Chandler Is the Point Man in Hawks’ Win

Laguna Hills junior Matt Chandler rushed for 184 yards, scored three touchdowns and kicked a field goal and five extra points as the Hawks defeated La Puente Nogales, 40-8, Thursday night at Mission Viejo High.

Chandler, who is listed as a wide receiver but played most of the game at tailback, was responsible for 26 points. He scored on runs of 23, two and 71 yards, converted all five of his extra-point attempts and opened the game with a 37-yard field goal on the Hawks’ first possession.

“That was a great game for us,” Chandler said. “We didn’t know what to expect, because we’ve never played them before. But we also know we still have a lot of work to do.”

The Laguna Hills defense held Nogales to 172 yards, while the Hawks compiled 384.

Junior quarterback Chris Johnson completed eight of 15 passes for 104 yards and one touchdown--a six-yard toss to sophomore tight end Adam Berutich with 20 seconds remaining in the first half to give the Hawks a 17-0 lead at the break.

Nogales’ only touchdown came when Edher Mauricio scored on a 46-yard return after a fumble recovery.

Senior running back Sam Jean scored the Hawks’ final touchdown with 7:09 to play, taking the ball 63 yards on his second carry of the game.