Irvine - CIF Game Notes
This is the eighth game between Santa Margarita and the Irvine Vaqueros, and their fourth meeting with the Eagles as the home team. The Eagles hold a 4-3 series lead and a 2-1 edge at home.
Irvine is 10-1-1 and they are enjoying their best season since going 14-0 and winning the Division IV title in 1993. The Vaqueros finished tied for first in the Sea View League with Woodbridge.
Irvine and Santa Margarita have combined to win four of the past seven Sea View League titles, and five CIF-SS titles in seven years.
Last Meeting: In Week 9, despite generating 418 yards in total offense, and averaging eight yards-per-play, the Eagles could not keep up with an inspired Vaqueros team and fell 42-18 at Irvine Stadium. The loss snapped a four game winning streak over the Vaqs and dropped the Eagles into third place in the Sea View League. The Eagles started off strong as they drove 70 yards on eight plays highlighted by Greg Orlando’s 42-yard pass to Mike O’Gorman and capped by Orlando’s one-yard run. Irvine’s David Doomey (254 yards rushing) scored on a 65-yard run on the Vaqs first play and they took the lead for good at 7-6. The Eagles were victimized by alignment problems all night and fell behind 21-6 at the half. In the third quarter, a 71-yard touchdown pass from Orlando to O’Gorman, and a 80-yard pass from Dustin Creager to Orlando brought the Eagles as close as 35-18, but it was too little too late. Although they surrendered a season high 42 points and 480 yards to the veteran Irvine squad, Orlando’s play drew raves as he became the first Eagle to rush, pass and receive a touchdown in the same game.
QUICK FACTS
This is Santa Margarita’s 123rd varsity game, and 63rd home game. The Eagles are
currently 93-28-1 (.766) as they enter Week 13 of their tenth
varsity season. Their .766 winning percentage is the second
best in State history behind Concord De La Salle.
The Eagles’ all-time home record is 50-11-1 (.815), but they have never hosted a game Trabuco Hills Stadium. They are 3-2 at this venue overall. The Eagles have won 17 of their past 18 home games, and are 6-4 (.600) as the home team in the playoffs. They are 0-1 as the home team in the Semi-Finals losing 13-7 to Baldwin Park in 1990.
The Eagles have qualified for the playoffs in nine of their ten varsity seasons. They have an all-time playoff mark of 16-6 (.727), and are in the Semi’s for the third year in a row, and fourth time overall, going 2-1 so far.
The Eagles finished ranked No. 4 in CIF-SS Division VI. Until Week 11 they had been ranked in the Orange County Top 10 for 33 consecutive weeks and 42 of the past 44.
COACHES
Jim Hartigan is 93-28-1 (.766) in his 10th season
as varsity Head Coach. Overall Coach Hartigan has a 109-31-2
(.775) if you include 10-0 and 6-3-1 lower level teams that
he led in 1987 and 1988 respectively before the Eagles fielded
varsity teams. He was honored as the both the 1996 and 1997 Daily Pilot Sea View League Coach of the Year, CIF-SS
Division V Coach of the Year and the National Football Foundation
Orange County Coach of the Year. The Vaqueros are led by 18th year coach Terry Henigan who has a record of 109-72-4 (.600)
at Irvine.
By Adrian Peters
Sports Information Director
