hurlbut

Laguna Beach High School Class of 2026 finish the graduation ceremony at the Irvine Bowl with the traditional cap toss

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Spring Sports Update

Baseball Post Season Awards

The squad concluded one of the top seasons in the 88 years of the program at LBHS with their post-season banquet last Sunday (June 7). Laguna went 20-13, finished third in the eight-team Pacific Coast League, advanced to the D4 CIF finals for only the program’s second finals appearance.

Varsity Honors – Team Awards

Branson Wade – Pitcher of the Year

Dylan Yencho – Most Valuable Player

Lincoln Adams – Co-Offensive Player of the Year

Otis Boultinghouse – Co-Offensive Player of the Year

Parker Moore – Coach’s Award

All-Pacific Coast League

Branson Wade – PCL Pitcher of the Year

Otis Boltinghouse – 1st Team – OF

Lincoln Adams – 1st Team – Inf

Dylan Yencho – 1st Team – Inf

Aaron Crosby – 2nd Team – P/Inf

Parker Moore – 2nd Team – C

Junior Varsity Baseball Awards

Laguna’s JV squad, coached by Jarren Gonzales, went 11-7-2 this season and captured the Pacific Coast League pennant.

JV Team awards

Jack Gonzales – Most Valuable Player

Nate Vermilya – Offensive Player of the Year

Cam Hennessy – Pitcher of the Year

Hunter Harvey – Defensive Player of the Year

Brady Arrasin – Coach’s Award

New Athletic Director Hired (Starts July 9)

Chris Esperanza, longtime coach, administrator and teacher in the Anaheim High School District has accepted the position to become the school’s 21st athletic director in 92 years, replacing the retiring director Denise Selbe who has been at Laguna since 2021. Chris will start on July 9, while Dr. Selbe will stay on through August.

Selbe’s legacy includes five SS-CIF titles, establishing the successful Thurston Middle School athletic program, the turf replacement of Guyer Field and involvement in the aquatics facilities refurbishing. She has also helped Laguna navigate through the very political re-leaguing process from the Sunset Conference to the Pacific Coast Conference. Her efforts and leadership will be missed.

All-Time Laguna AD list

Maurice “Red” Guyer, 1934-1942 (7 1/2 seasons)

Lawrence “Bud” Langley, 1942-1945 (3 1/2 seasons, acting)

Maurice “Red” Guyer, 1945-1968 (23 1/2 seasons)

Darrell McKibben, 1968-1971 (3 seasons)

Hal Akins, 1971-1972 (1 1/2 seasons)

Don Cawthon, 1972-1976 (4 1/2 seasons)

Norm Borucki, 1976-1979 (3 seasons)

Walt Hamera, 1979-June 1985 (6 seasons)

Jim Toomey , 1985-1986 (1 season)

Tom Purdy, 1986-1990 (4 seasons)

Joe Pistoia, 1990-1991 (1 season)

Tom Klingenmeier, 1991-1995 (4 seasons)

Greg Marshall, 1995-1999 (4 seasons)

Jonathan Todd, 1999-2001 (2 seasons)

Mario Morales, 2001-2003 (2 seasons)

Ron Schwartz, 2003-2005 (2 seasons)

Mike Roche, 2005-2007 (2 seasons)

Mike Churchill, 2007-2015 (8 seasons)

Ted Clarke, 2015-2016 (1 season)

Lance Neal, 2016-2021 (5 seasons)

Denise Selbe, 2021-2026 (5 seasons)

• • •

Have a note on LBHS sports? Email me at frank@twometer.net.

If you would like an updated PDF file of the Football, Baseball and Girls Water Polo record books – drop me an email request.

2026 High School SPRING Schedules? Check Laguna Beach High School on the MaxPreps website or the schedules tab on the Athletics website at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/schedules. To get scores on the school site – select the sport and level, click year and move the “Show older events” toggle under the selected season. Scores are also posted on X @LagunaSports.

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Laguna Beach High School Class of 2026 marches in Senior Parade

Wearing their caps and gowns, the graduating seniors gathered in the City Hall parking lot on Wednesday, June 10 at 4 p.m., then crossed Forest Avenue and headed down Ocean Avenue, cheered on by family and friends. Crossing Coast Highway, they gathered on the sand next to the lifeguard tower for the Cap Toss.

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Photos by Candice Dartez

Seniors congregated at City Hall

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Here they come…

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Grads paraded down Ocean Avenue

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Crowds cheered seniors on at lower Ocean Avenue

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Families and friends gathered to capture the moment at Main Beach

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A new tradition since 2021 – the grads participated in the Cap Toss by the sea

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Laguna Beach, our hometown

Candice Dartez captured many wonderful photos of the seniors and family members. Check out her photo gallery here.

