CdM marches on to final

LAGUNA BEACH — Corona del Mar High football coach Scott Meyer said the Sea Kings' 41-14 victory over host Laguna Beach that ended a four-game losing streak in CIF semifinals dating back to 1992, meant they finally got over the hump.

But it's certainly easier to surmount any bump in the postseason landscape when your primary offensive strategy involves running downhill.

That's just the way it appeared for CdM (11-2) in the CIF Southern Section Southern Division semifinal, the Sea Kings' third semifinal appearance in four years.

The victory propels the No. 2-seeded Sea Kings into Friday's title game against top-seeded Beckman (11-3). It's a rematch of the two Pacific Coast League rivals' regular-season meeting, won by Beckman, 42-37, on Nov. 11 at Irvine High.

CdM, which was eliminated in the Southern Division semis last year by Beckman, is seeking the program's third section crown, its first since 1989.

Senior tailback Erik Fisher amassed 298 of the Sea Kings' 448 rushing yards and scored two of the team's five rushing touchdowns, as CdM temporarily ditched its penchant for burning teams primarily with the pass.

"We were able to run the ball," said Meyer, in his first season at the helm. "And once we started running, we never stopped. Erik Fisher is a great running back and our O-line blocked their butts off tonight."

The Sea Kings completed just one of their first six passes, four of which were drops by receivers, and Meyer said his team merely decided to take what the Breakers (10-3) were giving.

"We tried to throw it early and it was a little off," Meyer said. "We had a few drops, and the running game was there, so we just stuck with it."

CdM finished with 69 aerial yards on five completions, just two after halftime.

Fisher burst 34 yards for the opening score of the game to cap CdM's opening possession. The only pass among the five snaps was an incompletion.

Senior outside linebacker Frasier Anderson returned an interception 19 yards for a CdM touchdown, and the Sea Kings later plowed 54 yards on seven plays, all runs, to up its lead to 20-0.

Laguna Beach, making its first semifinal appearance in 47 years, answered when Robert Clemons returned the ensuing kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown.

But CdM's ground game allowed it to score on three straight second-half possessions, eating valuable time off the clock along the way, before the Breakers added a score in the final seconds against defensive reserves.