Newport Harbor - Game Notes
This is the Eagles’ 103rd Varsity game, and 53rd home game. Santa Margarita’s all-time home record is 41-10-1 (.788). The Eagles are currently 76-25-1 (.745) as they enter Week 7 of their ninth season.
Santa Margarita is 6-0, and ranked No. 7 in the Western United States by USA Today, No. 5 in California, and No. 1 in CIF-SS Division V. The Eagles are ranked 2nd in Orange County behind Mater Dei.
The 6-0 start is the best start since the 1990 team started 12-0.
The Eagles have won a school record 17 games in a row. They have also won 19 of 20, and 28 of their last 33. Their last loss was to Servite in Week 3 of the 1996 season. The 17 wins is tied for the best in Saddleback Valley history with El Toro’s streak of 17 set in 1986-87.
During the streak, the Eagles have outscored the opposition 674-149, an average margin of victory of 30.9 points. Over the past 12 wins the Eagles have averaged 44.6 points per game.
With the win over Corona del Mar, the Eagles have also won 12 straight on the road dating back to 1995.
Over the past 11 games the Eagles have led 48-14, 27-6, 17-0, 21-0, 38-0, 31-6, 31-0, 48-7, 35-0, 17-7 and 42-0 at halftime. An average score of 32-4.
The Eagles are averaging 46.7 points per game. The County record was set last year by Tustin at 47.2 points per game.
QUICK FACTS
Santa Margarita is playing host to Newport Harbor at Saddleback
College for the third time. The Eagles also hosted the Sailors
at Cal State Fullerton in last seasons CIF Division V Championship
Game.
This is the seventh game between the Sailors and Eagles. The Eagles hold a 4-2 series lead. In 1996, Santa Margarita defeated the Sailors 36-22 in Week 6, and they met again in Week 14 for the 1996 CIF Division V Championship. The Eagles posted their fifth shutout of the season with an impressive 38-0 win over the Sailors before 8,000 at Cal State Fullerton. Billy Newman rushed for 253 yards and two Tds, Carson Palmer passed for 245 yards and three Tds to John Minardi, and DE Austin Jayred tied a school record with four sacks as the Eagles won their first ever CIF Championship. Newman returned the opening kickoff 40 yards to set up Palmer’s 49-yard Td pass to Minardi on the games first play. Palmer later hit Minardi on 68- and 38-yard Tds, while Newman added 91- and 1-yard Td runs. By halftime the Eagles had gained 425 yards and built a 38-0 lead.
COACHES
Jim Hartigan is 76-25-1 (.745) in his ninth varsity season
as Head Coach. Overall Coach Hartigan has a 92-28-2 (.754) 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 Sailors are led by 12th year
coach Jeff Brinkley who is 91-46 (.664) overall at Newport Harbor.
By Adrian Peters
Sports Information Director
