Sea Kings enter must-win game

Rick Devereux

Only one thing is for certain when it comes to the Corona del Mar

High CIF Southern Section Division IX football playoff picture.

The Sea Kings (5-4, 2-2 in the Pacific Coast League) need to beat

host Laguna Beach Friday to secure third in the league for the final

guaranteed playoff spot. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

If CdM loses and Calvary Chapel upsets league-leading Tesoro

Saturday, Calvary Chapel will finish third and the Sea Kings will

have to hope for the lone at-large berth handed out in the 32-team

division.

Laguna Beach (4-4-1, 0-3-1) is hoping an upset over CdM will give

the Breakers the inside track on the at-large berth. Laguna can

finish no higher than fifth in the league.

“[Laguna Beach] has some pretty good athletes,” Coach Dick Freeman

said. “[Running back Bryan Brown] is pretty quick and their linemen

are bigger than they usually are.”

Freeman said the Sea Kings need to play disciplined in order to

win.

CdM has committed 71 penalties for 691 yards this season. Sea King

opponents have committed 58 penalties for 486 yards. There were only

two games -- against Northwood and Tesoro -- where the opponent

committed more penalties for more yards than the Sea Kings.

Laguna Beach is not afraid to run trick plays on offense, so being

disciplined takes on extra importance.

“They will run the double reverse and the halfback pass,” Freeman

said. “If our D-line can dominate, if we can get pressure without

using our linebackers, then that should help stop their trick stuff.”

Ends Taylor Meehan and Matt Burgner, as well as tackles Taylor

Storm and Carlos Corrales, will have the responsibility of

controlling the line of scrimmage.

“We can’t give up the big plays,” Freeman said. “We have got make

them try to sustain a drive on us.”

Offensively, the Sea Kings are coming off a 42-point explosion

against University when they racked up 422 yards.

Quarterback Tom Welch threw for 171 yards and three touchdowns in

that game to bring his season total to 1,248 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Welch is also second on the team with 74 carries for 434 rushing

yards and eight touchdowns. His 1,682 total yards is the most in the

league.

Welch’s main target is his twin brother Kevin, who leads the team

with 32 receptions for 618 yards and seven touchdowns.

Running back Wess Presson is another weapon for the Sea Kings. The

senior leads the league with 983 rushing yards and his nine rushing

touchdowns ranks second behind Calvary Chapel’s Jordan Thoma’s 10

rushing scores.

Freeman credits the often unsung efforts of the offensive linemen

for the team’s success this season.

“However your line goes, so goes the team,” Freeman said.

Tackles Robbie Richey and John Fairbanks, guards Zach Wishengrad

and Andrew Keligian, and center Chris Reilly, have been the main

blockers up front.