Boys’ Player of the Week : Richards Moves Laguna Hills Through Playoffs

Pat Richards of Laguna Hills High School merely shrugs when asked about his recent success on the soccer field.

“Things are just going well right now,” Richards said.

That’s putting it mildly.

In three Southern Section 2-A playoff games, Laguna Hills has scored nine goals. And Richards, The Times’ player of the week, has seven of them.

Last Wednesday, Richards scored one goal in a 2-1 victory over La Salle. He followed that with a goal and an assist in a 2-1 victory over Brea-Olinda in the quarterfinals Friday.

“Pat’s ball control right now is remarkable,” Coach Scott Johnson said. “He’s the big reason for our success.”

And the reason for Richards’ success?

“I’m able to do more things since the move,” Richards said.

Said Johnson, “The big thing is that we’ve been able to get the ball to him more since the move.”

The move.

After losing to Laguna Beach midway through Pacific Coast League play, Johnson, at Richards’ request, switched Richards from forward to halfback. Since then, Laguna Hills has won seven of nine games.

Johnson and Richards call it the turning point in Laguna Hills’ season. Both believe it’s why the Hawks have reached the semifinals.

“We needed to get Pat to the ball if we were going to be successful,” Johnson said. “Now Pat can distribute the ball coming down the field and he’s been able to score a lot from the middle.”

It has been basically on-the-job training for Richards. Except for one game with his club team, he had never played halfback before.

“It’s really a lot easier for me,” said Richards, who has 17 goals on the season. “I don’t have two guys marking me all the time. But I thought it would hurt my scoring more.”

Not when things are going this well.

Pat Richards

Laguna Hills High School

Position: halfback

Height, Weight, Class: 6-1, 160, Sr.

Last Week: Richards scored two goals and assisted on another as Laguna Hills won two games to advance to the semifinals of the Southern Section 2-A playoffs.

Season: Richards has scored 17 goals, 7 in the playoffs.