Katella - Game Notes
This is the Eagles’ 107th Varsity game, and 56th home game. Santa Margarita’s all-time home record is 44-10-1 (.800). The Eagles are currently 80-25-1 (.755) as they enter Week 11 of their ninth season.
Santa Margarita is 10-0, and ranked No. 7 in the Western United States by USA Today, No. 5 in California (961 teams overall) by Student Sports, No. 1 in both California Division II and CIF-SS Division V, and 2nd in Orange County (69 schools) behind Mater Dei.
With the win over Irvine in Week 8 the Eagles clinched their eighth playoff berth in nine seasons. The win over Woodbridge in Week 9 gave the Eagles their 2nd consecutive Sea View League Championship. The win over El Toro gave the Eagles their 2nd 10-0 regular season.
The 10-0 start is the best start since the 1990 team began 12-0.
The Eagles have won a school record 21 games in a row. They have also won 23 of 24, and 32 of their last 37. Their last loss was to Servite in Week 3 of the 1996 season. The 21 wins is the best in Saddleback Valley history ahead of El Toro’s streak of 17 set in 1986-87. The County record for consecutive wins is 32 set by Edison from 1979-81. The State and national record is 74 and counting by Concord De La Salle.
During the streak, the Eagles have outscored the opposition 859-179, an average score of 40.9 to 8.5, and margin of victory of 32.4 points.
The Eagles have also won 11 straight at home and 13 straight on the road dating back to 1995.
The Eagles are averaging 46.5 points per game in 1996. The County records for points per game and points were set last year by Tustin at 47.15 and 613 points (13 games) respectively. The Eagles are on pace to score 651 points over 14 games.
QUICK FACTS
This is the first game between the Eagles and the Katella Knights.
The Knights finished the 1997 regular season with a 6-4 record. They went 3-2 in Empire League play, and finished as the fourth place team. The Knights were extended the wild card playoff berth which ended the Sea View League’s run of five years with their fourth place team getting the wild card berth.
Santa Margarita enters the CIF-SS playoffs for the eighth time in nine years. (In 1994, the Eagles finished 5-5, but did not receive the at large bid). The Eagles all-time record in CIF playoff games is 10-6. The Eagles are 4-4 at home, 6-2 on the road in CIF playoff action.
COACHES
Jim Hartigan is 80-25-1 (.755) in his ninth varsity season as
Head Coach. Overall Coach Hartigan has a 96-28-2 (.762) if you
include 10-0 and 6-3-1 lower level teams that he led in 1987
and 1988 respectively. He was honored as the 1996 CIF-SS Division
V and National Football Foundation Orange County Coach of the
Year. The Knights are led by first year coach Dominik Unger
who is 6-4 (.600) overall at Katella.
By Adrian Peters
Sports Information Director
