Eagles 44 - El Toro 14
MISSION VIEJO, CA., November 14, 1997 – Bryant Wolfsberger rushed for 221 yards on 13 carries and scored four touchdowns - all in the first half - to lead the Eagles to a 44-14 win over rival El Toro at Saddleback College. It was the Eagles’ 21st consecutive win. Playing in steady rain didn’t seem to bother the Eagles as they built a 21-0 first quarter lead thanks to a 10-yard Td pass from Carson Palmer to Jordan Beckner, and 62- and 60-yard runs by Wolfsberger. In the second quarter,
Wolfsberger scored when a botched snap on a Charger punt rolled into the end zone and he recovered it. A 44-yard field goal by Nick Sparks and a 22-yard run by Wolfsberger gave the Eagles a commanding 38-0 halftime lead. At the half the Eagles had gained 315 yards and limited the Chargers to one completion in 11 attempts and 32 rushing yards on 11 carries. Palmer was limited to one half of action and completer nine of 15 passes for 92 yards and no interceptions. It was the 9th straight game with a Td pass for Palmer however, John Minardi’s streak of 10 consecutive games with at least one Td reception ended. In the second half Greg Orlando led the team to one scoring drive capped off by Spencer McCroskey’s one yard run.
On defense, Nick Cappelletti collected seven tackles and a sack, DE Jason Rowell added four tackles and a sack while Ryan Curtis picked off his first career pass.
| Santa Margarita | 21 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 44 |
| El Toro | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
SM – Beckner 10 pass from Palmer (Sparks kick)
SM – Wolfsberger 62 run (Sparks kick)
SM – Wolfsberger 60 run (Sparks kick)
SM – Wolfsberger recovered fumble in end zone (Sparks kick)
SM – FG Sparks 44
SM – Wolfsberger 23 run (Sparks kick)
SM – McCroskey 1 run (kick failed)
ET – Bumiller 15 pass from Strand (Whitaker kick)
ET – Johnson 25 run (Whitaker kick)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: ET - Moore 10-65, Strand 11-44; SM - Wolfsberger 13-221, Orlando 5-43
Passing: ET - Strand 5-18-1-57, Moore 1-10-30; SM - Palmer 7-12-0-67 Orlando 2-4-0-29
Receiving: ET - Bumiller 2-29, Benek 1-30; SM - Minardo 4-43, Beckner 2-24
By Adrian Peters
Sports Information Director
Wolfsberger's four TDs spark Santa Margarita
MISSION VIEJO – Running back Bryant Wolfsberger scored a school-record four touchdowns to lead the No. 2 Santa Margarita Eagles to a 44-14 victory over the El Toro Chargers on Friday night.
Santa Margarita (10-0, 5-0) took the opening kickoff and marched 65 yards on 10 plays for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead. Eagles' quarterback Carson Palmer hit tight end Jordan Beckner for the 10-yard score.
Wolfsberger ran for two long touchdowns (62, 60 yards) as the Eagles' offensive line opened up huge holes up the middle, increasing Santa Margarita's lead to 21-0 in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, El Toro (3-6-1, 2-2-1) was in punt formation on its 18-yard line when a bad snap was recovered by Wolfsberger for a touchdown.
With 1:13 remaining in the first half, Wolfsberger tied the school record he also matched against Servite with a 23-yard touchdown on a draw play to put Santa Margarita ahead 38-0.
Wolfsberger, who ran for a season-high 221 yards on 13 carries, holds the record along with teammate John Minardi, and alums Josh Ireland and Billy Newman.
With the victory Santa Margarita will play host to a first-round playoff game on Friday as the No. I seed in Division V.
El Toro took advantage and made the score respectable with a couple of fourth-quarter scores.
By Larry Shield
Saturday, November 15 1997
The Orange County Register - Sports 11
