Bishop Amat 37 - Eagles 34
MISSION VIEJO, CA., October 22, 2004 – The Eagles allowed 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and fell to the Bishop Amat Lancers 37-34 at Saddleback College. After nearly overcoming a 17-point deficit last week to Loyola the Lancers were able to capitalize on three Eagle turnovers and 10 penalties to steal a critical road victory. The dramatic come from behind win improved the Lancers to 4-3 overall and 1-1 in Serra League play while the loss dropped the Eagles to 3-4 and 0-2.
The Eagles came out firing in the first quarter as they quickly moved into Lancer territory; however a spectacular interception of a Jon Daniels pass on the Lancer 17 ended the threat. After forcing a punt Ryan Maxwell inadvertently muffed the punt return and one play later William Wagner sprinted 49 yards to paydirt and a 7-0 Bishop Amat lead. The Eagles wasted little time responding as Omar Villamar picked up 33 yards on one carry while Rod Rivera picked up 27 and a first down on a second-and-20 situation. From the Lancer 26 Daniels (14 of 23 for 220 yards and four touchdowns) hit Maxwell on a slant pattern and the speedy sophomore raced to the endzone to tie the score. On the Lancer’s next possession Matt Steinbach returned an interception 15 yards to the visitors 27 where three plays later Daniels found Rivera wide open in the endzone for the score at the 2:14 mark and a 14-7 lead. The Eagle defense, led by senior linebackers Sean Aldridge, Colby Rodgers and Mike Rusert (eight tackles apiece), stopped Amat on downs with 0:05 left in the quarter but the Eagles were unable to convert a first down. Two series later a 39-yard punt return by gave the Lancers a first-and-goal on the Eagle three where they tied the score two plays later with only 3:52 left in the half. Santa Margarita wasn’t done as Russell Hoeflich’s 49-yard kickoff return and 32-yard completion from Daniels to Jacob Gordon (four receptions for 77 yards and two touchdowns) set up Daniels 10-yard scoring toss to Gordon and a 21-14 lead with 2:45 remaining. 24 seconds later JD Dawson blocked a Lancer punt and Hoeflich caught it at the six and strolled into the endzone for a comfortable 27-14 halftime lead.
In the third quarter a Lancer field goal was answered when the Eagles went 68 yards on 20 plays to make it 34-17 when Daniels and Gordon hooked up on a spectacular 30-yard scoring toss with 0:14 left in the quarter. Bishop Amat struck quickly and scored on a 56-yard passing play to close the gap to 34-24 at the 11:15 mark. Two holding penalties and an untimely interception killed a promising Eagle drive and Wagner scored on a tricky 15-yard reception on a reverse pass at the 6:02 mark to make it 34-31. The Eagles couldn’t generate much offense on their next series and punted to the Lancers with 3:50 left. Starting at their own 44 the Lancers used a mix of runs and passes to reach the Eagle five with 1:12 left. An incompletion and two running plays moved the ball to the one where the clock was running with under 20 seconds remaining. Facing fourth and goal from the one the Lancers called their last timeout with 0:02 left in the game. From there Wagner ran off tackle and moved the pile just beyond the goalline to seal the victory.
| Bishop Amat | 7 | 7 | 3 | 20 | 37 |
| Santa Margarita | 14 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 34 |
BA – Wagner 49 run (Gener kick)
SM – Maxwell 26 pass from Daniels (Fowle kick)
SM – Rivera 27 pass from Daniels (Fowle kick)
BA – Gamez 3 yard run (Gener kick)
SM – Gordon 10 pass from Daniels (Fowle kick)
SM – Hoeflich 10 punt block return (kick failed)
SM – Gordon 30 pass from Daniels (Fowle kick)
BA – Gener 42 FG
BA – Zapanta 56 pass from Robles (Gener kick)
BA – Wagner 15 pass from Robles (Gener kick)
BA – Wagner 1 run (Gener kick failed)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: BA - Wagner 26-158
Passing: BA - Robles 12-21-1-189; SM - Daniels 14-23-220
Receiving: BA - Zapata 6-113; SM - Gordon 4-77, Maxwell 5-65
By Adrian Peters
Sports Information Director
