Eagles 55 - Tustin 42
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FULLERTON, CA., December 13, 1997 – Carson Palmer completed 19 of 30 passes for a school-record 413 yards and five touchdowns. John Minardi caught six passes for 124 yards and two scores and added 21 tackles as the Eagles successfully defended their CIF Division V Championship by defeating the Tustin Tillers 55-42 before 9,000 at Cal State Fullerton’s Titan Field. Santa Margarita finished the season 14-0 and extended their winning streak to 25 games. The Eagles managed a school-record 583 yards in total offense, but the game was an exciting see-saw affair as there were six lead changes in the first half and only two punts - both by Tustin (13-1) the entire game.
Tustin’s DeShaun Foster showed why he was one of the nation’s top running backs as he rushed for 64 yards on seven carries on his first drive capped by a 25-yard TD run to put the Tillers up 6-0. The Tillers became only the 3rd team to hold a lead against the Eagles all season. Palmer responded with a 25-yard TD pass to Greg Orlando with 4:09 left and Nick Spark’s PAT put the Eagles up 7-6. Foster added another 25-yard run and Todd Scott added a two-point PAT before Palmer hit junior Mike O’Gorman on a 42-yard strike to close out the first quarter 14-14. Foster, who would finish with 378 yards and all six Tiller touchdowns, had 139 yards in the quarter.
In the second quarter, Foster added a 31-yard score, and Palmer responded by hitting Minardi on a 46-yard touchdown pass with 10:41 left in the half to regain the lead at 21-20. The Tillers were stopped once on downs, and also were forced to punt once allowing the Eagles to score on a one-yard run by Bryant Wolfsberger (20 rushes for 129 yards) and a 42-yard field goal by Sparks to close out the first half with a 31-20 lead.
Sparks added a 22-yard field goal early in the third quarter to build the lead to 34-20 before Foster stormed back to score from 10-yards out to cut the lead to 34-26. Palmer’s fourth TD pass - an 11-yarder to Minardi - and his own one-yard run at the start of the fourth quarter built the lead to 48-26.
Foster quickly picked up his fifth touchdown with a 14-yard jaunt, but Palmer answered back as he found O’Gorman from 25-yards out to up the lead to 55-34. Foster added a one-yard score before the Eagles ran out the clock on the Tiller 15 yard line.
Several Eagle players had career days. Senior kicker Nick Sparks collected seven PATs to become Orange County’s career leader with 126. His two field goals gave him 13 points on the evening and 111 for the season. The most by a kicker in California history. Besides connecting with Minardi for six times for 124 yards, Palmer spread his passes around finding O’Gorman five times for a career-high 127 yards and Orlando five times for 114 yards. Defensively, six Eagles recorded at least 10 tackles. John Minardi led the way with 21 followed by Nick Cappelletti with 17, Andrew Holstein (15), Matt Brooks (14), John Schweitzer (12) and Jesse Wyatt (10). All had career highs for tackles. There was a total of 1,089 yards of total offense as Santa Margarita outgained the Tillers 583 to 506.
| Santa Margarita | 14 | 17 | 10 | 14 | 55 |
| Tustin | 14 | 6 | 6 | 16 | 42 |
TUS – Foster 25 run (kick failed)
SM – Orlando 25 pass from Palmer (Sparks kick)
TUS – Foster 25 run (Scott run)
SM – O'Gorman 42 pass from Palmer (Sparks kick)
TUS – Foster 31 run (kick failed)
SM – Minardi 46 pass from Palmer (Sparks kick)
SM – Wolfsberger 1 run (Sparks kick)
SM – Sparks 42 FG
SM – Sparks 22 FG
TUS – Foster 10 run (2pt failed)
SM – Minardi 11 pass from Palmer (Sparks kick)
SM – Palmer 1 run (Sparks kick)
TUS – Foster 14 run (2pt good)
SM – O'Gorman 25 pass from Palmer (Sparks kick)
TUS – Foster 1 run (2pt good)
By Adrian Peters
Sports Information Director
Foster, Palmer stage a brilliant battle
FULLERTON – Was that really Carson Palmer and DeShaun Foster? Or Ryan Leaf and Skip Hicks?
Were those just a couple of high school kids lighting it up at the CIF Southern Section Division V finals? Or did somebody manage to sneak in Washington State's Heisman Trophy-contending quarterback and UCLA's record-breaking tailback between bowl games?
Truth is, it was hard to tell. And that's what made Santa Margarita's 55-42 score-a-thon over Tustin at Cal State Fullerton's Titan Stadium such an entertaining way to spend a Saturday evening.
