Servite - Game Notes
This is the Eagles' 99th Varsity game, and 47th road game. Santa Margarita's all-time road record is 31-15 (.674). The Eagles are currently 72-25-1 (.735) as they enter Week 3 of their ninth season.
Santa Margarita is ranked No. 8 in the Western United States by USA Today, No. 6 in California, and No. 1 in CIF-SS Division V. The Eagles are ranked 2nd in Orange County behind Mater Dei.
The Eagles have won a school record 13 games in a row. They have also won 15 of 16 and 24 of their past 29. Their last loss was to Servite in Week 3 of the 1996 season.
During the streak, the Eagles have outscored the opposition 480-99, an average margin of victory of 29.3 points. Over the past eight wins the Eagles have averaged 42.6 points.
Eagle quarterbacks with odd numbers have won 13 of their last 14 starts, and quarterbacks with an even number have won 15 of their last 20.
QUICK FACTS
Santa Margarita's third game of the season is a road game
against Servite at Cal State Fullerton's Titan Stadium. 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.
This is the third game between the Eagles and the Friars. Last year, the Eagles fell to Servite 38-27 before a standing room only crowd of 8,000 at Saddleback College. The Friars scored quickly, needing only three plays to take a 6-0 lead. The Friars built up 12-0 lead before Billy Newman scored on a two-yard run. Servite scored twice again to make it 28-7 before Carson Palmer found John Minardi for a 44-yard Td strike to cut the Friar lead to 14, but a field goal near the end of the half put the Friars up 31-14. The Eagles could not capitalize on a 75-yard kickoff return by Newman in the first quarter, and had a key third quarter drive stopped on the Friar one. They also failed to contain star QB Greg Cicero (13 of 22 passes for 239 yards) who ran the no huddle offense to perfection. Newman rushed for 161 yards, Palmer finished with 170 yards and three Td passes, and John Minardi led the Eagles with 15 tackles. In 1991, the Eagles hosted the sixth ranked Friars at Orange Coast College. 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, Servite Coach Larry Toner went for the win rather than a tie after a Td. Time Sulick and Winkleman stopped tailback Michael Lund short of the goal line to preserve the emotional upset victory.
The Friars are 1-1 this year. After opening with a 7-6 loss to Esperanza the Friars came back last weekend and beat Irvine, 17-0. The Friars are ranked 8th in Orange County, and 3rd in CIF Division V.
Servite is led by pre-season All-American RB Vince Reed and DL Keith Wingett.
COACHES
Jim Hartigan is 72-25-1 (.735) in his ninth varsity season
as Head Coach. Overall Coach Hartigan has a 88-28-1 (.752) 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 Coach of the Year. The Friars are led by ninth year
coach Larry Toner. Coach Toner is 57-31-1 (.640) overall at
Servite.
By Adrian Peters
Sports Information Director
