Eagles 16 - St. Paul 7
MISSION VIEJO, CA., September 12, 2003 – Santa Margarita opened it’s 15th season with a solid 16-7 win over St. Paul in Mike Jacot’s debut as Eagle Head Coach. The Eagles scored on their opening drive as they marched 66 yards on eight plays highlighted by a 45-yard completion from Mike Angelo to Mark Johnson and capped by a four-yard touchdown pass from Angelo to Matt Steinbach. The Eagles extended the lead to 13-0 at the 10:20 mark of the second quarter on a one-yard plunge by Jack Meehan. The touchdown was set up by a 37-yard run by Omar Villamar (16-89) and an 18-yard run by Chris Ramsey (10-63). On the Swordsmen’s next drive they marched 61 yards on 10 consecutive rushing plays and closed the gap to 13-7 when Dwight Tardy scored from four yards out. Mike Fowle’s 19-yard field goal at the gun made the score 16-7 going into intermission. The second half consisted mostly of good defensive adjustments, turnovers and punts. St. Paul gained 84 yards on the ground in the first half but managed only 18 yards rushing in the second half. Mark Restelli’s forced fumble, recovered by Matt Rupp set the Eagles up at the St. Paul 41 but an interception ended the drive. A 43-yard punt return by Ryan Nienhuis led to a missed field goal and an interception by Nienhuis in the fourth quarter also resulted in no points. Timely scrambling by Angelo (9-50) kept the clock moving in the fourth quarter. Defensively, the Eagles were led by Meehan’s 14 tackles, but DT Nick Bahr looked good earning Defensive Lineman of the Game with five tackles and ½ a sack. As a unit the Eagles extended their streak of not allowing a touchdown pass to 12 games.
| Santa Margarita | 7 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| St. Paul | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
SM – Steinbach 4 pass from Angelo (Fowle kick)
SM – Meehan 2 run (kick failed)
STP – De Leon 4 run (Reynoso kick)
SM – Fowle 20 field goal
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: SP - Tardy 16-101, DeLeon 4-13; SM - Villamar 15-85, Angelo 10-65
Passing: SP - Aguilera 4-8-1-57; SM - Angelo 5-17-2-67
Receiving: SP - Reynoso 1-14, Gonzales 1-14; SM - Johnson 3-61, Steinbach 1-4
By Adrian Peters
Sports Information Director
Eagles defeat St. Paul, 16-7
MISSION VIEJO – Santa Margarita scored on two of its first three possessions and held on to beat St. Paul, 16-7, in a nonleague game at Saddleback College on Friday night.
The Eagles' first score came when quarterback Michael Angelo connected with a wide-open Matt Steinbach for a 4-yard touchdown pass midway through the first quarter.
The score was set up by a 45-yard pass play over the middle from Angelo to wide receiver Mark Johnson.
The Eagles (1-0) extended the lead to 13-0 on a 2-yard touchdown run by Jack Meehan in the second quarter. The extra-point attempt failed.
St. Paul (0-1) got on the board when Alex De Leon scored on a 4-yard run, cutting the deficit to 13-7 with just under five minutes remaining in the second quarter.
Santa Margarita came right back on its next possession, driving to the St. Paul 3-yard line.
The Eagles didn't get into the end zone, but Mike Fowle booted a 20-yard field goal to make it 16-7 at the half. That stood as the final score.
Omar Villamar led the Eagles with 85 yards on 15 carries.
Angelo added 65 yards on 10 carries.
By Eric La Pack
Saturday, September 13, 2003
The Orange County Register - HS3
Santa Margarita proves its point in opening victory
The Eagles defeat St. Paul, ranked fifth in CIF-Southern Section Division III, 16-7
MISSION VIEJO – For the Santa Margarita High football team, it was a matter of respect.
The Eagles, with a new coach and several new players, weren't expected to do much this season as they were picked to finish last in the Serra League.
However, Santa Margarita took a step toward proving the skeptics wrong with a 16-7 win over St. Paul (Santa Fe Springs) in a nonleague game at Saddleback College on Friday.
"No one gave us a chance to do anything," Santa Margarita coach Mike Jacot said. "Our guys took that to heart."
St. Paul wasn't exactly chopped liver. The Swordsmen entered the game ranked fifth in CIF-Southern Section Division III.
Santa Margarita scored on its first possession as quarterback Michael Angelo found Matt Steinbach open in the back of the end zone to make it 7-0 in the first quarter.
The touchdown was set up on a 45-yard pass play from Angelo to Mark Johnson.
The Eagles extended the lead when Jack Meehan rumbled in from 2-yards out to make it 13-0. The extra point attempt failed.
Meanwhile, the Santa Margarita defense held St. Paul in check. The Eagles allowed just 39 yards in the first quarter. Meehan was a big part of the defense, collecting 14 tackles on the night.
St. Paul finally got on the board, putting together a 61-yard drive for a touchdown, cutting the deficit to 13-7 with 4:59 remaining.
The Eagles came right back with a 20-yard field goal by Mike Fowle to take a 16-7 lead at the half.
Santa Margarita's offense, which seemingly moved the ball at will in the first half, sputtered in the second half.
The Eagles managed just 18 yards in the third quarter and had no first downs. However, Santa Margarita's defense and special teams stepped up.
St. Paul had possession on its own 35-yard line, but Santa Margarita defensive back forced Matthew Parent to fumble. The Eagles recovered to give them possession.
A little later in the quarter, Ryan Nienhuis returned a punt 43 yards to the St. Paul 27-yard line. However, the Eagles gained just six yards and Fowle missed a 37-yard field goal attempt.
"St. Paul has a lot of pride and they got after us in the second half," Jacot said. "Our offense struggled a bit in the second half, but we stayed consistent on defense."
By Eric La Pack
Saturday, September 19, 2003
The Orange County Register - CanyonLife S2
