Tustin - Game Notes
This is the Eagles' 140th varsity game and 69th road game. They have posted a record of 103-35-1 (.745) as they enter Week 5 of their 12th varsity season. Santa Margarita's all-time road record is 47-21 (.691).
The Eagles'.745 winning percentage is the best in Orange County.
The Eagles are ranked 5th in Division I and have been ranked in the Division I Top 10 for 12 of the past 15 polls. They are ranked 7th in Orange County and have been in the Top 10 for 54 of the past 61 polls.
The Tustin Tillers are 3-1 on the year and play in the Golden West League. The Tillers are a perennial league and CIF title contender and are currently ranked 5th in Division VI. They finished the 1999 season 8-4 and won the Golden West League Championship after going 4-0 in League play.
Santa Margarita and Tustin have played several memorable games over the years, but the Eagles have had the upper hand winning all six meetings. (See left). The most famous game was the 1997 CIF Division V Championship game where the Eagles prevailed 55-42. A recap of this game and a review of the last match up from 1998 are herein.
This is the seventh game between Santa Margarita and the Tustin Tillers, and their fifth meeting at Northrup Field.
Despite playing the Tillers six times the venue hasn't changed much. Four of the six meetings have been at Northrup Field, one at Cal State Fullerton and one at Saddleback College. The Eagles are 4-1 at Northrup Field overall including a 4-0 mark vs. Tustin. The Eagles are 3-1 at that venue in the playoffs including a 3-0 record vs. Tustin and a 0-1 mark against Foothill. (A 28-21 loss in the 1992 Division IV playoffs).
Head Coaches
Eagle Head Coach Jim Hartigan is 103-35-1 (.745) in his
12th season as varsity Head Coach. Overall Coach Hartigan
has a 119-38-2 (.755) 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. Coach Hartigan has directed his squads into the playoffs
in ten of their 11 seasons and has never posted a losing
season. Jim has coached in three CIF Championship Games,
winning two, and several exciting games including two recognized
as State Games of the Week during the 1998 season, a National
Game of the Year (the 1997 CIF Championship Game) and the
1997 Orange County All-Star Game. The Tillers are led by
6th-year coach Myron Miller who is 46-19-1 (.705) at Tustin.
By Adrian Peters
Sports Information Director
