JSerra 27 - Eagles 21
MISSION VIEJO, CA., October 21, 2016 – Last Friday’s game couldn’t have started off any better for the Eagles. On their first offensive play of the game, senior quarterback Richard Wagner connected with his favorite target, Grant Calcaterra for a 76 yard touchdown pass to put the Eagles up 7-0 just seconds into the game. The Eagles (4-4, 0-3) would go into the locker room at halftime with a one-point lead, 14-13, but unfortunately it would be their last lead, as the Lions (5-3, 1-2) would go on to win the game by a final score of 27-21.
The achilles heel for the Eagles came via penalties and turnovers, as they were flagged 13 times for 130 yards and turned the ball over three times, with two fumbles and an interception late in the game. Wagner completed 16 of 27 for 305 yards, two touchdown passes and one interception. Calcaterra had one of his best statistical nights, as he caught a team high seven passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns. After nursing an injury the past couple weeks, senior running back Trey Green carried the ball 13 times for 68 yards and a touchdown late in the fourth quarter that gave the Eagles some life. Unfortunately for the Eagles, that was about the extent of their offense as they would only score one second half touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Defensively, the Eagles were anchored by junior linebacker Caden Fitch and sophomore defensive end Mase Funa. Fitch was in on 15 tackles and Funa was in on 10, including three tackles for a loss. The Eagle defense would give up 183 rushing yards courtesy of Matt Robinson (71 yards), Nick Callen (80) and Riley O’Brien (32).
Santa Margarita now finds themselves in a difficult situation as they fall to 0-3 in Trinity League play and see themselves on the outside looking in. Mater Dei sits at the top of the league at 3-0, St. John Bosco is 2-1, Orange Lutheran is 2-1, Servite is at 1-2, JSerra at 1-2, and Santa Margarita sits at 0-3. Santa Margarita sets up a much more favorable schedule as opposed to JSerra, as the Eagles end with Orange Lutheran and Servite, whereas JSerra ends with St. John Bosco and Mater Dei. The Eagles will close out their regular season with home games against Orange Lutheran tonight and Servite on November 4th. The Eagles need to win at least one of their last two games in order to keep their playoff hopes alive.
| JSerra | 3 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
| Santa Margarita | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
SM – Calcaterra 76 pass from Wagner (Brady kick)
JS – Haggard 42 FG
JS – O'Brien 3 run (Haggard kick)
JS – Haggard 30 FG
SM – Calcaterra 50 pass from Wagner (Brady kick)
JS – Luckett 5 pass from Robinson (Haggard kick)
JS – Robinson 14 run (Haggard kick)
SM – Green 1 run (Brady kick)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: JS - Callen 18-80, Robinson 12-71; SM - Green 13-68, Mataele 1-26
Passing: JS - Robinson 13-27-0-158; SM - Wagner 16-27-1-305
Receiving: JS - Luckett 4-87, O'Brien 6-32; SM - Calcaterra 7-225, Mataele 3-27, McCartain 2-31
Sean Zeitler
Sports Information Director
JSerra cashes in turnovers for win over Santa Margarita
MISSION VIEJO – JSerra always seems to save its best for last.
Over the course of the last three seasons, the Lions have been the underdog in Trinity League play, oftentimes feeding off of it.
In a must-win situation Friday night, JSerra scored 17 points off turnovers and pushed past Santa Margarita, 27-21, in a crucial Trinity League battle at Saddleback College.
Spoiling Santa Margarita’s homecoming, the Lions outscored the Eagles 14-7 in the second half.
JSerra (5-3, 1-2) is still breathing in the battle for the league’s third and final guaranteed playoff berth. Teams need a .500-or-better record to be considered for an at-large berth.
Santa Margarita (4-4, 0-3), which led 14-13 at halftime, fumbled on its second play of the third quarter to set the table for JSerra’s comeback. The Lions, benefiting from an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty, grabbed the lead on Matthew Robinson’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Tarik Luckett, pushing the score to 20-14.
The defense, which forced three turnovers, came up big in the fourth quarter as Tyler Shimomura’s interception with Santa Margarita driving in the JSerra red zone allowed the Lions to extend their lead on the ensuing possession with Robinson’s 14-yard touchdown scramble.
The Eagles quickly responded, scoring two plays later on Green’s 4-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to six points at 27-21. But the ensuing onside kick fell easily into the hands of the Lions, securing the victory.
Jake Haggard connected on field goals of 42 and 30 yards for JSerra.
Grant Calcaterra finished with six catches for 194 yards and two TD – both in the first half. The Oklahoma-commit caught a 76-yard touchdown on the first play of the game. He also had an impressive 50-yard catch-and-run late in the first half to give the Eagles the halftime lead.
Santa Margarita quarterback Richard Wagner threw for 303 yards and two touchdowns.
By John Scafetta
Friday, October 21, 2016
The Orange County Register