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LBHS Class of 2026 celebrates with picnic and yearbook signing at Heisler Park

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Photos by Candice Dartez

On Tuesday, June 9, the LBHS Class of 2026 gathered at Heisler Park for a picnic and yearbook signing. The traditional paddle out was canceled due to red flag conditions.

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A group of seniors enjoying the sun and fun

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Grads showing off their yearbooks titled, “Who We Are”

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Girls signing yearbooks, no doubt reminiscing about their years at LBHS

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Friends getting together for the annual event to celebrate grads

For a gallery of Candice Dartez’ photos, click here.

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Laguna Beach High School student artist creates new mural for dance studio

Laguna Beach High School student Hudson Quarles, Class of 2026, has completed a new mural in the school’s dance studio as part of a capstone project in the Art Entrepreneurship program.

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Courtesy of LBUSD

Hudson Quarles sits in front of his mural “Two Trees Jiggin’”

Titled Two Trees Jiggin’, the mural was funded through a grant from SchoolPower and developed through a collaboration between the LBHS Dance Program and Art Department. Quarles worked under the mentorship of local muralist Claire Pedroza and spent several months developing the design before beginning installation.

The project served as Quarles’ real-world capstone experience, allowing him to apply artistic skills while working with a client, refining concepts and managing a large-scale public art project from design through completion.

“My time spent in the dance program was, without a doubt, the highlight of my high school experience. I can’t begin to describe the significance that Mrs. Fratzke and her class left on me,” said Quarles. “She inspired me daily to be creative, driven and confident in who I am. I am beyond grateful to graduate while leaving a mark on the place that meant the most to me.”

Working with dance teacher Estee Fratzke, Quarles developed a design to create a welcoming, creative environment for students who use the space. The mural features two blue trees that sway beneath a radiant sun, while pink and purple leaves drift across the composition. The imagery brings color and movement into the dance studio, connecting the visual arts with the energy of dance.

“The mural has completely transformed the space. Watching Hudson’s vision come to life has been incredibly inspiring, and I know it will continue to have a positive impact on students for years to come,” said LBHS Dance Teacher Estee Fratzke. “Our goal was to create something that makes students feel welcome and encourages them to express themselves freely and authentically. I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out, and I am excited to see how Hudson continues to grow and develop as an artist in the years ahead.”

The project will continue with the addition of stained-glass elements in the windows above the mural. When completed, the installation will incorporate natural light into the studio’s overall artistic experience.

“SchoolPower was delighted to fund this project through our Educator Grants program. It provided a truly unique learning opportunity for a student to collaborate with a professional muralist and leave a lasting mark on a campus space that has played an important role in his journey at LBHS. These kinds of enriching, real-world experiences are what make our schools so special,” said SchoolPower Executive Director Sarah Durand. “We are fortunate to have such dedicated and creative teachers who envision and champion projects like this, helping students connect their passions to meaningful contributions within our community,” she concluded.

The mural reflects the partnership between LBHS visual and performing arts programs, and highlights opportunities for students to engage in authentic, project-based learning experiences supported by community partners.

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Spring Sports Update

Baseball (20–13) – State Regional Playoffs – Wrap

Breakers’ relievers crash in 6th inning melt down at Helix

Helix who defeated Laguna, went on to lose to Kaiser, the SS-CIF D5 runner-up, 7-5 on Thursday, June 4. Glendora defeated Kaiser 7-3 on Saturday, June 6 for the D3 State CIF Regional Title. Newport Harbor won the D2 crown and Huntington Beach the D1 title.

Baseball Alumni News

Cal Poly featuring two Breaker alumni in pitchers Griff Naess and Nick Bonn fell hard in the Super Regional last weekend dropping back-to-games at West Virginia.

Upcoming Reports

–Recap on the 2025-26 sports season at Laguna.

–Baseball Records broken, team and league honors.

Postscript on my 50th – What I did to celebrate the day.

We journeyed to Las Lagunas Hotel near Flores, Guatemala. On June 5, we were able to go to the El Mirador base camp deep in the Maya Biosphere where we were able to complete a three-mile round trip hike and climb La Danta, one of the world’s largest pyramids.

Wildlife on our hike included coati, howler monkeys, a wide variety of birds and a few insects.

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Courtesy of Frank Aronoff

Taking a break from covering LBHS sports, Frank and Marsha Aronoff are on top of the world, vacationing in Guatemala, here standing atop La Danta, one of the world’s largest pyramids

• • •

Have a note on LBHS sports? Email me at frank@twometer.net.

If you would like an updated PDF file of the Football, Baseball and Girls Water Polo record books – drop me an email request.

2026 High School SPRING Schedules? Check Laguna Beach High School on the MaxPreps website or the schedules tab on the Athletics website at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/schedules. To get scores on the school site – select the sport and level, click year and move the “Show older events” toggle under the selected season. Scores are also posted on X @LagunaSports.

