St. John Bosco 40 - Eagles 38
Eagles Narrowly Miss Upset of the Year
TORRANCE, CA., October 20, 2017 – If a poll was taken prior to the game, there wouldn’t have been too many votes from the media that would have picked the Eagles to beat the third ranked team in California. If that same poll would have been taken in the Eagle football offices, the results would have been far different. While the end result was a 40-38 loss, heads are beginning to turn and people are now taking notice of this Eagle football program and just how good they have become so quickly. This team is playing with more confidence than we have seen in years and the end product is being seen on the field. The culture has shifted and there isn’t a game the Eagles go into that they don’t think they should win, and this was never more evident than last Friday night at El Camino College.
Santa Margarita would jump out to a quick 14-0 lead in the first quarter before trailing 23-14 going into halftime. The Eagles outscores the Braves in the second half 24-17, but being outscored 9-0 in the second quarter proved to be the difference. Senior quarterback Josiah Norwood completed 18 of 25 passes (72%) for 225 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. After being sidelined for a short period, senior quarterback Hunter Cifuentes would enter the game and was effective during his cameo, completing three of five passes and rushing twice with a touchdown. After coming back in the game, Norwood would end up being the leading rusher for the Eagles on the night, carrying the ball 20 times for 97 yards (4.9 average) and a touchdown.
Senior Chad Magyar had a season high in receiving yards with 136 on nine catches, one of which went for 76 yards. Senior Mark Eaton also effective, had five catches for 61 yards. Offensively, the Eagles had five touchdowns by five different Eagles; Cifuentes, Magyar and Norwood all rushed for one, with Johnny McCartan and Chase Nenad hauling in receiving touchdowns.
Defensively, the Eagle secondary struggled against a high-powered Braves offense, giving up 405 receiving yards. However, the Eagles kept Bosco to under 100 rushing yards, the same Braves team that rushed for 125 yards against Mater Dei, 278 yards against Chaminade, and 305 yards against Orange Lutheran.
Senior linebacker Caden Fitch had one of his most impressive games with 16 total tackles, Sean Toohey had 11, and Jake Delaney had nine. McCartan (1.5), Delaney (1.0), and Billy Oberholtzer (.5) all got in on sacks. Senior lacrosse standout Quentin Buchman snagged his second interception of the season. Dylan Brady was five of five on extra points and one of two on field goals (38 yards).
Tonight’s game against JSerra has turned into one of the better matchups between the Lions and the Eagles. JSerra comes into tonight’s game with a record of 7-1 and 2-1 in league with wins over Servite and Orange Lutheran and their only league loss against Mater Dei, 45-3. This game will be streaming on the Fox Sports Go app with kickoff set for 7:00pm.
| St. John Bosco | 14 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 40 |
| Santa Margarita | 14 | 0 | 10 | 14 | 38 |
SM – McCartan 6 pass from Norwood (Brady kick)
SM – Norwood 1 run (Brady kick)
SJB – Hutson 15 pass from Uiagalelei (kick good)
SJB – Savage 17 run
SJB – Safety
SJB – Jones 3 run (kick good)
SJB – Hutson 55 pass from Uiagalelei (kick good)
SM – Cifuentes 5 run (Brady kick)
SM – Brady 38 FG
SJB – Garcia 34 FG
SM – Magyar 1 run (Brady kick)
SJB – Woodbey 28 interception return (kick good)
SM – Nenad 5 pass from Norwood (Brady kick)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: SM - Norwood 20-101, Magyar 10-17; SJB - Holani 8-41, Savage 10-29, Jones 2-36
Passing: SM - Norwood 18-25-225; SJB - Uiagalelei 23-38-1-405
Receiving: SM - Magyar 9-136, Eaton 5-61; Delgado 5-123, Bailey 7-103
Sean Zeitler
Sports Information Director
Santa Margarita battles to the end but St. John Bosco escapes with win
TORRANCE – The Trinity League contest between host St. John Bosco and Santa Margarita had so many key plays and momentum swings, it was hard to pick the one that had the biggest impact on the outcome.
However, there were a couple of certainties.
The first was that the Braves, who ranked No. 6 in the nation and No. 3 in the state, walked off the El Camino College field with a 40-38 victory.
The second was that the Eagles proved they could battle with the Braves for 48 minutes.
"There were so many swings in the game," Eagles coach Rich Fisher said. "There are so many things to be proud of, but it hurts to lose a game like this."
The Eagles (5-3, 1-2) took a quick 14-0 lead 6-yard touchdown pass from Josiah Norwood to John McCartan and 1-yard scoring run from Norwood.
The Eagles received the opening kickoff and struck first when Norwood completed six of six passes on a 74-yard scoring drive, which he capped with a 6-yard touchdown pass to John McCartan.
St. John Bosco (6-2, 2-1) quickly erased the deficit when DJ Uiagalelei, who went 22 for 38 for 367 yards and two touchdowns, found Kristopher Hutson for 15-yard score.
The Braves then converted a Santa Margarita fumble to a touchdown to tie the score.
A safety and a 3-yard touchdown run from Nathanial Jones gave the Braves a 23-14 lead at the half.
Uiagalelei's 55-yard touchdown pass to Hutson early in the third quarter gave the Braves a 30-14 lead.
The Braves appeared to be in control until Uigalelei got hit and fumbled.
Defensive end Logan Schwenke scooped up the ball and returned it 61 yards to the Braves 14.
Quarterback Hunter Cifuentes, who briefly replaced an injured Norwood, scored on a 4-yard run to get the Eagles to within nine.
Jaiden Woodbey's 33-yard interception return for a touchdown gave the Braves a 40-31 lead with 54 seconds left.
With 25 seconds left, the Eagles cut the lead to two on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Norwood to Chase Nenad. But the Eagles chance for a miracle comeback ended when the Braves recovered the ensuing onside kick
By Lou Ponsi
Saturday, October 21, 2017
The Orange County Register
