San Clemente - Game Notes
This is the first game between Santa Margarita and the San Clemente Tritons. It marks the third of four consecutive game the Eagles will played against a Division I team. Last week the Eagles played Dana Hills.
This match-up marks the 6th game between the Eagles and a team from the South Coast League, but the first against a team other than Trabuco Hills or Dana Hills. The Eagles are 4-1 (.800) against South Coast League teams.
The Tritons are off to a 1-2 start. They dropped their first two to Honolulu Punahou (25-9) and San Diego Lincoln Prep (30-20) before routing local Aliso Niguel 31-0. The Tritons finished the 1997 season in fourth place in the South Coast League, advanced to the first round of the CIF-SS Division I playoffs and posted a 6-4-1 record.
San Clemente competes in Division I of the CIF Southern Section. This marks the third of four games in a row against Division I teams. Santa Margarita has a 13-3 (.813) all-time record against teams in the highest classifications. In fact, the Eagles have fared better against D-I teams over the years (.813) than all others (.768).
With the win over Dana Hills, the Eagles are now 3-0 for the 6th time in ten years, and 3rd time in four years.
QUICK FACTS
This is Santa Margarita’s 114th varsity
game, and 55th road game. Santa Margarita’s all-time road
record is 39-15 (.722), and they haven’t lost a road game
in three years – 16 in a row. The Eagles are currently
87-25-1 (.774) as they enter Week 4 of their tenth varsity season.
Their .774 winning percentage is the second best in State history.
The Eagles are ranked No. 1 in CIF-SS Division VI, No. 2 in California Division II by Cal-Hi Sports , No. 4 in Orange County, and No. 13 in the State (overall). In 1997, the Eagles were ranked as high as 1st, 1st, 2nd, and 4th.
COACHES
Jim Hartigan is 87-25-1 (.774) in his tenth season as varsity
Head Coach. Overall Coach Hartigan has a 103-28-2 (.782) 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 Tritons are led by seventh year
coach Mark McElroy who is 36-29-1 (.553) overall at San Clemente.
By Adrian Peters
Sports Information Director