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School board OKs contract for new superintendent, debates process and search policy

A majority of the Laguna Beach Unified School District Board of Education on Thursday (June 4) approved an employment agreement with former Laguna Beach High School Principal Don Austin to serve as the new superintendent.

Board members voted 3-2 for the contract, which has a four-year term beginning July 1 and ending June 30, 2030. He will receive an annual base salary of $450,000.

In favor were President Sheri Morgan and trustees Howard Hills and Dee Perry, while trustees Joan Malczewski and Jim Kelly dissented.

Austin was most recently superintendent of the Palo Alto USD, where he reportedly resigned in February after reaching a mutual agreement with PAUSD.

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Courtesy of LBUSD

New LBUSD Superintendent Don Austin

On Thursday, Austin spoke to several people who disagreed with the process, but wished him well.

“When you are a superintendent and a person in leadership positions, you get battle tested and you have to hear things you don’t always like,” Austin said. “This is not the homecoming reception I had drawn up in my head, but that’s okay. It’s going to get better.”

It is easy to get distracted by other issues, but it’s the students that really matter, he added. He promised the community to give his best every day.

The board first announced Austin’s appointment on May 14.

The moves came after the board cut ties with now former superintendent Jason Glass on May 12 after less than a year at the helm. In the same 3-2 vote lineup, the board approved a “mutual separation agreement.”

Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Manoj Roychowdhury is interim superintendent. His contract was unanimously approved on Thursday. The contract notes that Roychowdhury will be paid a per diem rate of $1,783 retroactive to the May 13 effective date.

Before the contracts, they discussed the board policy regarding superintendent recruitment and selection.

Repeating the time and money that went into the process a year ago would be “fiscally irresponsible and not in the best interest of the district,” Morgan said.

“There is no statute of limitations, there is no expiration date on that search process,” she said. “Restarting that process and redoing that work is not required by law or policy.”

Morgan stated that LBUSD staff recently traveled to Palo Alto to “study and participate in learning walks” of the PAUSD system. It was not part of the hiring process, she added.

The policy is not mandatory, Hills agreed, the recent action is essentially a “continuation.”

“That process did not really reach culmination. It was not really successful and the expectations of the parties to that process were not realized,” Hills said.

Repeating those steps were not necessary, he concluded.

These fundamental search processes exist to remove bias and produce a legitimate outcome, Malczewski countered.

She was not informed that Austin was a candidate or of any negotiations. She was surprised on May 14 with the motion to hire Austin.

“At some point there was a determination made that we were not going to be held by board policy 2120. Who made that decision?” Malczewski questioned. “There was no direction from the board to do that.”

She also had not been informed that LBUSD staff apparently traveled to Palo Alto.

Perry was also “a little bit in the dark,” but was thrilled that Austin was available. She wanted to avoid several months of turmoil without a superintendent and Austin was a good candidate.

The reference check on Austin was nearly a year ago, Kelly pointed out, and since that time he has been separated from his job and caused a “major volcano” up in Palo Alto, he said.

“We should have the right to have a new reference check that’s current,” he concluded, prompting applause from the audience.

Kelly also stated that Leadership Associates (the firm that conducted last year’s superintendent search) would conduct the search for free since Glass left within a year.

During public comment, Ketta Brown said there are no questions about the applicability of the policy.

“Just because it becomes inconvenient for your purposes does not mean you can suspend it on a whim,” she said. “Whether or not it is legally required is not the issue – transparency is.”

