Eagles 39 - Carson 21
Stanton special as Santa Margarita beats Carson
CARSON, CA., September 23, 2011 – In one play, Santa Margarita coach Harry Welch saw a little of all the things that make junior quarterback Johnny Stanton special.
With the third-ranked Eagles trailing by a touchdown with 2:20 left in the third quarter, Stanton disguised a fake handoff with expertise, calmly shrugged off two Carson tacklers and fired a perfect 42-yard strike to Cory Mendoza for a score.
To top it off, Stanton rushed in the 2-point conversion try to send Santa Margarita on its way to a 39-21 victory over the Colts at Gene Vollnogle Stadium on Friday night.
"It was a significantly positive play, and it certainly made a difference," Welch said. "I think with Johnny Stanton, what he did best tonight was play within himself. He's a very strong runner, he can throw it quite well and he's cool under fire.
"He just stayed within himself and didn't try to do too much."
Stanton might not have been trying to do too much, but he certainly was too much for Carson (1-2) to handle. Stanton finished 6?of 9 passing for 116 yards and a score while rushing 14 times for 100 yards and three touchdowns.
Junior running back Ryan Wolpin added 117 yards on the ground for Santa Margarita (4-0).
For Stanton, it wasn't any crazy, outside-the-box thinking that led to the huge night. Instead, it was something as simple as just following the five big guys on the offensive line.
"That's the game plan every night," he said. "Our offensive line is so overpowering, it's to not put all the pressure on them. They're great."
Led by senior tackle Max Tuerk, the Eagles offensive line dominated, creating plenty of time for Stanton to pass and giant holes for the Santa Margarita ball carriers.
"The holes where really good. Ryan Wolpin was a stud tonight, breaking so many tackles," Tuerk said. "Johnny Stanton gave us a great game. Our line really ... came together in the first quarter, and the o-line really played great today."
Despite the offensive success, Carson was able to move the ball well early. Senior running back Roger Jones rushed for a pair of TDs in the first half, and quarterback Kevin McMahon scored in the third.
But while it took the Santa Margarita defense three quarters to shut Carson down, the Eagles were all over Carson star receiver Darreus Rogers from the opening kick.
Rogers only caught two passes for 18 yard. Against Mater Dei earlier this season, Rogers had 11 receptions for 219 yards and three touchdowns in the Colts' 26-22 win.
"We had a highlight tape of Rogers, and it is incredible," Welch said. "And you know what, it's just from two games."
The Eagles will look to add to their season highlight tape next Thursday when they face undefeated Los Alamitos at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Long Beach.
"They're looking for us since last year," Stanton said. "Now, we've got to look out for them too."
| Santa Margarita | 0 | 14 | 8 | 17 | 39 |
| Carson | 7 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 21 |
CR – Jones 2 run (Rogers kick)
SM – Wolpin 15 run (McGrory kick)
CR – Jones 1 run (Rogers kick)
SM – Stanton 1 run (McGrory kick)
CR – McMahon 1 run (Jones run)
SM – Mendoza 42 pass from Stanton (Stanton run)
SM – Stanton 1 run (McGrory kick)
SM – McGrory 24 FG
SM – Stanton 9 run (McGrory kick)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: SM - Stanton 14-100, Wolpin 17-117; CAR - Jones 17-50, McMahon 8-10, Rogers 1-8, Sparks 6-18
Passing: SM - Stanton 6-9-0-116; CAR - McMahon 12-22-0-104, Rogers 1-1-0-17
Receiving: SM - O'Brien 1-19, Modster 1-19, Mendoza 3-75, CAR - Lasley 2-24, Jones 2-14, Rogers 2-18, Sparks 3-29
By Dan Woike
Saturday, September 24, 2011
The Orange County Register