The Eagles of Coach Jim Hartigan were bigger, deeper and better balanced than the Tillers of Coach Myron Miller. And by late in the first half that ended with the Sea View League champions in front, 31-20, it was evident that Santa Margarita was slowly wearing down the underdogs from Tustin.
The smoother, more polished Eagles were the better team, and they deserved to win the championship. And if they aren't the next Mater Dei of Orange County football, I don't know who is.
But as good as Santa Margarita's performance was, it was still overshadowed by the spectacular individual duel between Orange County's best quarterback and a running back who, if not No. 1, certainly ranks among the top two in the area.
"It was incredible," Hartigan said. "Foster is phenomenal. Every time I thought we had the game won, he'd break off another one.
He's going to have a great career wherever he goes.
"But Palmer had a great night, too. We had to have a great offensive game, or we wouldn't have won. It was a track meet to the very end. "
Palmer had 255 yards passing, and Foster ran for 191 yards. And that was just in the first half. Shoot, Foster had rushed for 139 yards by the end of the first quarter.
By the end of the wild evening, you needed a calculator to keep up. Foster finished with 377 yards rushing and six touchdowns.
Palmer had 419 yards passing and five touchdowns and scored another on a 1-yard run.
"This whole year was amazing, an awesome season," gushed Palmer after it was over. "But that Foster is awesome, too. He's the best running back I've ever seen. " Foster's only real problem was finding enough oxygen in the damp, December air to keep going. When he wasn't carrying the ball on practically every down for the Tillers, he was busy playing defensive back, trying to chase down any one of the Eagles' sure-handed receivers.
By late in the third quarter, he could be seen resting on one knee between plays on defense, desperately trying to catch his breath.
Tustin's defensive players understood. They spent most of their long, hard night trying to catch him.
A 6-foot-2, 205-pound senior, Foster broke a tackle by Santa Margarita's brilliant two-way player, John Minardi, on the second-to-the-last play of the third period. He reversed his field and was about to go 81 yards for another touchdown when he cramped up and crumpled to the ground at the Tustin 47.
So just in case anyone asks, it was cramps and exhaustion that finally slowed him down. Not anyone in an Eagles' jersey.
Palmer was much more fortunate. Besides having time to rest, he had a decent enough running game to work with and an offense that was as imaginative as it was effective.
Most of all, though, this 6-foot-5, 214-pound manchild had that trusty right arm of his. He is right out of the Leaf, Drew Bledsoe mold, an old-fashioned prototype passer.
Mechanically, Palmer is as advanced as any high school quarterback in recent memory. The technique, the footwork, he has it all. And when he isn't throwing fastballs deep into a receiver's stomach, he has a wonderful touch on balls he lofts to all areas of the field.
"He has the best arm in the country," shouted wideout Mike O'Gorman.
He also has a bunch of large, well-coached offensive linemen and a collection of terrific receivers, especially Minardi, who, like Foster, played both offense and defense the entire game.
"We're happy with our effort," Tustin's Miller said. "We never came close to stopping Palmer, but Foster is the best football player and running back I've ever seen. "
DeShaun will get recruited by almost every big-time school in America. Carson would, too, if he hadn't already narrowed his college choices down to two.
"It's Colorado or USC," Palmer said.
Whatever, it was a great way for these two Friday night heroes to close out their high school careers.
Have no fear, though. You'll be seeing plenty of both of them on Saturday afternoons in the future.
By Steve Bisheff
Sunday, December 14, 1997
The Orange County Register - C12
Santa Margarita wins slugfest
DIVISION V: Palmer's passing enables the Eagles to overcome Foster's 377 yards and six touchdowns and defeat Tustin, 55-42
FULLERTON – In the end Santa Margarita's football team didn't stop Tustin during its CIF Southern Section Division V championship game at Cal State Fullerton's Titan Stadium.
The simply wore them down.
The Eagles (14-0) overcame a one-man rushing show by Tustin's DeShaun Foster to record a 55-42 victory in front of estimated 8,000 people.
Foster rushed for 377 yards and scored six touchdowns in 33 carries, an impressiver performance in his final high school game.
He couldn't beat an entire Santa Margarita offense, however, which racked up 588 yards in total offense.
Tustin's offense was also as impressive, finishing with 478 yards rushing and 504 total yards.
Santa Margarita quarterback Carson Palmer completed 19 of 29 passes for 419 yards and five passing touchdowns.
Palmer spread his passes around, hitting Greg Orlando five times for 126 yards and a touchdown; John Minardi caught six passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns and Mike O'Gorman hauled in five passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns.
Running back Bryant Wolfsberger had 127 yards rushing and still another touchdown as the Eagles scored on every possession.
The team's total offense was a school record as was Palmer's passing yardage.