Other speakers asked for an updated assessment, citing various concerns from prior positions.

~~~~~~~~

Sara Hall covers City Hall and is a regular contributor to Stu News Laguna.

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Spring Sports Update

Baseball (20–13) – State Regional Playoffs

Breakers’ relievers crash in 6th inning meltdown at Helix

Laguna looked in control entering the bottom of the sixth inning at Helix on Tuesday, June 2 in the D3 State Regionals when Coach Ryan Belanto inserted a little used relief pitcher to close out the contest with the Breakers leading, 4-2.

Pitcher Aaron Crosby had gone the first five innings allowing just two runs on four hits for the day. The junior has been Laguna’s #2 starter and did a great job in his 12th start for the season (W6 L4, 87 strikeouts, 2.01 ERA for the season).

Laguna’s sixth inning relievers, however, proceeded to give up a walk, followed by a single, a single, sacrifice bunt, a two-run home run, a single, a hit batter, a walk, a double – (pitching change to another little used senior reliever) – a single, a walk and finally a grand slam home run. A 4-2 lead had become a 13-4 deficit.

The Breakers had played some great baseball to get to the sixth. In the first inning, Dylan Yench walked with two outs, stole second and scored when Jacob Wicker doubled to left field.

Laguna made it 2-0 in the third inning with three straight singles by Wicker, Parker Moore and Gabe Paz, who scored Wicker on a ground ball to left.

The Scotties tied the game in the fourth inning with a two-out double to center.

But, the Breakers came right back, Parker Moore opened the fifth with a walk and advanced to third on a double by Gabe Paz. He then scored on a sacrifice fly by Jackson Arrasin, and it was 3-2 Breakers.

Dylan Yencho added the fourth run with a solo home run to center field in the sixth inning to lead 4-2.

Final Statistics, Records (including game, career and team) will be tabulated and posted later this month.

Baseball Alumni News

Cal Poly advanced to the round of 16 – the NCAA Super Regional – where they will face #16 West Virginia at the Mountaineers’ field this weekend. The Mustangs have two Breakers on their staff with the nation’s top relief pitcher Nick Bonn ’22 and All-Big West pitcher Griff Naess ’23.

Special Thank You

Today marks my 50th wedding anniversary to my life partner, Marsha Caldwell Hinwood. Marsha was raised in Laguna, attending Aliso, Thurston and LBHS where she was a “song girl” and a multi-sport athlete as a volleyball setter, playing doubles tennis and badminton.

Marsha introduced me to Laguna sports back in the 1970s and has supported my passion in following the Artists (now the Breakers) for all these years. Glad to have shared the journey with her and shared my Laguna sports notes with you.

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Photos courtesy of the Aronoff family

Frank and Marsha celebrating the big day

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Marsha connected Frank to the fields of LBHS…for which we’re all thankful

• • •

Have a note on LBHS sports? Email me at frank@twometer.net.

If you would like an updated PDF file of the Football, Baseball and Girls Water Polo record books – drop me an email request.

2026 High School SPRING Schedules? Check Laguna Beach High School on the MaxPreps website or the schedules tab on the Athletics website at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/schedules. To get scores on the school site – select the sport and level, click year and move the “Show older events” toggle under the selected season. Scores are also posted on X @LagunaSports.

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Spring Sports Update

Baseball (20–12)

Breakers lose a tough one in D4 CIF Finals – An extra inning pitching duel, 3-2

Under the lights at Cal State Fullerton’s Goodwin Field, the Breakers were defeated on a two-out walk-off single by Glendora’s Santiago Garcia in the bottom of the ninth inning, after playing tough for the entire contest. Aaron Crosby pitched three innings; Branson Wade went four innings and Dylan Yencho the final 1 2/3.

The Breakers were limited to only four hits by the Tartans and made four errors. The defending D3 champion Tartans collected nine hits off Laguna but committed only one error.

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Photos courtesy of M Maxsenti

Laguna fans cheer on the Breakers at CIF Finals

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Teams meet for post-game handshakes

How the runs were scored:

The Breakers took a 1-0 lead in the first inning as Otis Boultinghouse singled, but was forced out when Lincoln Adams hit into a fielder’s choice. Adams then scored when Dylan Yencho singled deep to center field.

Glendora came back in the bottom of the first inning with a leadoff double. The runner advanced to third on a Breakers error, then scored on a fielder’s choice.

Laguna made it 2-1 in the top of the fifth inning when Boultinghouse reached base on an error to lead off the inning. Adams bunted into a fielder’s choice, then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Adams scored when Yencho doubled to center field.

