Eagles 35 - Corona del Mar 14
O'Brien Paces Eagles in Sea View Opener
MISSION VIEJO, CA., October 2, 1992 – For months since it had been announced that Santa Margarita would join the Sea View League in 1992, everyone wondered how the team would fare in the new league. Three teams from the league were in the semifinals the previous year and Irvine, The Division II CIF champions, were also added.
The Eagles would get a taste of the league in the opener as they faced undefeated Corona del Mar. It didn't take long, however, for Santa Margarita (4-0, 1-0) to prove it would be a force as they jumped all over the Sea Kings in the first half.
The offense made it look easy as it scored on all four possessions in the first half, and the defense swarmed all over Corona del Mar (3-1, 0-1) to take a 28-0 lead at halftime.
Sean O'Brien was out to make a statement and he almost single-handedly did in the Sea Kings. He scored on a 50-yard run in the opening drive and connected with Ryan Zinn and Brad Finneran for scores in the second quarter.
O'Brien had 105 yards rushing and 194 yards through the air at the intermission as the Eagles outgained the Sea Kings, 347-128.
Corona del Mar came out in the third quarter with a score to cut the lead to 28-7, but the Eagles countered when Chris Tiernan scored his second touchdown of the game on a 31-yard draw play. "He (O'Brien) didn't do anything we didn't see or expect," Sea King Coach Dave Holland said. "He just did them well."
Matt Dempsey's fumble recovery and Derek Yankoff's interception in the end zone stopped Corona del Mar's drives which led to scores. Santa Margarita suffered a huge loss when starting linebacker Tim Sulick went down with a knee injury on the opening kickoff.
| Santa Margarita | 14 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 35 |
| Corona del Mar | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
SM – O'Brien 50 run (kick failed)
SM – Tiernan 2 run (Steenblock pass from O'Brien)
SM – Zinn 78 pass from O'Brien (Korinke kick)
SM – Brad Finneran 35 pass from O'Brien (Korinke kick)
CdM – Hess 5 pass from Evans (Rupp kick)
SM – Tiernan 31 run (Korinke kick)
CdM – Hess 5 run (Rupp Kick)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: O'Brien 12-102, Tiernan 9-76
Passing: O'Brien 12-18-0, 222, .666%, 2 TD
Receiving: Brad Finneran 4-70, Brian Finneran 3-77
Defense: Tiernan 11 tackles; Yankoff 3 tackles, 1 int; Gillessie 8 tackles;
Bri. Finneran 7 tackles, 1 KD
Santa Margarita rips CdM - No. 5 Eagles dominate Sea Kings in first half
MISSION VIEJO – Santa Margarita High continued its season-long trend of torrid starts Friday night and breezed to a 35-14 victory over Corona del Mar High in a Sea View League opener at Saddleback College.
Santa Margarita, ranked No. 5 in Orange County, scored on its first four possessions to take a 28-0 halftime lead. The Eagles (4-0, 1-0) have outscored opponents, 83-3, in the first half, including a 54-0 advantage in the first quarter.
The Eagles dominated Corona del Mar (3-1, 0-1) in the first half. They outgained the Sea Kings, 347-128, scoring on drives of 76, 80, 80 and 86 yards.
"We're anxious to prove we're a good football team," Santa Margarita coach Jim Hartigan said. "We want to get into the end zone as quickly as possible and take the pressure off the defense. We want to put the ball game into our control early."
Santa Margarita quarterback Sean O'Brien guided the offense with precision. In the first half, O'Brien rushed for 105 yards on nine carries, including a 50-yard run for the Eagles' first touchdown. He also completed 9 of 14 passes for 194 yards, with touchdown passes of 78 yards to Ryan Zinn and 35 yards to Brad Finneran in the second quarter.
"He (O'Brien) didn't do anything we didn't see or expect," Corona del Mar coach Dave Holland said. "He just did them well."
Nearly every time something went bad for Corona del Mar, it turned into a positive for the Eagles. Early in the second quarter, Tanner Rupp missed a 41-yard field goal for the Sea Kings. Two plays later, Zinn took a screen pass and raced down the sidline to give Santa Margarita a 21-0 lead with 11:00 to go.
The Sea Kings then drove to the Eagle 11-yard line, but a fumbled handoff was recovered by linebacker Matt Dempsey with 6:12 left, leading to Finneran's touchdown.
Corona del Mar came to life in the second half, scoring on its first possession. Quarterback Matt Evans completed four straight passes, including a 5-yard touchdown toss to Tom Hess.
The Sea Kings moved to the Eagles' 10 on their next possession, but Evans was intercepted in the end zone by Derek Yankoff. The Eagles turned the miscue into a 76-yard scoring drive, capped by Chris Tiernan's second touchdown of the game on a 31-yard run early in the fourth quarter.
On the defense: Santa Margarita lost starting linebacker Tim Sulick to a left knee injury on the opening kickoff. "Tim's been the heart and soul of the team," Hartigan said. "He's our defensive signalcaller, and we had trouble making adjustments out there."
Noteworthy: Corona del Mar outgained Santa Margarita, 183-82, in the second half. Corona del Mar's Brian Hogan returned four kickoffs for a 28-3-yard average.
By Brent Goodrich
Saturday, October 3, 1992
The Orange County Register - D8
Orange County Football Top Ten
1. Esperanza.............4-0
2. Los Alamitos..........4-0
3. Servite...............3-0-1
4. Rancho Alamitos.......3-1
5. Santa Margarita.......4-0
6. Trabuco Hills.........4-0
7. Irvine................3-1
8. Mater Dei.............3-0-1
9. Mission Viejo.........3-1
10. Sunny Hills..........4-0