The Eagles finished the season with 651 points in 14 games, a county record.
"Carson just had a phenomenal night," Santa Margarita coach Jim Hartigan said. "We hoped he would because we knew we were going to need it. " Tustin coach Myron Miller was just as proud of Foster, who set county records for both season yardage and touchdowns this year.
"He is the best high school back I've ever seen," Miller said.
"Santa Margarita just outgunned us. We didn't come close to stoppng them all night. I think we scored on all but two of our possessions and they scored every time. " Tustin finished the year 13-1.
The two teams have scored in bunches all season and Saturday was no exception.
Santa Margarita scored on five consecutive possessions and Tustin reached the end zone on their first three tries.
Foster starred in Act 1, rushing for 64 yards in seven carries on the Tillers' opening possession, scoring on a 25-yard run with 8:45 left on the clock. Santa Margarita's Mike Curtis blocked Adam Teske's conversion kick.
Palmer showed he was just as much a star when he took the field, guiding the Eagles 77 yards and finding Greg Orlando for a 25-yard touchdown pass with 4:09 left and a 7-6 lead after Nick Sparks' conversion kick.
Palmer completed 4 of 7 passes for 59 yards on the drive.
Foster, who had 191 yards on 19 carries in the first half, came right back, accounting for 33 yards, including another 25-yard score on the next series.
Palmer, who was 13 of 24 for 255 yards in the first half, continued to find open receivers, however, connecting with Mike O'Groman on a 42-yard touchdown.
After Foster scored again, this time from 31 yards out, Palmer teamed with John Minardi for a 46-yard touchdown on a fourth-down play with 10:41 in the half for a 21-20 lead that the Eagles never relinquished.
Wolfsberger ended a 77-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown with 2:52 left and Sparks hit on a 42-yard field as the half ended for the 11-point advantage.
Sparks added another field goal on the first series of the second half, giving him 12 for the season.
By David Osterman
Sunday, December 14, 1997
The Orange County Register - C12
Santa Margarita Wins War With Tustin
FULLERTON – All week long there was talk about what a blowout the Southern Section Division V football championship game was going to be.
At Santa Margarita, Coach Jim Hartigan believed his team had just too many weapons for its opponent, Tustin, to handle.
Tustin from Coach Myron Miller just hoped to keep the game close.
As it turned out, both sides were right.
Santa Margarita won its second consecutive title with a 55-42 victory in front of 7,500 at Cal State Fullerton.
But the game was even closer than the wild score indicated thanks to a gutty effort by the Tillers, who made the Eagles work for every bit of their 25th consecutive victory.
The teams combined to gain 1,062 total yards, thanks in part to a Santa Margarita school-record 588 yards. Santa Margarita scored on all but one of its nine possessions.
Senior quarterback Carson Palmer of Santa Margarita passed for 413 yards and five touchdowns, including a 46-yarder to John Minardi that brought the Eagles back from a 20-14 deficit. He ran for another score. When Nick Sparks kicked the extra point, the Eagles led for good, 21-20.
They needed just about every point they could get because Tustin’s offensive line was ripping big holes for running back DeShaun Foster. Foster, a senior, ran for six touchdowns and 378 yards on 32 carries, bringing his season-ending total to 3,398 yards. He scored on runs of 25, 25, 31, 10, 14 and one yards.
Palmer was equally brilliant. He completed 19 of 30 passes and had touchdown tosses of 25, 42, 46, 11 and 25 yards. Orlando caught five passes for 115 yards, John Minardi caught six for 124 and Mike O’Gorman caught five for 127.
“They just outmanned us,” Tustin’s Miller said. “I’m very happy to be in the finals with this team. I’m not depressed at all.”
Hartigan, who earlier in the week indicated that he felt his team was more diverse than any Tustin had faced this season, complimented the Tillers, many of whom were pushed to exhaustion during the second half.
“Tustin is a great team,” he said. “But this is a great feeling. Palmer had a phenomenal game.
“But that Foster was phenomenal, too,” he said. “He got knocked down, banged up and he kept getting up and coming back at us.”
Tustin took the early lead and raised a few eyebrows by taking the opening kickoff and marching 80 yards, with Foster getting all but 11 yards of the drive, including his 25-yard touchdown run.
The teams alternated scores after that, with Palmer throwing touchdown passes to O’Gorman and Minardi, while Tustin countered with another 25-yard score from Foster.
Foster’s third score made it 20-14. But that’s when Palmer went to work, engineering a seven-play, 70-yard drive capped by the touchdown to Minardi. Later a Bryant Wolfsberger 1-yard run and 42- and 22-yard field goals by Nick Sparks gave the Eagles a 34-20 lead.
