Eagles 38 - Newport Harbor 0
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| Photo: Paul E. Rodriguez |
FULLERTON, CA., December 14, 1996 – The Eagles opened the CIF Final game the same way they opened the season. The Flea-flicker from Newman to Palmer to Minardi. The result, a 7-0 lead for the Eagles. While the defense was stifling the Sailor offensive unit, the Eagles kept piling up the points. The second score came on a fake reverse pass to Minard. Newman, who rushed for 253 yards and 2 TDs, tied a school record with a 91 yard run in the second quarter. When the gun sounded to end the first half, SM proudly walked into the locker room with a 38-0 lead. The defense, which recorded 8 sacks (4 by Austin Jayred), held Newport on a 4th and goal from the 1 yard line, recorded it’s 3rd consecutive shutout.
| Santa Margarita | 13 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 38 |
| Newport Harbor | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
SM – Minardi 9 pass from Palmer (Sparks kick)
SM – Minardi 68 pass from Palmer (kick failed)
SM – FG Sparks 43
SM – Newman 91 run (Palmer run)
SM – Newman 1 fun (Sparks kick)
SM – Minardi 38 pass from Palmer (Sparks kick)
| TEAM STATISTICS | NH | SM |
| First downs | 13 | 13 |
| Rushes-yards | 39-76 | 31-302 |
| Passing | 141 | 241 |
| Comp-Att-int | 12-20-0 | 9-13-0 |
| Fumbles Lost | 1-0 | 1-1 |
| Penalties Yards | 2-10 | 3-20 |
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: NH - Ohrel 27-118, Urban 2-5, Fredriksen 9-(-47); SM - Newman 20-252, McCroskey 2-36, Orlando 3-11, Palmer 4-2, Zinn 2-1
Passing: NH - Fredriken 12-25-0-141; SM - Palmer 9-13-0-241
Receiving: NH - LaBass 1.35, Rausch 3-39, Pulido 4-51, Govaars 1-11, Hogan 1-5; SM - Minardi 5-168, O'Connor 1-42, Newman 1-20, Crowder 1-9, Minna 1-2
By Adrian Peters
Sports Information Director
Eagles start fast, soar past Sailors.
Santa Margarita hammers Newport Harbor for its first CIF football title in its 10-year existence.
FULLERTON – In the past, Santa Margarita football coach Jim Hartigan has wanted to win more than his players.
That wasn't the case Saturday night. The Eagles saved their best game of the season for last.
Second-seeded Santa Margarita routed fourth-seeded Newport Harbor, 38-0, to capture the CIF Southern Section Division V championship in front of 6,500 at Cal State Fullerton's Titan Stadium. It is the first championship for the Eagles in their 10th anniversary season.
"The kids finally realized, "Hey, we can do this,' and we got the team to do it," said Hartigan, who has been Santa Margarita's coach since the school opened. “The coaches did a great job. The kids believed in themselves.
“We worked very hard for this, and it finally paid off.". Billy Newman returned the opening kickoff 40 yards to Newport Harbor's 49, and on the first play from scrimmage, Carson Palmer hooked up with John Minardi on a 49-yard touchdown pass on a flea-flicker.
The rout was on. Santa Margarita scored all of its points in the first half and then ran out the clock in the second half.
Newport Harbor, which upset top-seeded Servite in the semifinals, finished the season 12-2 with both losses coming against the Eagles. Santa Margarita (13-1) beat Newport Harbor, 36-22, in Sea View League play and went on to capture the league title.
“I feel for our kids, especially, our seniors," Sailors coach Jeff Brinkley said. “A lot of people didn't think we would get this far. I hate to see them go out like this."
By Carlos Arias
Sunday, December 15, 1996
The Orange County Register - Sports 1
Trick play inspires Santa Margarita.
Quarterback Carson Palmer uses a flea-flicker to get the Eagles going in their 38-0 victory.
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| Photo: Paul E. Rodriguez |
FULLERTON – Santa Margarita quarterback Carson Palmer has a special fondness for the flea-flicker. He threw one on his first varsity pass this season and it: went for a 75-yard touchdown.
His first attempt Saturday night against Newport Harbor in the CIF-SS Division V championship also was a flea-flicker and went for a score. It also was a sign of things to come for Palmer and the Eagles.
The 6-4, 208-pound junior threw for a career-high 241 yards and three touchdowns to junior wide receiver John Minardi in leading the Eagles to a 38-0 victory before 6,500 spectators at Cal State Fullerton.
"That's me and Minardi's play," said Palmer, who completed 9 of 13 passes without an interception and set a school record for touchdown passes in a season with 24. “(The flea-flicker) is something to spark the team and the crowd with, and it did."
Minardi also was on the receiving end of Palmer's season opening flea-flicker against Trabuco Hills. Saturday's play went for a 49-yard score on the second play of the game.
The duo, of course, was just warming up after Saturday's early fireworks. Palmer threw touchdown passes of 68 and 38 yards to Minardi in the first half, the final one after Minardi lined up as a tight end. Minardi ended the half with four receptions for 169 yards and finished the game with five catches for 168 yards. He also set a school record for most receiving touchdowns in a season with 14.
“We've been best friends since the seventh grade," said Palmer, who used the same ball Saturday he and Minardi played with as freshmen when they were Sea View League champions. "Not only does he catch the ball but he gets you yards and I love that."
By Dan Albano
Sunday, December 15, 1996
The Orange County Register - Sports 1
Defense stops Sailors cold.
Santa Margarita roars to a 38-0 halftime lead and then easily coasts on to victory against Newport Harbor.