In the bottom of the sixth, Glendora tied the contest on a walk and two singles. The Breakers had a chance in the ninth inning with two base runners but could not generate a run.

The Breakers made several great defensive plays in the game that stopped a number of scoring opportunities for Glendora.

Statistical Leaders after 32 Games:

Batting Average: .469 – Dylan Yencho (Season ranks 8th all time)

Plate Appearances: 133 – Otis Boultinghouse (New season record)

At-Bats: 113 – Dylan Yencho (Season ranks 2nd all-time)

Hits: 53 – Dylan Yencho (New season record)

Doubles: 19 – Dylan Yencho (Season ranks 2nd all-time)

Home Runs: 3 – Otis Boultinghouse, Dylan Yencho

RBIs: 30 – Parker Moore & Dylan Yencho (Season ranks 8th all-time)

Stolen Bases: 21– Lincoln Adams (Season ranks 3rd all-time)

Innings Pitched: 89.2 – Branson Wade (New season record)

Wins: 12 – Branson Wade (Season ranks 2nd all-time)

ERA: 1.17 – Branson Wade (Season ranks 9th all-time)

Strikeouts: 110 – Branson Wade (New season record)

Team batting average: .306

Team ERA: 2.154

State Regional Playoffs

The Breakers will play in the 6th (corrected – not the first playoff) annual State Regional Playoffs on Tuesday, June 2. Division assignments are based on evaluation of all eligible teams and is not enrollment based. Play is single elimination, played at the higher seed location on Tuesday, June 2 and Thursday, June 4, and the finals on Saturday, June 6. Start times are 4 p.m. Brackets at www.cifstate.org. Tickets must be purchased at https://gofan.co and are $9; with students/children, seniors (65+) $8, even if Laguna hosts.

The Breakers are seeded #5 in Division III of 5 divisions and will travel to La Mesa on Tuesday, June 2 to face #4 seed Helix, the D2 (actually the third of seven San Diego divisions) champions who are 21-11 on the season.

On Thursday, June 4, the winner will face the winner of Kaiser (D5 finalist) vs. Mt. Carmel (19-15-1), the San Diego (D1 finalist). If Kaiser and Laguna win on Tuesday, June 2, Laguna would host, otherwise a Laguna/Mt. Carmel game would be at the Poway district school.

Baseball Alumni News

Cal Poly is in the finals of the UCLA Regionals to see if they can go from the Round of 64 to the Super Regional next weekend, featuring the top 16. The winners of that event will advance to the College World Series in Omaha the following week. Nick Bonn (’22) and Griff Naess (’23) have been the pitching arms that have put the Mustangs at the top of this weekend’s winner’s bracket. They had to lose twice this past Sunday night (May 30) not to advance.

• • •

Have a note on LBHS sports? Email me at frank@twometer.net.

If you would like an updated PDF file of the Football, Baseball and Girls Water Polo record books – drop me an email request.

2026 High School SPRING Schedules? Check Laguna Beach High School on the MaxPreps website or the schedules tab on the Athletics website at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/schedules. To get scores on the school site – select the sport and level, click year and move the “Show older events” toggle under the selected season. Scores are also posted on X @LagunaSports.

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Spring Sports Update

Baseball (20–11) – CIF FINALS & ON TO STATE!

The Breakers will play Glendora (19-11) tomorrow, on Saturday, May 30 at 7:30 p.m. at Goodwin Field at Cal State Fullerton. Tickets must be purchased online at https://gofan.co – search for the event under the CIF-Southern Section. Tickets are $17.80 per person and $9.40 for student/child and utilizes your smart phone as the ticket. The price covers all four games that day at CSF – South El Monte vs. North Torrance at 10 a.m., Brentwood vs. Covina at 1 p.m., Agoura vs. Mira Costa at 4 p.m. and the Laguna/Glendora game as the nightcap.

The Tartans were the second-place team in the Palomares League, won by Ayala (24-5), and they won last year’s D3 title. Other schools in their league include Claremont, Diamond Bar, Bonita and Walnut.

One common opponent, Glendora split with Bonita 8-5, 3-7 while Laguna lost to Bonita 7-1 on April 11. This will be the first meeting with the Tartans in baseball.

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Courtesy of Laguna Baseball

Looking back: The CIF Championship celebration on Saturday June 4, 2016 at San Manuel Stadium in San Bernardino (Skipper Carrillo holding the plaque). The Mike Bair-coached Breakers defeated Kaiser 2-0 for the D-4 title.

State Regional Playoffs

The Breakers will also play in the inaugural State Regional Baseball Playoffs on Tuesday, June 2. Their division will be based on an evaluation of all eligible teams and is not enrollment based.

The Regionals are a single elimination played at the higher seed location on Tuesday, June 2; same for Thursday, June 4, with the finals set for Saturday, June 6. Start time is 4 p.m.

Pairings and sites will be announced on Sunday (May 31) at www.cifstate.org. Tickets must be purchased at https://gofan.co and are $9. Students/Children, Seniors (65+) are $8, even if Laguna hosts.

Laguna 2, Grand Terrace 1 (Semifinal Game)

