Servite - CIF Game Notes
This is Santa Margarita’s 108th Varsity game, and 52nd road game. Santa Margarita’s all-time road record is 36-15 (.706). The Eagles are currently 81-25-1 (.757) as they enter Week 12 of their ninth season.
The Eagles are 11-0, and ranked No. 7 in the Western United States by USA Today, No. 5 in California and No. 1 in California Division II by Student Sports, and 2nd in Orange County behind Mater Dei.
The 11-0 start is the best start since the 1990 team began 12-0.
The Eagles have won a school record 22 games in a row. They have also won 24 of 25, and 33 of their last 38. Their last loss was to Servite in Week 3 of the 1996 season. 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 904-186, an average score of 41.1 to 8.5, and margin of victory of 32.6 points.
The Eagles have also won 12 straight at home and 13 straight on the road dating back to 1995.
QUICK FACTS
Cal State Fullerton’s Titan Stadium was the site of the
Eagles’ greatest triumph - a 38-0 win over Sea View League
rival Newport Harbor in the 1996 CIF Division V Championship
game.
The Eagles are playing the Friars for the second time this season. Santa Margarita is 2-0 all-time in rematch games. The Eagles beat El Modena 51-6 and Newport Harbor 38-0 in the 1996 CIF playoffs.
The Eagles are 5-4 at home, 6-2 on the road and 11-6 overall in eight years of CIF playoff action.
This is the fourth game between the Eagles and the Friars. In Week 3, Bryant Wolfsberger rushed for 171 of the Eagles’ school record 415 rushing yards as Santa Margarita built a 48-7 halftime lead and cruised to a 55-14 win. The Eagles gained 551 yards on only 38 plays (a 14.5 average), and held the Friars to 172 total yards. Last year, the Eagles fell to Servite 38-27 before 8,000 at Saddleback College. Billy Newman rushed for 161 yards, Carson Palmer finished with 170 yards passing and three Tds, and John Minardi led the defense with 15 tackles. In 1991, the Eagles were led by Josh Ireland’s 158 yards rushing and Joe Winkleman’s 12 tackles and two sacks. With 2:58 left and the score 13-12, Tim Sulick and Winkleman stopped tailback Michael Lund short of the goal line on a two-point conversion to preserve the emotional upset victory.
COACHES
Jim Hartigan is 81-25-1 (.757) in his ninth varsity season as Head Coach.
Overall Coach Hartigan has a 97-28-2 (.764) 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 Friars are led by ninth year coach Larry
Toner who is 62-35-1 (.633) overall at Servite.
By Adrian Peters
Sports Information Director
