Bishop Amat 37 - EAGLES 20
Bishop Amat Triumphs
MISSION VIEJO, CA., November 15, 2002 – Teams with .500 records typically aren’t expected to do much in the Southern Section football playoffs. La Puente Bishop Amat might be an exception.
The Lancers rolled up 397 yards rushing and thoroughly dominated two-time defending Serra League champion Santa Margarita during a 37-20 victory Friday night at Saddleback College, solidifying Bishop Amat’s once-shaky playoff aspirations.
The Lancers (5-5, 2-3 in league) won their final two games to finish in a three-way tie with Anaheim Servite and Los Angeles Loyola for third place in league.
A series of coin flips will be held this morning to determine the league’s third and final guaranteed playoff entry.
Santa Margarita (6-4, 1-4), No. 20 in The Times’ rankings, suffered a first-to-worst turnaround in league play but will probably receive an at-large postseason berth because of its six victories and difficult non-league schedule.
The Eagles trailed by 10 points late in the fourth quarter and had a chance to cut the deficit to eight on a two-point conversion attempt, but receiver Bobby Whithorne was stopped just short of the goal line after catching a pass from Case Colaw.
Bishop Amat’s Vincent Vasquez corralled a high hop on the ensuing onside kick and returned it 51 yards for a touchdown for the final margin.
Chris Seals finished with 187 yards rushing and two touchdowns in 25 carries for the Lancers, who registered their first victory over Santa Margarita in three tries.
“We’ve always been this good,” Seals said. “We had a couple of games where we came out flat, but we’ve always been here.”
| Bishop Amat | 6 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 37 |
| Santa Margarita | 7 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 20 |
BA – Seals 32 run (kick failed)
SM – Whithorne 73 pass from Colaw (Ramsey kick)
BA – Mitwasi 32 FG
BA – Robiinson 19 run (Mitwasi kick)
SM – Johnson 29 pass from Colaw (Ramsey kick)
BA – Seals 1 run (Mitwasi kick)
BA – Robiinson 40 run (Mitwasi kick)
SM – Whithorne 37 pass from Colaw (conversion failed)
BA – Vasquez 51 kick return (Mitwasi kick)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: BA - Seals 25-187, Robiinson 9-133; SM - White 22-111
Passing: BA - Lawhorn 4-4-30; SM - Colaw 9-18-2-195
Receiving: BA - Guerrero 2-24, Soto, 2-6; SM - Whithorne 4-125, Johnson 3-68
By Ben Bolch
Saturday, November 16, 2002
The Los Angeles Times
Santa Margarita dealt playoff blow
MISSION VIEJO – Santa Margarita's playoff hopes took a blow as it fell to Bishop Amat, 37-20, in a Serra League game at Saddleback College on Friday night.
The Eagles (6-4, 1-4) finished sixth in the six-team Serra League. They will have to receive one of four at-large bids if they hope to make the Division I playoffs. Playoff brackets will be released Sunday.
"I think we have a shot to get in," Santa Margarita coach Jim Hartigan said, "but we didn't play well tonight."
Bishop Amat dominated on the ground, picking up 391 yards. Chris Seals led the Lancers with 187 yards on 25 carries.
"They did a good job with the wing-T offense," Hartigan said. "We've had success against that offense before, but we couldn't stop it tonight."
Bishop Amat struck first when Seals scored on a 32-yard run. The extra-point attempt was blocked and the Lancers had a 6-0 lead early in the first quarter.
Santa Margarita came back as Case Colaw connected with Bobby Whithorne for a 73-yard touchdown pass, giving the Eagles a 7-6 lead.
Whithorne fought off two defenders, caught the ball at the Bishop Amat 25-yard line and sprinted to the end zone.
Bishop Amat regained the lead on a 23-yard field goal by Jamal Mitwasi.
Bishop Amat outgained the Eagles in total yardage, 224-103, in the first half. However, the Lancers were penalized six times for 50 yards and held a 9-7 lead at the half.
The Lancers extended the lead as Jonathan Robiinson scored on a 19-yard run with 11:54 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Eagles cut into the lead as Colaw found Mark Johnson open over the middle for a 29-yard touchdown pass, making the score 16-14 with 7:50 remaining.
By Eric La Pack
Saturday, November 16, 2002
The Orange County Register - HS1
