Eagles 56 - MLK 7
Santa Margarita regains swagger in explosive win
MISSION VIEJO, CA., September 25, 2015 – In its final tuneup before Trinity League play, Santa Margarita provided a showcase of the explosiveness that is going to make it a contender.
The third-ranked Eagles scored 36 points in the second quarter Friday night, as they rolled past ML King of Riverside, 56-7, in a nonleague game at Saddleback College.
Santa Margarita (4-1) scored every time it had the ball, and even when it didn’t, through the first three quarters. KJ Costello threw for 204 yards, twice connecting with Grant Calcaterra for touchdowns, while also adding a rushing score.
Dylan Crawford led the Eagles with 102 receiving yards, and Trey Green added 78 yards with a pair of scores.
Though the Eagles found the red zone early and often, penalties (10 for 100 yards in the first half) forced Santa Margarita to settle for two Sam Loy field goals in the first quarter. Bradley Kleven’s 52-yard TD strike to Dante Anderson gave ML King a 7-6 lead after the first period.
Santa Margarita took the lead when Green’s first score put the Eagles ahead, 13-7, early in the second quarter. Perhaps the game’s most pivotal play came on the ensuing drive.
With the Wolves (2-2) working inside the Eagles’ 30, Tanner Matthews intercepted Kleven over the middle, returning the ball down the left sideline for a 78-yard score.
“First of all, I’m known as ‘Tackle Hands’ on the team, so the fact that I caught it was pretty amazing in itself,” Matthews said of his first career touchdown. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, I actually scored.’”
The Eagles offense struck for three more touchdowns in the final 5:08 of the half, including a dazzling two-minute drill that ended with Costello’s 27-yard touchdown pass to Calcaterra.
“I really feel like in a way, we got our swagger back as an offense,” Costello said. “I have four of the best wideouts in the Trinity League, and I want to use them.
“We used everything that we have tonight.”
Following a loss to Westlake last week, Eagles coach Rick Curtis said it was critical that his team bounced back.
“We got knocked down a little bit to Earth last week,” Curtis said. “We just said that might have been a blessing in disguise for us. We have to work harder, and we have to be ready for games.”
| Santa Margarita | 6 | 36 | 14 | 0 | 56 |
| Martin Luther King | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
SM – Loy 25 FG
MLK – Anderson 52 pass from Kleven (Mapes kick)
SM – Loy 23 FG
SM – Green 4 run (Loy kick)
SM – T. Matthews 78 interception return (Calcaterra pass from Costello)
SM – Calcaterra 20 pass from Costello (Loy kick)
SM – Costello 1 run (Loy kick)
SM – Calcaterra 27 pass from Costello (Loy kick)
SM – Green 9 run (Loy kick)
SM – Wagner 3 run (Loy Kick)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: SM - Magyar 5-85, Green 10-78; MLK - Walder 17-66, Thompson 1-11
Passing: SM - Costello 16-22-0-204; MLK - Kleven - 19-2-101
Receiving: SM - Crawford 8-102, Calcaterra 5-66; MLK - Anderson 1-52, Favors 3-40
By Andrew Turner
Saturday, September 26, 2015
The Orange County Register
