A.B. Miller - Eagles 0
FONTANA, CA., November 19, 1999 – The Eagles suffered their second shutout in three weeks as they fell to the A. B. Miller Rebels 31-0 before an estimated 4,000 at A. B. Miller High School. The loss ended the Eagles' inagural season in Division I with a 6-5 record and marked the first time since 1993 that the Eagles were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round. The Rebels (7-4) dominated the time of possession and the line of scrimmage as they exploited the Eagle defense with their option attack gaining 492 yards (including 469 yards on the ground) and limited the Eagles to five first downs.
On their second offensive play of the game, Rebel quarterback Sean Lanzarotto raced 73 yards to give A. B. Miller a quick 7-0 lead. A 38-yard touchdown run by Lanzarotto at the 10:51 mark of the second quarter put the Rebels ahead 14-0, and Joshua MacMillan's 35-yard field goal with 0:26 left in the half increased the Rebels lead to 17-0. The Eagles were forced to punt on their first five possessions of the half and managed only 59 total yards and two first downs through the first two quarters. In the second half it was more of the same as the Rebels rushed for 233 yards including Lanzarotto's third touchdown with 7:04 left to close out the scoring. The Rebel defense shut down the Eagle attack in the second half forcing a punt and four fumbles on the Eagles five second half possessions. A potential Eagle scoring opportunity was aborted when an 89-yard catch and run by senior wide receiver Donald Wilson turned into a disaster when a Rebel defender forced a fumble at the goalline which was recovered by A. B. Miller for a touchback. Offensively, the lone bright spots were the passing of junior quarterback Matt Dlugolecki, who completed 8 of 12 passes for 152 yards, and freshman running back Ashton White who gained 52 yards on 10 carries in his first varsity start.
| A.B. Miller | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
| Santa Margarita | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
ABM – Lanzarotto 74 run (MacMillan kick)
ABM – Lanzarotto 38 run (MacMillan kick)
ABM – MacMillan 35 FG
ABM – Nairn 56 run (MacMillan kick)
ABM – Lanzarotto 7 run (MacMillan kick)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: SM - White 9-40, Herzog 3-12; ABM - Lanzarotto 22-230, Nairn 18-168
Passing: SM - Dlugolecki 8-12-0-144, Rix 0-1-0- 0; ABM - Nairn 1-1-0-25, Lanzarotto 1-3-0-2
Receiving: SM - Rix 4-40, Wilson 2-83; ABM - Lovelace 1-25
By Adrian Peters
Sports Information Director
Santa Margarita can't stop option
FONTANA – Playoff victories are generally difficult when your quarterback is your leading rusher and your running back is your leading passer. But the A.B. Miller Rebels used such a formula to crush Santa Margarita, 31-0, Friday night in the Eagles' first-round Division I game.
Relying on a thunderous option offense, the Rebels rushed for 456 yards - including a school-record 230 rushing yards by quarterback Sean Lazarotto - while winning the first playoff game played at Miller's Richardson Field.
The option offense was so effective that Lazarotto only attempted three passes, completing one for negative yardage.
"They did a great job with their option, it's our first experience in Division I playoffs and it's obvious we need to do some work to play in the playoffs at this level," Santa Margarita coach Jim Hartigan said.
Both teams lost their final regular-season game and entered the first round of the playoffs afterr a successful flip of the coin last weekend. Santa Margarita (6-5) ended its regular season in a three-way tie for second place in the Serra League, while the Rebels (7-4) tied for second in the Citrus Belt League.
On the Rebels' second offensive play of the game, Lanzarotto ran the option to his right. He broke through the Eagles defensive line and dashed 74 yards for a quick score.
After taking possession at the Santa Margarita 44 early in the second quarter, Miller worked the option to the left. This time, Lanzarotto ran 38 yards down the sideline for a 14-0 lead.
By Graig Woodburn
Saturday, November 20, 1999
The Orange County Register - D4
