Bishop Amat 38 - Eagles 28
Eagles Get Picked On, Open With Loss
LA PUENTE, CA., August 30, 2013 – Santa Margarita coach Harry Welch considered replacing quarterback KJ Costello, an idea that probably looked more enticing with every turnover. But a championship is neither won nor lost in August, and Welch said he prioritized a season over an opening-day win.
Bishop Amat of La Puente intercepted five passes and recovered an errant backward pass late in the fourth quarter en route to a 38-28 win against Santa Margarita on Friday.
“I think the long-term solution is watching KJ develop and mature and hang in there with him," Welch said. “This is a wonderful environment with the (Amat) crowd, and they're a good ballclub."
The Eagles, No. 3 in Orange County, came in ranked No. 6 in the CIF.
Koa Haynes' 15-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Vaughns with 1:47 remaining gave Bishop Amat a 10-point lead. It came a few plays after Costello's backward pass was fumbled and recovered by the Lancers' Trevon Sidney deep in Eagles' territory.
Santa Margarita took a 28-24 in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard run from Jeremy McNichols, his second of the night. McNichols ran for 163 yards on 21 carries.
The Eagles had Bishop Amat on the ropes as they forced the Lancers into a fourth-and-11 with less than six minutes left. But Haynes hit Brandon Arconado for a 20-yard pass, setting up a 1-yard touchdown run from Adrian Ortega to give the Lancers the lead.
Ortega also had three interceptions - including one that he returned for a 39 yard touchdown - of Costello, who was making his first varsity start. The sophomore won the job after Welch moved Kyle Sweet to receiver.
"This isn't a game about one man, this is a team game,” Welch said. "I'd like to see my defense stop them on fourth-and-11 and several other times."
Costello completed his first six passes, two of which went for long touchdowns to Sweet. On the Eagles' second play from scrimmage, Sweet got behind the Lancers' secondary and caught a soft Costello toss before racing into the end zone untouched for an 86-yard touchdown.
A few minutes later, Sweet again beat his defender and turned a 20-yard pass into a 73-yard touchdown to give the Eagles a 14-0 lead. He finished with seven completions for 221 yards.
"We got a bunch of new kids playing new positions," said Welch, noting that the Eagles have 10 new defensive starters, including the entire secondary. “Give them some time. They'll get better."
| Bishop Amat | 0 | 7 | 17 | 14 | 38 |
| Santa Margarita | 14 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
SM – Sweet 86 pass from Costello (Ury kick)
SM – Sweet 73 pass from Costello (Ury kick)
BA – Camargo 1 run (Zahn kick)
BA – Haynes 9 run (Zahn kick)
SM – McNichols 50 run (Ury kick)
BA – Zahn 26 FG
BA – Ortega 39 interception return (Zahn Kick)
SM – McNichols 1 run (Ury kick)
BA – Ortega 1 run (Zahn kick)
BA – Vaughns 15 pass from Haynes (Zahn kick)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: Amat - Haynes 17-58, Camargo 6-28; SM - McNichols 21-163, Mark 5-35
Passing: Amat - Haynes 21-32-0-275; SM - Costello 14-26-5-243
Receiving: Amat - Zahn 3-49. Arconado 8-106; SM - Sweet 7-221, McNiff 1-25
By Adam Maya
Saturday, August 31, 2013
The Orange County Register - Varsity 1
