Eagles 22 - Ayala 17
FULLERTON, CA., September 8, 2000 – The Eagles opened their 12th varsity season with an exciting 22-17 win over the Ayala Bulldogs before approximately 3,000 fans at Cal State Fullerton. After falling behind 17-0 with 4:28 left in the third quarter, the Eagle offense, led by senior captains Tyler Thompson and Matt Dlugolecki, exploded for 22 unanswered points to end their three game losing streak and win their opening game of the season for the fifth straight year and ninth time in 12 tries. The Eagles' recovery from a 17-point deficit was their largest come from behind victory ever eclipsing the 14-0 deficit against Woodbridge in 1992. The Bulldog's, ranked second in Division II, featured a wing-based running attack led by FB Eric Stormon (15 carries for 87 yards and a Td) and exploited the Eagles early on by controlling the clock for nearly 17 of the first 24 minutes and grinding out first downs in route to a 10-0 halftime lead. At the half the Eagles had run only 14 plays and were outgained 202 to 61. After forcing a Bulldog punt on the first series of the second half, Dlugolecki tried to force a pass that was picked off at the Eagle 23. Three plays later Charlie Douglass hit TE Chuck Asiodu with a 16-yard touchdown pass and a seeming insurmountable 17-0 lead. From there the Eagles showed new life. Taking over on their own 20 they marched 80 yards on only four plays set up by sophomore Ashton White's 31-yard run and a nine-yard run by Thompson which set up a 46-yard Td pass from Dlugolecki to Thompson to close the margin to 17-7 with under 3:00 minutes left in the quarter. After forcing the Bulldogs to go three-and-out, Dlugolecki hit Ryan Whelan for 15 yards and found Thompson again, this time for 43 yards, to set up a first down at the Bulldog 8. Two plays later Thompson took it over from three yards out on the last play of the third quarter to close the gap to 17-13. A sack by Alex Huston on the ensuing series forced Ayala to punt from their own 12 where the Eagles promptly went on a eight-play 55-yard drive in leas than four minutes capped by Tim Clark's sensational 21-yard TD catch and run to take the lead for good at 19-17 with 6:19 to play. Chad Brazee's recovery of a Bulldog fumble at the Ayala 26 with 5:01 remaining set up Curtis Cooper's 42-yard field goal to complete the scoring. Ayala's last hope was erased when White made a leaping interception at the Eagle 39 with 2:53 left to seal the victory. Thompson was selected Offensive Player of the Game for his 83 yards rushing, career-high 100 yards receiving on only three catches and two touchdowns. Dlugolecki (13 of 19 for 190 yards and two Tds) and Spencer Hollison (five decleaters) also had strong games offensively. Senior LB Matt Vogel led the defense with 10 tackles and also averaged 35 yards per punt while Huston (nine tackles and Defensive Player of the Game) and Brazee (six tackles and Defensive Lineman of the Game) in particular stood out.
| Santa Margarita | 0 | 0 | 13 | 9 | 22 |
| Ayala | 7 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
AYA – Ayala FG
AYA – Touchdown (kick good)
AYA – Asiodu 16 pass from Douglass (kick good)
SM – Thompson 46 pass from Dlugolecki (kick good)
SM – Thompson 3 run
SM – Clark 21 pass from Dlugolecki
SM – Cooper 42 FG
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: Thompson 83; AYA - Stormon 15-87
Passing: Dlugolecki 13-19-190
Receiving: Thompson 3-100
By Adrian Peters
Sports Information Director
Eagles receive wake-up call
FULLERTON – It was quite a wake-up call.
Santa Margarita, ranked seventh in CIF Division I, trailed Ayala of Chino Hills by 17 points with four minutes left in the third quarter of the season opener for both schools.
But Santa Margarita's offense exploded, and the defense shut down a Bulldogs running attack that had run wild in the first half, as the Eagles stormed to a 22-17 victory Friday night at Cal State Fullerton.
"I didn't have to tell them anything," Eagles coach Jim Hartigan said. "We were better than that."
Tyler Thompson, in particular, was better. The senior tailback hauled in an underthrown pass from quarterback Matt Dlugolecki and sprinted 46 yards to put Santa Margarita on the board, trailing 17-7.
The Eagle defense responded by slowing down Ayala fullback Eric Stormon.
Dlugolecki and Thompson connected again on the next Eagle drive, with Thompson darting to the Bulldog 7 on a screen pass. The gain set up Thompson's 3-yard run for a score on the last play of the quarter, cutting Santa Margarita's deficit to 17-13.
After an Alex Huston sack got the ball back for the Eagles, Matt Vogel took in another screen from Dlugolecki, broke three tackles and dove into the end zone for a 21-yard score.
Curtis Cooper tacked on a 42-yard field goal for the Eagles, then White, from his safety position, intercepted Douglas at the Santa Margarita 39 to seal the outcome.
By Scott Brown
Saturday, September 9, 2000
The Orange County Register - D11
