Foothill 22 - Eagles 21
TUSTIN, CA., October 7, 2005 – John Liti rushed for 222 yards on 42 carries and scored three TDs including the game winner with 2:08 remaining to help Foothill pull out an improbable 22-21 come-from-behind victory over the visiting Santa Margarita Eagles before a crowd of 3,000 at Tustin high School. The outcome put each team at 3-2 heading into league play next week.
The Eagles came out red hot on their opening possession as they took advantage of a shanked punt by the Knights to set up at the hosts 45. A Jon Daniels to Jacob Gordon completion of nine plus a John Angelo run of 9 more moved the ball to the 27. After a 14-yard completion to TE Thomas Hull, Daniels hit Ryan Maxwell on a 13-yard scoring strike at the 8:26 mark to make to 7-0. From there both offenses were unable to capitalize on field position and officiating breaks, but with 7:09 left in the half Liti capped a 73-yard drive with a six yard TD run to tie the score at 7-7. The Eagles then went on a 75-yard drive as they marched to the Knight five behind the passing of Daniels (4 of 5 for 47 yards on the drive) and running of Angelo (four for 21) before Eric Reisinger’s 22-yard field goal with 2:04 left in the half sailed wide.
Late in the third quarter the Eagles put together an impressing drive as Daniels (17 of 23 for 195 yards on the night) completed five of five passes capped by a 28-yard scoring toss to Connor Plante with 10:33 left in the game to go up 14-7. On the next knight possession they were forced to punt and Maxwell caught it on the Eagle 41 and raced 59 yards down the visitors sideline to make it 21-7 with 7:52 remaining. With the game seemingly in hand the Eagles proceeded to blow a 14 point lead for the second time in two weeks as Liti capped an 80-yard drive with 3:57 to go to make it 21-13 before Steve Gonzalez’s two-point conversion catch made it 21-15. On the next Eagle possession the visitors faced a third-and-three with 2:59 remaining when Daniels fumbled the snap and the Knights recovered on the Eagle 45. Liti then ran three consecutive times the last from seven yards out with only 2:09 remaining to make it 22-21. The Eagles fumbled the ensuing kickoff and the Knights ran out the clock.
Junior MLB Kyle Aldridge spearheaded the defensive charge with 19 tackles while JD Dawson added 12 of his own. Sophomore sensation Logan Harrell added 2.5 sacks to increase his team led to six and come within two of the school’s record for sacks by a sophomore which is eight by Matt Rupp in 2001.
| Foothill | 0 | 7 | 0 | 15 | 22 |
| Santa Margarita | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
SM – Maxwell 13 pass from Daniels (Reisinger kick)
FOOT – Liti 6 run (Carter kick)
SM – Plante 28 pass from Daniels (Reisinger kick)
SM – Maxwell 59 punt return (Reisinger kick)
FOOT – Liti 3 run (Gonzalez pass from B. Clarke)
FOOT – Liti 7 run (Carter kick)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: SM - Angelo 9-34, Spangenberg 7-25; Foot - Liti 42-228, Oda 2-4
Passing: SM - Daniels 16-22-1-183; Foot - B. Clarke 8-18-0-91
Receiving: SM - Gordon 7-70, Maxwell 5-54; Foot - Gonzalez 6-83, Sarich 1-5
By Adrian Peters
Sports Information Director
Liti carries Knights
Fully recovered from injury, the senior rushes for 228 yards and three scores, including the winner.
TUSTIN – Foothill has the “heart and soul” of its offense back, and that was way too much for fifth-ranked Santa Margarita on Friday night at Tustin High.
John Liti, a 5-foot-10, 205-pound bruiser of a running back, carried 42 times for 228 yards and three touchdowns to help the Knights rally from a 14-point deficit with 7:52 remaining and beat the Eagles, 22-21.
“He is tenacious, low to the ground, and you can't get him on the first try,” said Foothill coach Doug Case, who had some great running backs in the 1990s at Rancho Alamitos and since he's been at Foothill, including Liti's older brother, Maikolo.
Liti was injured in the first quarter of a loss against Tesoro in Week 2 and couldn't play the following week in a loss against Mater Dei. But Liti came back last week to put up 189 yards in a victory over El Modena before his huge performance against Santa Margarita.
"We struggled in the second half against Tesoro, and then we were without our heart and soul against Mater Dei," Case said.
It looked as if the Eagles had control with two quick scoring plays in the fourth quarter. Jon Daniels hooked up with Connor Plante on a 28-yard scoring pass, and Ryan Maxwell had a 59-yard punt return for a touchdown to give the Eagles a 21-7 cushion with 7:52 remaining.
The Knights didn't panic and responded with an 11-play, 80-yard drive, with Liti and the offensive linemen doing the heavy lifting. Liti scored on a 3-yarder, then Brendan Clarke hit Steve Gonzalez for the two-point conversion to cut the gap to 21-15 with 3:57 left.
The Eagles tried to run out the clock, but Daniels fumbled. Harvey Acosta recovered at the Eagles 45. Three consecutive running plays by Liti, plus a facemask penalty, and the Knights went in for the winning score. Liti carried three defenders across the goal line on a 7-yard touchdown run for the winner.
“I am so tired," Liti said with a smile after his 42nd carry. "I'm done."
Santa Margarita (3-2) had the early advantage, starting at Foothill's 45 on its opening possession. Daniels was 3 of 3 for 37 yards on the opening drive, including a 13-yard touchdown pass to Maxwell.
Foothill (3-2) finally got its offense going in the final minute of the first quarter, putting together a 13-play, 73-yard drive. Liti carried eight times for 51 yards and scored on a 6-yarder to tie it with 7:09 left in the half.
The Eagles had two more opportunities to score in the first half but couldn't produce. Eric Reisinger missed a 22-yard field-goal attempt, and Daniels was picked off in the end zone by Foothill's James Villegas with 24 seconds left in the second quarter.
By Carlos Arias
Saturday, October 8, 2005
The Orange County Register - Varsity 1
