Venice - Game Notes
The Eagles enter Week 5 with a 3-1 record and play host to the Venice Gondoliers of the LA City Section are off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 2012 and 11th time in 26 varsity seasons.
This week the Eagles (3-1) host Venice (0-3). Kickoff is set for 7 pm and the game will be played at Trabuco Hills High School. Although the Gondoliers are winless on this young season two of their three losses were against solid Pac-5 private schools (Chaminade and Oaks Christian). The Gondoliers are led by Head Coach Angelo Gasca who has enjoyed a remarkable run over the past 13 seasons at Venice capturing nine consecutive Western League titles (2002-2010) and going 10-3 and reaching the Division I finals the past two years. This is the second game the Eagles will have played against an LA City Section Division I school this year. Two weeks ago the Eagles defeated Dorsey 21-10 to improve to 9-2 vs. LA City Section teams going back to 2002.
New Eagle Head Coach Rick Curtis is off to a great start at Santa Margarita. He is 3-1 at Santa Margarita and 76-74-3 in his career.
The Gondoliers play at the LA City Section Division I level Nevada Class 4A Classification (Division I) and the Venice game will be the 52nd consecutive game against Division-I level competition dating back to week 5 of the 2010 season - a 31-7 win over then Pac-5 (Division I) Los Alamitos. Through the first 51 games in that stretch the Eagles have gone 37-14 (.725). Amazingly, 67 of the Eagles’ last 71 games have been against Division I-level competition.
The following week (October 3rd) the Eagles have their bye week. In two weeks, Santa Margarita will open Trinity League play by hosting the JSerra Lions at Saddleback College. Kickoff for that matchup is set for 7 pm.
Santa Margarita has gone 100-65-1 (.605) against Division I competition dating back to a 13-12 win over Servite in 1991 when the Eagles were in their third varsity season. This includes a 15-45mark against Division I teams outside of the Southern Section such as San Jose Bellarmine Prep, Phoenix Brophy Prep and Las Vegas Bishop Gorman.
News and Notes
Santa Margarita has already set a number of team and individual records this year. These include: plays in a game (86 vs. Bishop Amat), yards in a game (613 vs. Corona Santiago), completions in a game (27, KJ Costello vs. Corona Santiago), receptions in a game (15, Kyle Sweet vs. Dorsey). Kyle is also the first receiver to reach 40 receptions in four games and KJ is the first QB to reach 1,000 yards passing in 3 games and the first to have four consecutive 300-yard passing games.
Kyle Sweet boomed a school record 65-yard punt* at Bishop Gorman to break John Byszewski's 25-year old record of 64 yards set at Whittier Christian in 1989. As the story goes, John's punt actually travelled 64 yards in the air and rolled another 10-20 yards; however, it was entered into the books as 64 yards. On a lighthearted note, Kyle also had a punt of four yards against Bishop Gorman meaning he had the longest and shortest punts in school history in the same game.
The Eagles are averaging a remarkable 482.5 yards per game, 23.0 first downs and 39.4 yards per possession. They are also dominating the clock by averaging 26:00 in time of possession and running 88 more plays than the opposition thru four games.
The Eagles are averaging 482.5 yards per game which is over 30 yards more than their record total set in 1997 when Carson Palmer was the QB. In that year the Eagles averaged 450.2 yards per game.
In their 2011 CIF State Championship season the Eagles averaged 58.2 plays and 20.6 first downs per game and 25:23 minutes of possession per game and many observers talked about how much they were controlling the tempo and the clock. This year they are averaging 77.0, 23.0 and 26:00 respectively.
KJ Costello has a school record five 300-yard passing games in his career and how has 1,350 yards passing on the season. His totals are 308, 407, 315 and 320 to become the first Eagle to reach 1,000 yards passing on the season in just three games and the first to have four 300-yard games in a row.
KJ now has 2,828 career passing years - good for 5th best all-time.
Kyle Sweet has a remarkable 40 receptions for 643 yards this season including 10 for 199 at Bishop Gorman and 15 for 210 vs. Dorsey. Sweet has 106 career receptions for 1,922 yards in his career. The 106 receptions is 5th best all-time and the 1,922 yards is third best.
Senior OLB Grady Higgins has 175 career tackles - good for 23rd all-time.
Junior RB/LB Matt Mark has scored eight touchdowns in his first four games including seven on the ground) while fellow junior RB Dre Hall leads the team with 242 yards rushing.
*Minutia for the insomniacs: The spot where Kyle's punt was recovered is the basis of how far the kick will be credited. The punt travelled over the returner's head and was gathered on a bounce at the six-yard line. Even though the Gorman player retreated inside the five yard line as he circled back to commence his return the end of the punt/start of the runback is the point where the returners foot furthest from the kicker was when he caught the ball.
By Adrian Peters
Sports Information Director
