Eagles 63 - Corona del Mar 0
NEWPORT BEACH, CA., October 17, 1997 – Records fell as the Eagles opened the defense of their Sea View League crown with a 63-0 victory over the Corona del Mar Sea Kings at Newport Harbor’s Davidson Field. The 63 points were the most scored by the Eagles in a single game, but it was Carson Palmer’s night as the senior set school records with five touchdown passes and in doing so eclipsed Sean O’Brien’s previous school record of 35. Palmer now has 35 with as many as eight games remaining. The Eagles wasted little time as they took the opening kickoff 65 yards on eight plays with Palmer hitting John Minardi for a 16-yard TD and a 7-0 lead. Palmer later hit Jordan Beckner on TD passes of 22, 14 and one yards. He then connected with Greg Orlando from 16 yards out. Carson left the game in the second quarter with a 42-0 lead finishing 12 of 15 for 186 yards and no interceptions. The Eagles built a 42-0 halftime lead and outgained CdM 269-10. The Eagles scored on their first three possessions of the second half to raise their lead to 63-0. Through three quarters, Corona del Mar ran only two plays in Santa Margarita territory - one resulted in an interception and the other was a sack. In the end, the Sea Kings were outgained 436-89. Bryant Wolfsberger rushed 16 times for 132 yards and two scores, Orlando caught six passes 81 yards, and junior Spencer McCroskey added a 14-yard rushing TD and two sacks. Defensively, the Eagles limited CdM to 89 yards on 50 plays including a loss of 12 yards on 23 rushing attempts. Nick Cappelletti led the charge with seven tackles, while Mike Curtis, Matt Lopez, and Josh Wills collected interceptions.
| Santa Margarita | 21 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 63 |
| Corona del Mar | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
SM – Minardi 16 yard pass from Palmer (Sparks kick)
SM – Beckner 22 yard pass from Palmer (Sparks kick)
SM – Orlando 16 yard pass from Palmer (Sparks kick)
SM – Beckner 14 yard pass from Palmer (Sparks kick)
SM – Wolfsberger 17 yard run (Sparks kick)
SM – Beckner 1 yard pass from Palmer (Sparks kick)
SM – Wolfsberger 1 yard run (Luke kick)
SM – Orlando 2 yard run (Luke kick)
SM – McCroskey 14 yard run (Luke kick)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: SM - Wolfsberger 16-129, Orlando 3-14; CdM - Lemmerman 8-17, Levine 5-4
Passing: SM - Palmer 11-14-0-177, Orlando 2-2-0-42; CdM - Alshuler 4-13-1-53
Receiving: SM - Orlando 6-81, Beckner 3-37; CdM - Finn 3-49, Thurman 1-4
By Adrian Peters
Sports Information Director
No. 2 Eagles romp past CdM, 63-0
NEWPORT BEACH – Quarterback Carson Palmer threw for five touchdowns in the first half as No. 2 Santa Margarita capitalized on Corona del Mar turnovers for a 63-0 Sea View League victory Friday night at Newport Harbor High.
Palmer, which led the Eagles to a 42-0 halftime lead, finished 11-14 for 177 yards. Three of his five touchdowns passes went to tight end Jordan Beckner.
"I think we picked it up a notch coming into Sea View League play," said Eagle coach Jim Hartigan, "we came off a tough fought game last week against Fountain Valley in which we were a little rusty, so we worked on the fundamentals."
Santa Margarita (6-0) has now won 17 games in a row.
The Eagles wasted no time as they took the opening kick and marched 65 yards on eight plays with Palmer hitting John Minardi in the right flat from the CdM 16 yard-line for a quick lead.
Two Corona del Mar fumbles on its first two possessions were turned into Santa Margarita touchdowns.
By Graig Woodburn
Saturday, October 18, 1997
The Orange County Register - Sports 12
