Eagles 25 - Mission Viejo 24
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| Photos: Armando Brown |
Bold Eagles prevail. Eagles soaring into the semis.
Down a point, Santa Margarita goes for two, converts and ousts Mission Viejo.
MISSION VIEJO, CA., November 24, 2006 – Santa Margarita coach Mike Jacot said he looked into his players' eyes, and he knew what had to be done.
Eagles quarterback Eric Reisinger had just nailed Nikolas Dialynas for a 17-yard touchdown to cut the deficit against Mission Viejo to 24-23 with 1:32 remaining on Friday night in a CIF-SS Pac-5 Division quarterfinal in front of an estimated 8,500 at Saddleback College.
The Eagles could kick the extra point and try to beat the third seeded Diablos in overtime - or go for two and try to win it right there.
"I asked the guys if they wanted to win it now or try to win it in overtime," Jacot said. "They said, 'Yes.' I've got to have faith in them."
Reisinger had shown poise and composure in the face of Mission Viejo's ferocious pass rush all game. Jacot said he told Reisinger to make a run for it if none of his receivers was open.
Reisinger took the snap and rolled right. No one was open, so he raced to the far corner and beat everyone to the end zone to give the Eagles a 25-24 edge. That would hold up as the final score as Santa Margarita held on to pull off the upset in the first meeting between the two South County powerhouses.
"I wasn't going to be denied," Reisinger said of his two-point conversion run.
The Diablos got a 38-yard kick return from Alex Mascarenas, who also had two interceptions, on the ensuing kickoff to give Mission Viejo hope with 1:22 left.
Sophomore quarterback Allan Bridgford completed a 20-yard pass to Aziz Spellman-Smith to move the ball to the Eagles 40-yard line. It appeared the Diablos might have a shot at that point because they had David Green, one of the top kickers in the county, waiting on the sideline for a chance to kick the winner.
But Bridgford fumbled on second down. He recovered, but on the next play, Santa Margarita's Chris MacLean sacked Bridgford for a 5-yard loss to make it fourth-and-18. Bridgford went deep for Spellman-Smith, but Santa Margarita's Ryan Maxwell broke up the pass.
The Eagles took over, and Reisinger took a knee. The Diablos watched helplessly as the final 14 seconds ticked off the clock.
Santa Margarita students flooded the field to celebrate with the players. Jacot called it the biggest victory in his four seasons as Eagles coach.
Santa Margarita (10-2) plays Edison, a 28-21 victor over Servite, in the semifinals next Friday at 4:30 p.m. or 8 p.m. at The Home Depot Center in Carson. Mission Viejo finished the season 9-3, with its losses coming against Mater Dei, De La Salle of Concord and Santa Margarita.
The two teams exchanged fourth quarter touchdowns to make it 17-17.
Bridgford completed passes of 28 and 57 yards to Spellman-Smith to set up Keegan Gogerty's 3-yard touchdown run to give the Diablos a 24-17 edge with 3:49 remaining.
Junior Carlo Audagnotti, who had 134 yards on 11 carries, broke a 60-yard run to help set up the eventual winning score for the Eagles.
Mission Viejo took the opening kickoff and drove right down the field, facing little resistance before stalling at the Eagles 3-yard line. The Diablos decided to go for it, but Kyle Aldridge picked off Bridgford.
The Diablos had great field position for their second possession, starting at their own 49. Brian Lockridge broke a 30-yard run, and Gogerty followed with a 21-yard touchdown to stake Mission Viejo to a 7-0 lead with 2:08 left in the first quarter.
The Eagles rallied in the second quarter to take a 10-7 edge at the break. Reisinger scored on an amazing 8-yard run. He dove over three defenders at the goal line, got flipped in mid-air but got the ball into the end zone for the touchdown. Robert Maniaci added a 37-yard field goal as time expired to end the first half.
Green kicked a 25-yard field goal in the third quarter to make it a 10-10 tie, setting the stage for the wild fourth quarter.
| Santa Margarita | 0 | 10 | 0 | 15 | 25 |
| Mission Viejo | 7 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 24 |
MV – Gogerty 21 run (Green kick)
SM – Reisinger 8 run (Maniaci kick)
SM – Maniaci 37 FG
MV – Green 25 FG
MV – Lockridge 3 run (Green kick)
SM – Manarino 12 pass from Reisinger (Maniaci kick)
MV – Gogerty 3 run (Green kick)
SM – Dialynas 17 pass from Reisinger (Reisinger run)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: MV - Lockridge 19-107, Gogerty 11-71; SM - Audagnotti 11-134, Spangenberg 21-98
Passing: MV - Bridgford 8-18-1-210; SM - Reisinger 15-25-2-134
Receiving: MV - Spellman-Smith 4-108, White 3-69; SM - Maxwell 4-42, Dialynas 2-35
Records: MV 9-3; SM 10-2
By Carlos Arias
Saturday, November 25, 2006
The Orange County Register - Varsity 1
