Eagles 52 - Durango 0
LAS VEGAS, NV - September 19, 1997 – Bryant Wolfsberger rushed 16 times for 191 yards and scored two touchdowns, and Carson Palmer completed six of nine passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Eagles to a 52-0 win over Durango of Las Vegas. The win was the Eagles 13th consecutive and broke the record of 12 set by the 1990 team.
QB/WR Greg Orlando scored one touchdown each by running and receiving as Santa Margarita scored on every offensive possession for the first time in school history. Nick Sparks connected on a 37-yard field goal in the first quarter to give the Eagles a 3-0 lead. It was his school record 13th career field goal. Bryant Wolfsberger reeled off runs of 42, 17 and 39 before scoring on a five yard run to make it 10-0. On that drive the Eagles gained 120 yards because of 35 yards in offensive penalties.
With 8:29 left in the 2nd quarter, Carson Palmer made his season debut. He completed a 39-yard pass to Orlando before Wolfsberger ran for 30 yards to build the lead to 17-0. With 3:15 left Palmer hit Minardi with a 20-yard Td to make it 24-0, and less than two minutes later Carson hit Orlando with a 45-yard Td with 1:25 left to make it 31-0 at the half. At half time the Eagles had 344 yards and finished with 561 - six shy of the school record of 567 set in 1992 against St. John Bosco. All four QB's on the roster completed at least one pass and each graded out at least 92% for the game. On defense, LB Nick Cappelletti recorded 11 tackles and CB Matt Brooks was honored as Defensive Player of the Game.
| Santa Margarita | 3 | 28 | 7 | 14 | 52 |
| Durango | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
SM – FG Sparks 37
SM – Wolfsberger 5 run (Sparks kick)
SM – Wolfsberger 30 run (Sparks kick)
SM – Minardi 20 pass from Palmer (Sparks kick)
SM – Orlando 45 pass from Palmer (Sparks kick)
SM – Orlando 11 run (Sparks kick)
SM – Lopez 6 run (Luke kick)
SM – Wills 15 run (Luke kick)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: SM - Wolfsberger 16-191, Wills 9-57; D - Dixon 10-33
Passing: SM - Palmer 6-9-0-167, Farra 1-1-0-47, Orlando 1-2-0-10, McCroskey 2-2-0-15; D - Freel 8-16-0-69
Receiving: SM - Orlando 3-98, Minardi 3-66; D - Young 3-35
By Adrian Peters
Sports Information Director
Santa Margarita wins 13th in row, beating Durango
LAS VEGAS – Bryant Wolfsberger rushed for 191 yards and two touchdowns and Carson Palmer passed for 167 yards and two touchdowns as Santa Margarita won its school record 13th consecutive game with a 52-0 victory against host Durango (Nev.) on Friday.
Santa Margarita (2-0), ranked No. 2 in the county and No. 1 in CIF Southern Section Division V, outgained Durango (2-2), 542-140. Palmer played seven minutes in the second quarter and directed three touchdown drives.
Saturday, Sept. 20, 1997
The Orange County Register - Sports 11
