Eagles 17 - Claremont 14 - CIF
Santa Margarita wins, 17-14. Eagles beat Claremont in Division IV playoffs
MISSION VIEJO, CA., November 16, 1990 – Santa Margarita coach Jim Hartigan said Friday's Division IV first-round 17-14 victory over Claremont was as personally satisfying a victory as he's had as a football coach.
Hartigan was unhappy when he found out his Eagles were placed in the Division IV playoffs this year after competing in Division IX last year.
So, Santa Margarita's come from behind victory at Saddleback College was especially sweet for Hartigan.
"I told the kids that we would have to just take it a step at a time, regardless of who we play," Hartigan said. “They showed a lot of guts tonight."
Indeed, Santa Margarita (11-0) overcame a 14-7 deficit in the third quarter to beat Claremont (5-5-1), the No. 2 team from the Baseline League.
Santa Margarita junior running back Josh Ireland's 19-yard touchdown run in the third quarter tied the game and Travis Lucero's 24-yard field goal with 6:38 left in the game proved to be the difference.
Claremont took a 14-7 halftime lead on the strength of Williams' running and Metwalli's passing.
The Wolfpack scored on their first possession as Ryan Wall caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Metwalli to cap a 70-yard drive. Brandy Braxton's extra point gave Claremont a 7-0 lead with 3:57 left in the first quarter.
Wall caught four passes on the drive and Metwalli completed five of his passes.
Metwalli completed 8 of 14 passes for 95 yards, while Williams gained 59 yards on 12 carries in the first half.
Santa Margarita tied it on its next series as Trevor Yankoff ran 19 yards for the score. The Eagles drove 80 yards in eight plays for the touchdown, highlighted by a 34-yard run by Yankoff and a 21-yard run by Ireland. Travis Lucero kicked the extra point to make it 7-7 with 44 seconds left in the quarter.
Claremont responded by driving 80 yards in 14 plays for a touchdown. Terrill Grant ran 4 yards off tackle for the score, capping a drive that took more than six minutes. Braxton's extra point made it 14-7 with 5:54 left in the half.
Santa Margarita fumbled away the ensuing kickoff, but a 32-yard field goal attempt by Braxton was partially blocked by Eric Brown.
Yankoff did not complete a pass in five attempts in the first half.
| Santa Margarita | 7 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
| Claremont | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
CLAR – Wall 24 pass from Metwalli (Braxton kick)
SM – Yankoff 10 run (Lucero kick)
CLAR – Grant 4 run (Braxton kick)
SM – Ireland 19 run (Lucero kick)
SM – Lucero 24 FG
By Ed Zintel
Saturday, November 17, 1990
The Orange County Register - D4
