EAGLES 27 - CORONA DEL MAR 6
MISSION VIEJO, CA., October 23, 1998 – Greg Orlando passed for 135 yards and a touchdown, rushed for 105, including a 68-yard touchdown run, and blocked a PAT to lead the Eagles (6-1) to a convincing 27-6 win over Corona del Mar (5-2) at Saddleback College Stadium. It was Santa Margarita’s 13th straight Sea View League win and moved them into sole possession of first place after only two weeks of action. The Eagles put together another solid first quarter effort as they went on a ten-play 74-yard drive on their first possession scoring on a 17-yard pass from Orlando to Trent Zinn with 4:34 left. Matt Froehlich finished off an eight-play drive with a 27-yard field goal at the 0:38 mark to build the lead to 10-0. Another Froehlich field goal, this time from 31 yards out, put the Eagles ahead 13-0 with 1:57 left in the half. At half time the Eagles had outgained the Sea Kings 197-50, and held a 10-3 advantage in first downs. In the third quarter, the Sea Kings put together an 11-play 80-yard drive capped by Nate Lemmerman’s six-yard run with 0:21 left in the third quarter to cut the Eagle lead to 13-6. A 53-yard kickoff return by Matt Lopez put the Eagles in Sea King territory, but two consecutive penalties had the Eagles facing first and 21 at their 32. Orlando, displaying the athletic skill that makes him one of the most exciting players in Orange County, kept the ball on an option and weaved his way through the Sea King defense for a career-long 68-yard score on the first play of the fourth quarter to increase the lead to 20-6. After recovering an onsides kick, Spencer McCroskey rushed five times for 33 yards and closed out the scoring with a 12-yard run with 9:11 remaining. On the day, McCroskey finished with 112 yards on a career-high 24 carries and moved into 4th place on the Eagles all-time rushing list with 1,045 yards. Defensive end Will Watson had his second consecutive big game as the senior posted six tackles including two sacks in earning Defensive Lineman of the Game honors. Senior linebacker Josh Wills added eight tackles and intercepted his second pass in as many seasons against Corona del Mar.
| Santa Margarita | 10 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 27 |
| Corona del Mar | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
SM – Zinn 17 pass from Orlando (Froehlich kick)
SM – FG Froehlich 27
SM – FG Froehlich 31
CDM – Lemmerman 6 run (kick failed)
SM – Orlando 69 run (Froehlich kick)
SM – McCroskey 12 run (Froehlich kick)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: CdM - Lemmerman 19-80, Alshuler 1-2; SM - McCroskey 22-128, Orlando 8-103
Passing: CdM - Bergey 9-18-1-93; SM - Orlando 8-18-0-123
Receiving: CdM - MacDonald 3-21, Aishuler 2-32; SM - O'Gorman 4-69, Zinn 2-30
By Adrian Peters
Sports Information Director
Santa Margarita topples CdM, 27-6
MISSION VIEJO – Santa Margarita saw an opportunity to exploit in preparing for its Sea View League showdown with Corona del Mar. With two well-executed onside kicks, the Eagles emerged as the league's lone unbeaten and untied team, defeating the Sea Kings, 27-6, on Friday night at Saddleback College.
"We worked on that all week after seeing an opening in their coverage on film," explained Eagles coach Jim Hartigan.
Santa Margarita (6-1, 2-0) stopped Corona del Mar's initial drive, then drove 10 plays before junior wide receiver Trent Zinn made a spectacular catch from Greg Orlando for a 7-0 lead. The Eagles knuckle-balled the kickoff and recovered on their own 47-yard line. The play set up a 27-yard field goal by Matt Froehlich. Near the end of the first half, the Eagles tacked on another field goal to lead, 13-0.
The Sea Kings (5-2, 1-1) came back in the third quarter, driving 80 yards in 11 plays for Nate Lemmerman's 7-yard scoring run.
Consecutive holding penalties then had Santa Margarita facing first-and-30 from its own 31, when Orlando took a quarterback sweep to the left side and weaved through the Corona del Mar defense en route to a 69-yard touchdown run, the Eagles' longest of the season.
"We played well defensively in the first half, but when they popped that 69-yard play, that was a big one," said Sea Kings coach Dick Freeman.
The Eagles took advantage of a personal foul penalty on the Sea Kings to attempt another onside kick, which they succeeded in converting. Spencer McCroskey then carried the ball five consecutive times for 33 of his game-high 128 yards, scoring on a 12-yard run up the middle. McCroskey's performance moved him from No. 8 to No. 4 on the Eagles' all-time rushing list.
By Dennis Bateman
Saturday, October 24, 1998
The Orange County Register - D8