Santa Margarita was determined to keep Foster in check in the second half, but that was nearly impossible.
“He’s the best back I ever faced,” said Minardi, also a defensive back, who was voted the Sea View League most valuable defensive player. “It was a real challenge.”
A one-yard run by Wolfsberger gave Santa Margarita a 28-20 lead and Sparks’ 42-yard field goal as time ran out in the half made it 31-20.
But Foster made it 34-26 on his fourth touchdown, a 10-yard run with 2:51 left in the third quarter.
An 11-yard pass to Minardi for a touchdown a minute and a half later and then Palmer’s one-yard plunge with 6:46 left in the game made it 48-26.
Despite being hobbled by cramps, Foster set up his 14-yard TD run with a 39-yard carry on Tustin’s next possession. Palmer countered with a 25-yard touchdown toss to O’Gorman and then Foster had a 47-yard run that set up his one-yard scoring run two plays later.
By Paul Mcleod
Sunday, December 14, 1997
The Los Angeles Times
Foster's great game just not good enough
The Tustin running back rushes for 377 yards and six touchdowns but the Tillers still fall to Santa Margarita, 55-42
FULLERTON – Tustin's DeShaun Foster left everything on the Cal State Fullerton football field Saturday night in the CIF Division V championship game.
Even his tears.
The senior rushed for 377 yards and six touchdowns, played cornerback and safety, and ignored pain in giving defending champion Santa Margarita its toughest challenge in two seasons.
The top-seeded Eagles won the game, 55-42, but Foster won respect.
Santa Margarita (14-0) entered the game allowing 9.7 points a game and had given up 966 yards rushing on the season.
The Eagles also had allowed only 12 rushing touchdowns before Saturday. Foster had half that on runs of 25, 25, 31, 10, 14 and 1 yard for Tustin (13-1).
"You're the man," Santa Margarita quarterback Carson Palmer told Foster after the game.
Many of Palmer's teammates said the same thing to Foster, who had tears in his eyes as the teams shook hands.
"This is an emotional game," said Foster, who finishes the season with 3,397 yards and 54 touchdowns. Both are Orange County single-season records.
Tustin offensive lineman Corey Chambers blocked for Foster for three seasons, but the 6-foot-4, 305-pounder was impressed Saturday. Foster played much of the second half with a sore toe and was winded at times. But he kept running.
"DeShaun played his heart out," Chambers said. "He earned a lot of respect. "
Santa Margarita wide receiver/safety John Minardi can be counted as one of Foster's fans. The pair battled all night on offense and defense. Their biggest collision came at the end of the third quarter when the 6-3, 187-pound Minardi jarred the 6-2, 205-pound Foster 4 yards behind the line of scrimmage deep in Tustin territory. Foster bounced off the tackle and bolted outside of a 28-yard run.
"He's really a great player," said Minardi, who has verbally committed to Colorado. "He's really strong and a physical runner.
He ran really well. "
And Foster ran well enough to be treated like a winner.
Santa Margarita senior kicker Nick Sparks collected seven PATs to become Orange County's career leader with 126.
Sparks also kicked two field goals to finish with 111 points, also a county record.
The Eagles finish the season with a 25-game winning streak.
Santa Margarita set the county record for most points in a season with 651. Tustin held the previous record of 613 in 1996.
Foster ran for 191 yards on 19 carries in the first half, but he wasn't a one-man show.
Wing back Julius Williams ran four misdirection plays to keep Santa Margarita's defense off balance. Williams had 69 yards before leaving late in the second quarter after being kicked in the left ankle.
Williams returned in the second half, but the Eagles' defense did a better job on misdirection plays.
Foster played both ways on every play in the first half until after his 31-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter. The Tillers moved to a zone defense and gave Foster a break.
Foster's response?
"Thank you," he told the team's defensive coordinator.
Santa Margarita scored on all five of its possessions in the first half, but Tustin still had its moments on defense.
The Tillers recorded four quarterback sacks. Linebacker Joey Gipson and defensive end Josh Schaer each had two.
Tustin became only the third team to hold a lead against Santa Margarita this season. The Tillers led at 6-0 and 20-14 in the first half Saturday.
Fountain Valley led the Eagles 7-0 and 21-17 while Katella held a 7-0 advantage in a CIF first-round game.
Santa Margarita entered the game allowing an average of 181.7 total yards a game. Tustin racked up 504 yards.
Palmer, a preseason All-American, has scheduled a trip to Colorado with Minardi for Dec. 18-20. Palmer is scheduled to visit Washington in mid-January.
By Dan Albano
Sunday, December 14, 1997
The Orange County Register - C12
