Eagles 45 - Bishop Amat 21
Suchesk steps up for Santa Margarita
MISSION VIEJO, CA., November 18, 2011 – The spotlights shine a little brighter in the Pac-5 playoffs, the biggest stage in one of the state's toughest divisions. Friday night at Saddleback College, Santa Margarita saw one of their leading men go down at a crucial time and were forced to hand the ball over to an understudy.
With a 17-point lead cut all the way down to three and with star running back Ryan Wolpin sidelined with a shoulder injury, sophomore Alex Suchesk stepped center stage and delivered a virtuoso performance to lead the No. 3 Eagles to a 45-21 victory over Bishop Amat of La Puente.
"He was huge," Santa Margarita coach Harry Welch said. "Without a big game from Alex Suchesk, we don't win. Really, that's how big he was."
In his first stretch as the lead back in a meaningful game, Suchesk rushed 14 times for 133 yards and two touchdowns – with all but 19 of those yards coming after Wolpin's injury midway through the third quarter.
"Ryan's a great back, and he went down," Suchesk said. "The game was tight, and I needed to get the offense going and get some first downs. Momentum was starting to slip, but our guys stepped it up."
Santa Margarita will travel to play Long Beach Poly next Friday, with Wolpin expected to return.
The Eagles got a big game from quarterback Johnny Stanton, who threw for 188 yards on 16-of-23 passing.
Stanton threw one touchdown and rushed for another, totaling 263 yards in total offense.
"With Johnny, it's like having two guys on the field," Welch said. "He can run; he can throw."
Santa Margarita jumped out to a 24-7 lead after John McGory's 32-yard field goal on the final play of the first half. But despite Santa Margarita's offensive firepower, the Lancers (6-5) responded with a barrage of their own, scoring 14 consecutive points in the third quarter behind senior quarterback Rio Ruiz's arm. Ruiz finished 22 of 29 for 279 yards with all three Lancers touchdowns and two interceptions.
But with the lead down to three, Suchesk stepped in to a moment that proved not to be too big and carried his team to victory.
"He's ice," Stanton said. "It was great that he stepped for us – because we really needed it."
| Santa Margarita | 14 | 10 | 0 | 21 | 45 |
| Bishop Amat | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
SM – Stanton 1 run (McGrory kick failed)
BA – Moore 26 pass from Ruiz (Gutierrez kick)
SM – Wolpin 1 run (Cracraft pass from Stanton)
SM – Wolpin 13 run (McGrory kick)
SM – McGrory 32 FG
BA – Sanchez 32 pass from Ruiz (Gutierrez kick)
BA – Moore 11 pass from Ruiz (Gutierrez kick)
SM – Mendoza 7 pass from Stanton (McGrory kick)
SM – Suchesk 1 run (McGrory kick)
SM – Suchesk 5 run (McGrory kick)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: SM - Stanton 15-75, Wolpin 17-110, Suchesk 14-133; AMAT - Ruiz 2-5, Moore 8-23
Passing: SM - Stanton 15-23-0-188; AMAT - Ruiz 22-29-2-279
Receiving: SM - Cracraft 5-82, Wolpin 2-0, Modster 6-61, Mendoza 3-44; AMAT - Sanches 5-57, Moore 8-110
By Dan Woike
Friday, November 18, 2011
The Orange County Register
