High Schools: CdM earns third crown

A couple of days before Corona del Mar High's biggest football game in 22 years, I asked Coach Scott Meyer what he expected.

"I expect it to be a battle down to the wire," Meyer said of the Sea Kings' CIF Southern Section Southern Division title game against Beckman.

"Whoever has the ball last will probably win."

Meyer was right on all accounts. The title game Friday featured a dramatic finish at Orange Coast College.

Here was the situation: With seven seconds left to play, Beckman scored a touchdown and trailed CdM, 14-13, pending the extra-point try.

The Patriots decided to go for the win.

The second-seeded Sea Kings made the stop they needed, stuffing an attempted two-point conversion run by top-seeded Beckman to secure a 14-13 victory and CdM's first section crown since 1989.

The Sea Kings (12-2) won their third section championship in the school's history. The wins match the program's best single-season total. The 1988 team was 12-0-2.

Beckman, which played in its second straight championship game, suffered another heartbreaking loss in the big game.

The Patriots lost to Garden Grove, 31-30, last year because of a two-point conversion late. Garden Grove went for two and the win late and succeeded.

With Beckman in a similar situation against the Sea Kings, Meyer expected the Patriots (11-3) to go for the win. Meyer, and everyone else at OCC, knew who was going to get the ball.

Beckman ran standout tailback Jeff Kim and CdM outside linebacker Aaron White met him to stuff the two-point attempt.

White also recovered Beckman's onside kick, allowing CdM to kneel and run the clock out.

The Sea Kings, who lost the Pacific Coast League title to Beckman, 42-37, last month, had the ball at the end and the grand prize.

CdM and section title games at OCC translate into victories.

The Sea Kings are 3-0 in section title games and all three have been played at OCC.

The Sea Kings beat Valencia, 17-7, in the Division VI title game in 1988.

The following year, CdM defeated La Quinta, 21-10, to complete back-to-back Division VI titles.

In his final game at CdM, quarterback Brent Lawson closed out his record-breaking year in grand fashion.

Lawson's throws and running made it possible for the Sea Kings to get revenge on Beckman.

The senior threw two touchdown passes, giving him 27 for the year, and threw for 119 yards, giving him 2,519 for the season. Both are CdM records.