Dorsey - Game Notes
The win over Redlands in Week 2 improved the Eagles to 2-0 on the season and marked their best start since 1998. The Eagles are seeking to begin their season 3-0 for the sixth time. It has been done five previous times - 1990, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997 and 1998. They began the last three years 1-1, 1-1 and 1-0-1.
This is the first game between Santa Margarita and the Dorsey Dons and the first meeting between the Eagles and a Los Angeles City Section school. In 2001, the Dons finished 10-3 overall and second in the tough Coliseum League. They advanced to the playoffs where they won the LA City Section Championship with a thrilling 19-14 win over Taft. Dorsey was off to a 2-0 start after 24-17 and 28-24 wins over Los Angeles Sylmar and Oakland McClymonds, but had to forfeit the Sylmar win. They are led by longtime Head Coach Paul Knox who is 147-59-1 in 17 years.
Santa Margarita has gone 24-5 (.828) over the years against Los Angeles County schools. In fact they have won nine straight against foes from LA County since falling 42-28 to Mission Hills Alemany in Week 7 of 1999.
The Dorsey game marks the first time the Eagles have opened a season with three straight home games.
The Eagles are 6-1-1 in their last eight and 11-2-1 in their last 14 games against Division I teams.
Santa Margarita has done exceptionally well in Week 3 posting a 12-1 record. Their only loss was a 38-27 setback to Servite in 1996. They rebounded nicely to finish 13-1 and CIF-SS Division V Champions. Also, with the win over Redlands the Eagles improved to 11-3 in Week 2 games and 12-2 in their first game of the year at Saddleback College. Overall the Eagles have an outstanding 57-13-2 (.806) mark at Saddleback College.
The Eagles are ranked 3rd in Orange County, 5th in the West by USA Today, 5th in CIF-SS Division I, 7th in Southern California per the L.A. Times, 7th in California per CalHi Sports, and 14th in the West per Student Sports. They have been ranked in the Orange County Top 10 for 73 of the last 81 polls including 18 in a row, and in the Division I Top 10 by the CIF office in 29 of the 33 weekly polls since joining Division I in 1999.
Head Coach Jim Hartigan - AFCA
Jim Hartigan, 42, is 118-39-3 (.747) in his 14th season as the Eagles'
varsity Head Coach. Overall, Coach Hartigan has a 134-42-4 (.756) record
in 16 seasons 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 four League Championships and two CIF Titles in the past six
years and has seen his team ranked as high as 12th in the nation (USA
Today). 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 12 of their 13 seasons,
including seven in a row, and has never posted a losing season. He has
coached eight High School All-Americans, 72 players who have gone on to
play in the collegiate ranks and five who have gone on to the NFL. His
28-game winning streak from 1996-98 is the second best in Orange County
history.
By Adrian Peters
Sports Information Director
