St. John Bosco - Game Notes
The Eagles are 5-1-1 as they enter Week 8 of their 13th varsity season. Their start is the best since they began the 1998 campaign 6-1.
This is the fifth meeting between the St. John Bosco Braves and the Santa Margarita Eagles and the third in Serra League play. The Eagles are 4-0 all time vs. the Braves. Last year, Tyler Thompson rushed for 203 yards and Ashton White added 137 as the Eagles began Serra League play with a convincing 49-28 win at Saddleback College. (A recap of this game is included herein.) In 1999, Tyler Thompson rushed for 130 yards and tied a school record with four touchdowns as the Eagles rolled to a 35-17 win at St. John Bosco. The Eagles also won 35-32 in 1993, and 42-6 in 1992.
The Braves are 5-2 on the season and are within one win of tying their total of six in 1999 and 2000 combined. Last year they started off 3-0 before finishing 3-7 and in 4th place in Serra League play. The Braves are led by fourth-year coach Kiki Mendoza who is 15-22 (.405) overall.
Santa Margarita is 23-5 vs. teams from Los Angeles County. They have won 12 out of their past 13 against LA County teams including a 21-14 win over Loyola last week.
With the win over the Fab 50 No. 22 Loyola Cubs, the Eagles improved to 3-0 vs. nationally ranked teams. They previously beat No. 7 (USA Today) Mater Dei 21-14 in 2000 and No. 17 (Fab 50) Bishop Amat 35-26 in 1999.
Santa Margarita is ranked 4th in CIF-SS Division I, and have been ranked in the Top 10 by the CIF office in 25 of the 28 weekly polls since joining Division I in 1999. They are currently ranked 4th in Orange County and have been ranked in the Orange County Top 10 in 67 of the last 75 polls. They are ranked 6th in the LA Times' Top 25 Regional Poll.
Their .745 winning percentage is the best in Orange County.
Head Coach Jim Hartigan
Jim Hartigan, 41, is 113-38-2 (.745) in his 13th season as varsity
Head Coach. Overall, Coach Hartigan has a 129-41-3 (.754) record
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 has won three League Championships and two CIF Titles - all
coming in the past five years. Jim 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 11 of their 12 seasons and has never
posted a losing season. Jim has coached six High School All-Americans,
68 players who have gone onto play in the collegiate ranks and
three who have played in the NFL. His 28-game winning streak from
1996-98 is the second best in Orange County history.
By Adrian Peters
Sports Information Director
