Eagles 17 - Mater Dei 7
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| Photos: Mark Avery |
Santa Margarita triumphs
The sixth-ranked Eagles score 11 points in the fourth quarter to stop No. 1 Mater Dei.
MISSION VIEJO, CA., October 13, 2006 – Santa Margarita came through again in the fourth quarter Friday night.
This time, however, the Eagles netted much more than they did in non-league victories against Long Beach Poly and Foothill.
Santa Margarita stunned Orange County's top-ranked team - Mater Dei - to open a Trinity League season that promises to be a weekly gauntlet among some of the best teams in the state.
The sixth-ranked Eagles trailed by a point going into the fourth quarter but scored twice to post a 17-7 triumph in front of a standing-room only crowd at Saddleback College.
Mater Dei is ranked 21st in the nation by USA Today and Student Sports.
Santa Margarita's student section poured onto the field afterward but Santa Margarita coach Mike Jacot stood near midfield with the calmness of a coach confident in his team. He again called his Eagles "hard-working" and "gritty" and prepared for a fourth-quarter test.
"We've played this type of game." Jacot said. "Played from behind and handled adversity."
In producing its third, game-winning, fourth-quarter drive, Santa Margarita (6-0, 1-0) responded to Mater Dei (5-1, 0-1) taking a 7-6 lead late in the third quarter by scoring on its ensuing drive. The Eagles got a 31-yard kickoff return from Chris Spangenberg and then covered 62 yards in eight plays. Santa Margarita quarterback Eric Reisinger highlighted his career night with a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Nick Pizzurro with 10:13 left.
Reisinger, a senior, had missed an extra-point kick in the first quarter but ran in the two-point conversion as the Eagles took a 14-7 lead.
After Santa Margarita defense forced Mater Dei to go three-and-out in its next possession, the Eagles used a 25-yard reception from Reisinger to wideout Ryan Maxwell to set up a 40-yard field goal by sophomore Rob Maniaci with 4:19 left.
Santa Margarita's under-sized defense did the rest against a Mater Dei offense, which came in averaging 30.4 points per game. The Eagles finished with four sacks and forced a pair of first-half turnovers. The Eagles also didn't fade late against the Monarchs' huge offensive line.
Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson said the turnovers "killed us."
"We just didn't have the answer tonight,” said Rollinson, who speculated that the Monarchs' playbook might have been too much. "I give them (Santa Margarita) a lot of credit."
Rollinson praised Santa Margarita's linebacking crew, which consisted of Kyle Aldridge (fumble recovery), Mike Lacy (sack) and Kirk Skierski.
Jacot agreed but also thought cornerbacks Matt Meyer and Eric Manarino played well in the first half.
Mater Dei running back Ahmed Mokhtar broke a 25-yard run on his first carry but finished with 83 yards on 18 carries.
In the first quarter, Santa Margarita stuffed Mokhtar on a fourth-and-2 at the Eagles' 42. The Eagles answered with a 58-yard scoring drive that Spangenberg capped with a 10-yard run. Mater Dei's offense held the ball a mere 2:04 in the first quarter and then 5:49 in the second. Behind Reisinger, Santa Margarita's offense kept Mokhtar and company off the field by executing the short-passing game.
Reisinger completed 17 of 30 passes for 178 yards and would have had more but the Eagles dropped several balls. The quarterback set career highs for attempts and completions.
"He played solid," Jacot said.
Mater Dei put together a 13-play, 79-yard scoring drive in the third period. Quarterback Matt Barkley capped the drive with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Robbie Boyer with 1:11 left in the third.
| Santa Margarita | 6 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 17 |
| Mater Dei | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
SM – Spangenberg 10 run (kick failed)
MD – Boyer 19 pass from Barkley (Le kick)
SM – Pizzurro 5 pass from Reisinger (Reisinger kick)
SM – FG Maniaci 40
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: MD - Mokhtar 18-83, McNaughton 13-14; SM - Spangenberg 22-66, Reisinger 7-19
Passing: MD - Barkley 12-21-1-143; SM - Reisinger 17-30-0-178
Receiving: MD - Boyer 6-60, Mumma 4-50; SM - Maxwell 8-106, Torres 2-8, Pizzurro 2-1
By Dan Albano
Saturday, October 7, 2006
The Orange County Register - Varsity 1