The Breakers escaped a series of miscues in the third inning after an error opened the inning giving the visitors a runner. The next batter hit a single to center field scoring the Titans’ initial runner but was thrown out at second trying to stretch the hit to a double. After two more hits, the Breakers caught a break as the Titans lost a potential run on a ground ball play when the baserunner caused an interference infraction, awarding Laguna a double play and wiping out a second Titans’ run while ending the inning.

Laguna’s two run rally came in the fifth after Jackson Arrasin beat out a hit to third base. Aaron Crosby laid a bunt to advance Jackson to second, but a fly out for the second out held the runner. But Laguna was able to tie the game on a hit to right field by Otis Boultinghouse scoring Arrasin. Otis then came home on a solid double to right by Lincoln Adams.

Branson Wade was stellar in the sixth inning facing four batters and striking out three. Dylan Yencho pitched the seventh inning giving up a walk, but got the second batter to ground out in a double play on only the second pitch. It got a little tense as the Titans collected a single, then a “hit by pitch” gave the Titans another base runner. Their final batter hit the second pitch into a fielder’s choice to the shortstop Lincoln Adams, who ended the contest with a simple forceout at second.

The victory extends Laguna’s all-time playoff record to 22-14 over 16 playoffs, and season win #20 ties the 2026 season for the sixth best season win mark in their 88-year history.

Statistical Leaders after 31 Games:

Batting Average: .464 – Dylan Yencho (Season ranks 9th all-time)

Plate Appearances: 128 – Otis Boultinghouse (Season ranks 2nd all-time)

At-Bats: 110 – Dylan Yencho (Season ranks 5th all-time)

Hits: 51 – Dylan Yencho (Season tied for 1st all-time)

Doubles: 18 – Dylan Yencho (Season ranks 3rd all-time)

Home Runs: 3 – Otis Boultinghouse, Dylan Yencho

RBIs: 30 – Parker Moore (Season ranks 8th all-time)

Stolen Bases: 20– Lincoln Adams (Season ranks 5th all-time)

Innings Pitched: 85.2 – Branson Wade (Season Ranks 3rd all-time)

Wins: 12 – Branson Wade (Season ranks 2nd all-time)

ERA: 1.14 – Branson Wade (Season ranks 8th all-time)

Strikeouts: 105 – Branson Wade (New season record)

Team batting average: .313

Team ERA: 2.176

Records tied:

Yencho’s 51 hits ties Richie Nunis (2014).

Branson Wade’s 25 career wins ties the record held by Blake Burzell (2015-18).

Lincoln Adams set the career stolen base record with 50 breaking the old record of 49 career steals held by Aaron Skinner (1997-98) and Preston Grand-Pre (2011-14).

Laguna Community Pool (1993-2026) Farewell Event

The Breakers Aquatics teams are throwing a good-bye party for the facility on Thursday, June 4 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Aquatics alumni are encouraged to stop by help celebrate a chapter in Laguna sports history. The oldest fixture at the facility is the locker room cupola which is all that remains from the 1934 Henry Greene-designed school building that was used by Laguna Elementary School (later known as Park Avenue and prior to relocating to El Morro in 1954) and what was later used as Thurston Middle School until the new campus was built up the hill on Park Avenue. The Laguna Community Pool opened for use in fall 1993 and was officially dedicated on Jan. 7, 1994.

Boys Water Polo – 33 seasons:

First BWP game in the pool was a 7-6 victory over Santa Margarita on September 14, 1993.

Last BWP game was October 16, 2025, a 15-9 win over Portola.

Overall, 231 total games – 194-37 record: an .840 winning percentage.

Girls Water Polo – 29 seasons

First GWP Game was in the pool on January 14, 1998, a 14-2 loss to Aliso Niguel.

Last GWP Game was January 20, 2026, a 15-2 win over Irvine.

Overall, 200 games – 174-26 record: an .870 winning percentage.

Baseball Alumni News:

Cal Poly won the Big West baseball title last weekend and Nick Bonn (‘22) was selected the league MVP. Also making first team was Griff Naess (’23).

The Mustangs are at the UCLA Regionals to start the 64-team NCAA tournament hoping to make the final eight in Omaha in two weeks.

• • •

Have a note on LBHS sports? Email me at frank@twometer.net.

If you would like an updated PDF file of the Football, Baseball and Girls Water Polo record books – drop me an email request.

2026 High School SPRING Schedules? Check Laguna Beach High School on the MaxPreps website or the schedules tab on the Athletics website at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/schedules. To get scores on the school site – select the sport and level, click year and move the “Show older events” toggle under the selected season. Scores are also posted on X @LagunaSports.

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Spring Sports Update

Baseball (19–11, 9–5) – CIF Semifinals

Breakers rally past Musketeers, 6-4

For only the fourth time in 88 seasons of baseball, Laguna has advanced to the CIF playoff semifinals after another thrilling victory. They will now host Grand Terrace (20-7) from the Sunkist League today (Tuesday, May 26), 3:15 p.m. at Skipper Carrillo Field. Laguna ace Branson Wade will be pitching.

The visiting Titans finished second to Summit, the team Laguna surprised in last year’s D1 playoffs and the league also includes Kaiser, the team the Breakers beat in 2016 for the CIF title, Jurupa Hills and Rialto.

