Eagles 24 - Bell Gardens 14 - CIF
Santa Margarita cruises. Big plays are the key in 24-14 Eagles victory
BELL GARDENS, CA., November 23, 1990 – Bell Gardens had the best offensive threat in fullback Alfred Zamudio, but his driving runs weren't enough to overcome Santa Margarita's balanced attack and big-play ability as the Eagles won, 24-14, in the second round of the Division IV playoffs Friday night.
Santa Margarita (12-0) advances to a semi-final matchup against Baldwin Park.
Zamudio ran for 178 yards and one touchdown on 31 carries for Bell Gardens (8-4). But Santa Margarita made the most of a blocked punt in the first quarter and broke two long touchdowns in the second to run its lead to 21-0 at halftime.
Bell Gardens was forced to punt on its first possession when Santa Margarita linebacker Ryan Zalta leaped across the line to block Sal Gomez's kick. Ron Mehrens recovered at the Bell Gardens' 29 to set up the Eagles' first score.
After throwing a 22-yard pass to Mike Farris, Santa Margarita quarterback Trevor Yankoff ran the ball in from the 1 to cap a four play drive.
Midway through the second quarter, Santa Margarita running back Josh Ireland broke free on the left side for an 80-yard touchdown run that put the Eagles ahead by 14.
Yankoff completed 6 of 9 passes for 191 yards, including a 95-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver David Shearer with less than a minute to play in the first half. On third and 16 from his own 5, Yankoff threw the ball 50 yards in the air, and Shearer ran the last 45 yards untouched. Yankoff did not throw an incomplete pass until late in the third quarter.
Bell Gardens quarterback Armando Valencia completed 5 of 14 passes for 84 yards.
Bell Gardens came back in the second half to score 14 points on Zamudio's touchdown and a 9-yard pass from Valencia to Jesse Rafanan. But a 22-yard field goal by Santa Margarita's Travis Lucero in the third quarter gave the Eagles a 24-7 lead.
| Santa Margarita | 7 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 24 |
| Bell Gardens | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
SM – Yankoff 1 run (Lucero kick)
SM – Ireland 80 run (Lucero kick)
SM – Shearer 95 pass from Yankoff (Lucero kick)
BG – Rafanan 9 pass from Valencia (Hurtarte kick)
SM – Lucero 22 FG
BG – Zamudio 1 run (Hurtarte kick)
By Nils Ferry
Saturday, November 24, 1990
The Orange County Register - D6