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| Photo: Paul E. Rodriguez |
FULLERTON – Thirty minutes after Saturday night's CIF Southern Section Division V championship game at Cal State Fullerton's Titan Stadium, Santa Margarita coach Jim Hartigan was still on the field savoring the Eagles 38-0 triumph over Newport Harbor.
Everything had gone right for the Eagles.
Santa Margarita's offense built a huge lead early on and let its defense do the rest.
"Once we got the big lead, we just relaxed and had fun," said senior defensive end Austin Jayred, who had four of Santa Margarita's eight sacks.
Jayred and senior linebacker Damien Minna, who had two sacks and a number of big tackles, led the defensive effort.
"(Jayred) has been a great defensive lineman for us,” Hartigan said. "He's done a really good job of making sacks and doing all the things we ask him to do. He really became a great player for us."
The Eagles (13-1) held the Sailors (12-2) to 76 yards rushing and 141 passing. Newport Harbor had 12 possessions in the game and was forced to punt seven times and was stopped on fourth down three times.
"It was a team effort," said Minna, the Sea View League's defensive MVP. "There were no individuals on this team from Day One. Everybody just played their butts off, and it all worked out in the end."
Santa Margarita allowed six points in four playoff games, including three consecutive shutouts over Valencia, Tustin and Newport Harbor to close out the season.
Santa Margarita's offense was rolling starting with the first play of the game. Senior Billy Newman returned the opening kickoff 40 yards and junior quarterback Carson Palmer connected with junior wide receiver John Minardi on a flea-flicker the next play for a 49-yard touchdown,
On Santa Margarita's next possession, Palmer completed a pass to Billy O'Connor, who broke two tackles and raced 42 yards before Sailors linebacker Danny Pulido stripped him from behind at the 2-yard line, The Wall went out of the end zone and Newport took over at its 20. But Jayred sacked Newport quarterback Josiah Fredriksen for $9. yard loss on second down and again the Sailors were forced to punt.
Two plays later, Palmer hooked up with Minardi again for a 68-yard touchdown on a fake end-around play.
Newman broke a 50-yard run and would have had a touchdown if he hadn't stepped out of bounds at Newport's 41. The Eagles Settled for a 43-yard field goal by Nick Sparks for a 16-0 lead with 7:51 remaining in the first half.
Santa Margarita's next possession started from its 9 again, but this time Newman didn't step put of bounds. Newman broke a 191 yard touchdown run. Palmertan over Newport's Eric Freeman on a draw for the two-point conversion,
Newman, who finished with 252 yards on 20 carries, added a 1yard touchdown run with 3:34. remaining in the half and Palmer hooked up with Minardi just before the break for a 38-yard touchdown.
Newman finished with 328 all purpose yards, Minardi caught five passes for 168 yards and Palmer completed 9 of 13 passes for 241 yards.
"Words can't describe how I feel right now," said Newman, the Sea View League's offensive MVP.
Newport put together its best drive to open the second half. Fredriksen completed a 27-yard pass to Pulido that got the Sailors a first-and-goal from the 1. The Eagles stopped Bret Baker for no gain on first down. Fredriksen tried to plunge in and was stopped for no gain. Minna tackled Ray Ohrel for a l-yard loss on third down and Minna sacked Fredriksen on fourth down.'
By Carlos Arias
Sunday, December 15, 1996
The Orange County Register - Sports 11
Newport Harbor endures long night.
The Sailors wanted a rematch, but Santa Margarita was just too much.
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| Photo: Matt A. Brown |
FULLERTON – After upsetting top-seeded Servite last week in the semifinals, Newport Harbor made it known that it wanted Santa Margarita in the CIF Southern Section Division V championship game.
The Sailors got their wish, but the rematch with the Eagles on Saturday night was nothing like they thought it would be.
Little went right for Newport, which was blown out by Santa Margarita, 38-0, in front of 6,500 at Cal State Fullerton's Titan Stadium.
"They just put it to us," Newport Harbor running back Ray Ohrel said. "There was nothing we could do about it."
The Sailors, who finished 12-2, appeared overwhelmed by the Eagles, who continued their dominance in the playoffs.
In shutting out Newport Harbor, the first suffered by the Sailors this season, Santa Margarita posted its third consecutive playoff shutout and fourth of the season.
Newport, one of the highest scoring teams in the county, had been averaging 38 points per game.
But Newport Harbor coach Jeff Brinkley found out quickly how Tustin coach Myron Miller felt one week earlier in the semifinals.
Santa Margarita had posted a 31-0 shutout of Tustin, which was averaging 51 points per game and had set the all-time county scoring record with 613 points.
And the Eagles' defensive dominance continued, holding Newport to 217 yards.
The Sailors were looking to avenge their only loss of the season, which came against Santa Margarita, 36-22, in the Sea View. League opener at Newport's Davidson Field on Oct. 18.
In that game, the Sailors had the lead, 28-22, with under four minutes left before the Eagles rallied for two scores.
But the rematch bore little resemblance to the first matchup as Santa Margarita had way too much for the Sailors.
"They didn't do anything different," Brinkley said. “They just handled us up front."
Newport quarterback Josiah Fredriksen had Eagles in his face all night, getting sacked eight times.
In six first-half possessions, the Sailors were stopped twice on fourth down and had to punt four times.
Their luck didn't improve any in the second half; the Sailors punting twice out of three possessions.
On its other second-half possession, Newport Harbor appeared that it would at least break the shutout when it drove for a first-and-goal at the 1.
But Santa Margarita came up with a goal-line stand, stopping Newport on four consecutive running plays.
Ohrel, who was fourth in the county in rushing with 1,928 yards going into the game, had 118 yards on 27 carries.
By Alan Abair
Sunday, December 15, 1996
The Orange County Register - Sports 11