Past Laguna semifinal appearances were in 1957 (lost to Fallbrook in nine innings at Laguna), 2014 (lost 4-3 at Torrance) and 2016 (beat St. Bonaventure 5-4 in nine innings at Laguna).

At the #2 seed Moorpark (21-10) last Friday (May 22), a tough 103-mile drive to Ventura County, the Breakers were the first to score off a sacrifice fly by Jackson Arrasin scoring Jacob Wicker. Wicker had opened the inning with a double to left and advanced to third on a wild pitch.

In the third inning, Dylan Yencho doubled and scored off a Parker Moore hit to make it 2-0 after three innings. In the bottom of the fourth, the hosts took advantage of a number of Laguna miscues to score four runs. But, Laguna came back to tie the game in the fifth inning, thanks to singles by Lincoln Adams, Parker Moore, Gabe Paz and Jackson Arrasin. Dylan Yencho came in to pitch the final three innings allowing only a single hit and one walk to secure the win.

The Breakers scored the final runs in the sixth inning after Bear Ward led off with looping single to center followed, by Otis Boultingouse driving a line drive single to center field. Ward scored on a ground-out and the final run by Boultinghouse came on a hit by Jacob Wicker. Moorpark went down three straight in each of the final two innings.

Statistical Leaders after 30 Games:

Batting Average: .458 – Dylan Yencho (Ranks 10th all-time for a season)

Plate Appearances: 125 – Otis Boultinghouse (Ranks 4th all-time for a season)

At-Bats: 107 – Dylan Yencho (Ranks 5th all-time for a season)

Hits: 49 – Dylan Yencho (Ranks 4th all-time for a season)

Doubles: 18 – Dylan Yencho (Ranks 3rd all-time for a season)

Home Runs: 3 – Otis Boultinghouse, Dylan Yencho

RBIs: 30 – Parker Moore (Ranks 8th all-time for a season)

Stolen Bases: 20 – Lincoln Adams (Ranks 5th all-time for a season)

Innings Pitched: 79.2 – Branson Wade (Ranks 3rd all-time for a season)

Wins: 11 – Branson Wade (Ranks 2nd all-time for a season)

ERA: 1.23 – Branson Wade (Ranks 9th all-time for a season)

Strikeouts: 100 – Branson Wade (New Season Record)

Team batting average: .311

Team ERA is 2.25

Lincoln Adams set the career stolen base record with 50 breaking the old record of 49 career steals held by Aaron Skinner (1997-98 and Preston Grand-Pre (2011-14).

Spring Awards

Boys Golf

The League Tournament was held on April 30 at Skylinks Golf Course in Long Beach. Cruz Ballesteros was the only qualifier from Laguna Beach for CIF Regionals, also at Skylinks. Cruz shot 80 but did not advance.

Noah Kimball was named to the All-League 1st team, Pacific Hills League. Cruz Ballesteros was named to the 2nd team.

Girls Lacrosse

The ninth team season banquet was held on May 20. The team honors were:

Stella Hendricks: Clutch Performer

Anna Sundquist: Outstanding Leader

Frankie Harris: Ground Ball Queen

Julia Winton: Lockdown Defender

Olivia Brougher: Sharp Shooter

Adelaide Valeri: Iron Woman

Whitney Milkulin: Offensive MVP

Aliyah Kanter: Defensive MVP

Addison Berg: Team MVP

All Pacific Coast League Honors:

1st Team: Addison Berg, Whitney Mikulin, Adelaide Valeri and Julia Winton

2nd Team: Frankie Harris, Olivia Brougher and Aliyah Kanter

Track & Field

Another successful season with the girls capturing the league title. The 2026 Team awards are:

Coaches Awards

Neal – Ethan Chen; Lalim – Ava Lowe; Kull – Leo Lavorando; Blanton – Helena Lowe; Bert – Grace Puffer; Fred – Saydee Bae

Distance Awards: Boys MVP – Liam McRae, Girls MVP – Natalia Chudleigh

Sprints Awards: Boys MVP – Mathias Hammer, Girls MVP – Grace Puffer

Hurdles Awards: Girls MVP – Amelia Brown

Field Awards: Boys MVP – Brody Azadian, Girls MVP – Stephanie Aranda

Eric Hulst Award: Boys – Reidley Babcock & Liam McRae

Spring Sport Commitments

Laguna honored their recent sport commitments for graduating seniors on May 20 during the high school lunch period. The recent commitments were:

Brody Azadian: Basketball (Hesston College)

Gavin Goode: Water Polo (Long Island University)

Max Jakle: Water Polo (University of the Pacific)

Max Sauers: Water Polo (Occidental College)

• • •

Have a note on LBHS sports? Email me at frank@twometer.net.

If you would like an updated PDF file of the Football, Baseball and Girls Water Polo record books – drop me an email request.

2026 High School SPRING Schedules? Check Laguna Beach High School on the MaxPreps website or the schedules tab on the Athletics website at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/schedules. To get scores on the school site – select the sport and level, click year and move the “Show older events” toggle under the selected season. Scores are also posted on X @LagunaSports.

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School Notes

News and notes from our colleges and universities

Jack Gallo of Laguna Beach was named to the spring 2026 Dean’s List at Southeast Missouri State University. This designation is awarded to students who have earned at least a 3.75 grade point average on a 4.0 scale and completed at least 12 hours of standard graded credit. They received no grade below a B and received no failing grades in enrolled, credit/no credit or pass/fail courses.

