Irvine 29 - Eagles 26
MISSION VIEJO, CA., October 22, 1993 – For the second consecutive year the Santa Margarita-Irvine game had plenty of action with a similar result-an Irvine victory.
The 29-26 loss put the Eagles (5-2, 2-2)in a desperate situation to earn a playoff spot in the grueling Sea View League.
It looked like the Eagles were on their way to an upset as they went into the half with a 19-7 lead.
The defense kept the Vaqueros out of the end zone for all but one possession, and the offense moved the ball up and down the field.
Derek Yankoff scored on runs of one and four yards, and connected with Brian Finneran on a 31-yard Hail Mary pass as time expired in the second quarter.
The Vaqueros came out strongly in the second half and scored on their first two possessions.
Tony Mathis scored on a one-yard run and Mike Phelps had a seven-yard pass to Sean Clark to give Irvine a 22-20 lead in the third quarter.
The Eagles responded with Brian Finneran's 60-yard reception for a score. Finneran caught the ball over the middle and cut across to the opposite hash and down the sideline to put the Eagles back on top, 26-22.
But, as they did last year, the Vaqueros stormed back and wore down the Eagles.
Mathis, who finished with 167 yards, scored on a one-yard run to preserve the victory.
| Irvine | 7 | 0 | 15 | 7 | 29 |
| Santa Margarita | 6 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 26 |
SM – Yankoff 1 run (pass failed)
IRV – Noisy 39 pass from Phelps (Louie kick)
SM – Yankoff 4 run (pass failed)
SM – Bri. Finneran 31 pass from Yankoff (Korinke kick)
IRV – Mathis 1 run (Louie kick)
IRV – Clark 7 pass from Phelps (Phelps run)
SM – Bri. Finneran 60 pass from Yankoff (Korinke kick)
IRV – Mathis 1 run (Louie kick)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: Collins 8-32, Yankoff 10-56
Passing: Yankoff 14-34-2, 229, .411%, 2 TD
Receiving: Brian Finneran 4-106, Brad Finneran 5-135
Defense: Brad Finneran 8 tackles, 1 int; Younce 11 tackles; Lucas 10 tackles;
Collins 8 tackles; Glover 7 tackles.
Brad Finneran had 135 yards receiving, an interception and 8 tackles
Irvine comes back to beat Santa Margarita
MISSION VIEJO – Tony Mathis had no room for doubts.
"You can never doubt your own abilities. If you do, you are going to lose," said Mathis after rallying his Irvine High football team from a 12-point halftime deficit to a 29-26 victory over Santa Margarita at Saddleback College Friday night.
The victory keeps Irvine (6-1, 4-0), ranked fourth in the county and second in the CIF Southern Section Division IV, atop the Sea View League standings. Santa Margarita (5-2, 2-2) falls into a tie for third with three games left in league.
Irvine might have folded under the pressure of Santa Margarita's big-play offense in the first half.
The Eagles enjoyed a 19-7 halftime advantage after quarterback Derek Yankoff completed 12 of 20 passes for 151 yards, including a 31-yard Hail Mary pass to Brian Finneran on the final play of the first half.
Mathis, a 5-7, 170-pound senior, spent the halftime exhorting his teammates to try harder in the second half and the Vaqueros did just that.
Irvine went 82 yards on the first drive of the second half with Mathis scoring on a 1-yard plunge.
Brian Flynn intercepted Yankoff on the next series, giving Irvine the ball at the Santa Margarita 46.
It took seven plays, four of them running plays by Mathis, before quarterback Mike Phelps hit Sean Clark for a 7-yard touchdown and a 22-19 Irvine lead with 2:06 left in the period.
Yankoff came back with another big play, hitting Brian Finneran for a 60-yard touchdown. Finneran took the pass at the 40, then broke to the right side of the field and scored after Marc Delgado made a sealing block at the 10 with 49 seconds left in the period.
But Irvine was not to be denied, going 68 yards in 11 plays before Mathis scored again on a 1-yard run. Tommy Louie's conversion gave the Vaqueros a 29-26 lead.
Santa Margarita got the ball two more times, but had no big plays left. Irvine defensive back Geoff Noisy ended the Eagles' hopes with a fourth-down interception with 1:08 remaining.
Phelps completed 15 of 23 passes for 170 yards, including five passes to Noisy for 65 yards.
Irvine coach Terry Henigan said the team wasn't down at halftime.
"We went in and told the kids we could play with these guys if we could just cut down on the mistakes and execute," Hennigan said.
By David Osterman
Saturday, October 23, 1993
The Orange County Register - D14