Southeast Missouri State University is a public university in Cape Girardeau, Mo. In addition to the main campus, the university has four regional campuses offering full degree programs and a secondary campus housing the Holland College of Arts and Media.

Simon Yang of Laguna Beach graduated from Harvey Mudd College on May 17 with a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in engineering.

Harvey Mudd College, located in Claremont, Calif., is a member of The Claremont Colleges Consortium. It is the premier liberal arts college specializing in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The college, whose mission is to prepare engineers, scientists and mathematicians to become leaders in their fields and understand the impact of their work on society, ranks No. 2 in the country for producing research doctorates per capita in science and engineering.

Have your son or daughter register at their respective school to have information forwarded to Stu News Laguna at tomjohnson@me.com.

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Laguna Beach High School Class of 1996 announces 30-Year reunion celebration on August 22

The Laguna Beach High School Class of 1996 is preparing to celebrate their 30-year reunion and is currently seeking to reconnect with classmates from the graduating class.

Click on photo for larger image

Submitted photo

LBHS Class of 1996 will hold reunion on August 22

The reunion event will take place on Saturday, Aug. 22, beginning at 6 p.m. at Laguna Beer Company in Laguna Beach. Alumni, former classmates and friends of the Class of 1996 are invited to attend an evening of memories, reconnecting and celebration.

Organizers are encouraging all members of the LBHS Class of 1996 to spread the word and help locate fellow graduates who may not yet have received reunion information.

Tickets for the event are $85 per person. For ticket information, event details or to reconnect with the reunion committee, contact lbhs96@gmail.com.

Additional reunion announcements and updates will be shared as the event approaches.

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Spring Sports Update

Baseball (18–11, 9–5) – On to Quarterfinals

Breakers Roll Woodbridge, 7-2

Laguna turned the table on the Pacific Coast League champions scoring in the first four innings by belting out 11 hits to send the visitors packing this past Tuesday (May 19) at Skipper Carrillo Field.

Kyle Underwood had pitched a three-hitter back on March 11 in the Warriors’ 3-2 win over the Breakers, and Branson Wade also pitched effectively throwing a four-hitter while striking out 10, but it was Laguna errors that contributed to the Breakers’ loss.

The rematch was less dramatic as a flawless start put the contest out of reach before the visitors were able to score off some sloppy play by Laguna.

Otis Boultinghouse started it off with a double to left field. Lincoln Adams hit a sacrifice bunt to move Otis to third and a sacrifice fly by Dylan Yencho brought the first run home. Two singles in the second inning contributed to the second run and three doubles in the third resulted in a 5-0 advantage. The final two runs came off a Dylan Yencho home run, with Boultinghouse on base in the fourth inning.

The Breakers now will advance to today’s (Friday, May 22) quarterfinals at #95 Moorpark in Ventura County.

Statistical Leaders after 29 Games:

Batting Average: .466 – Dylan Yencho (Season ranks 9th all-time)

Hits: 48 – Dylan Yencho (Season ranks 7th all-time)

Doubles: 17 – Dylan Yencho (Season ranks 3rd all-time)

Home Runs: 3 – Otis Boultinghouse, Dylan Yencho

RBIs: 28 – Parker Moore (Season ranks 10th all-time)

Stolen Bases: 19 – Lincoln Adams (Season ranks 6th all-time)

Innings Pitched: 79.2 – Branson Wade (Season ranks 3rd all-time)

Wins: 11 – Branson Wade (Season ranks 2nd all-time)

ERA: 1.23 – Branson Wade (Season ranks 9th all-time)

Strikeouts: 100 – Branson Wade (New season record)

Team batting average: .310

Team ERA: 2.29

Boys Volleyball Team Awards

All-League Honors:

The Breakers held the 55th season team awards dinner this past Wednesday (May 20) at the Three Arch Bay Clubhouse. All-League honors went to Declan McCormick (So.) and libero Jacob Bystrom (Jr.).

Team Honors:

“Love of the Game: Bo Carson (So.)

Volleyball Junkies: Julian (Jr.) & Vince (So.) Merheb

Best Teammate: James Vermilya (Sr.)

Perseverance Award: Quinn Halloran (Jr.)

Team MVP: Jacob Bystrom (Jr.)

JV was 11-7-2 this season finishing second in the Pacific Coast League. The team MVP was Jack Jameson (Fr.).

• • •

Have a note on LBHS sports? Email me at frank@twometer.net.

If you would like an updated PDF file of the Football, Baseball and Girls Water Polo record books – drop me an email request.

2026 High School SPRING Schedules? Check Laguna Beach High School on the MaxPreps website or the schedules tab on the Athletics website at https://lbhs.lbusd.org/athletics/schedules. To get scores on the school site – select the sport and level, click year and move the “Show older events” toggle under the selected season. Scores are also posted on X @LagunaSports.

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