Eagles 33 - Redlands East Valley 14
2019 Eagle Football Campaign Opens with Road Victory over REV, 33-14
REDLANDS, CA., August 23, 2019 – People transferring out, people transferring in, a new coaching staff, a new playbook, new terminology, and current players assuming new roles. There were many questions heading into last week’s season opener against Redlands East Valley. Not every question was answered, but the performance on the field was a good indication that this team is trending in the right direction, as the Eagles (1-0) opened up their season with a 33-14 road win.
For first year head coach Brent Vieselmeyer, it was his first win as a high school head coach since he led Valor Christian to a 12-2, 5A Colorado State Championship back in 2012. Also making their Eagle debut was junior quarterback Colt Fulton, who completed 13/20, for 207 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. On the receiving end of both touchdown passes was junior wide receiver Tyler Wetmore, who finished the night with two catches, both touchdowns for a total of 72 yards. Fulton spread the ball around to eight different receivers, including sophomore Ian Grogan who had two catches for 51 yards, as well as Josh Contreras, who had three receptions for 44 yards. On the ground, the Eagles introduced a heavy dose of Nick Barcelos, who carried the ball 17 times for 88 yards, with a long of 19.
What stood out on the night was the defense for the Eagles, most notably the secondary. The secondary gave the Wildcats fits, as three different defensive backs had interceptions, two of which ended up in the end zone. Junior Keanu Kama and senior Mark Ard both hauled in pick-six’s, while sophomore Jalen Jones had an interception of his own in his first varsity game. In the special team’s game, sophomore kicker Connor Teasly was perfect on the night; going 4/4 on PAT’s and added a 26-yard field goal.
With Redlands East Valley in the rearview mirror, the Eagles now shift their focus to tonight’s matchup with neighbor Mission Viejo High School. The Eagles and Diablos have faced off six times, with Mission Viejo leading the series 4-2. Last year, the Eagles lost 30-20, with the last Eagle victory taking place back in 2011 when they beat Mission 21-20 in the playoffs en route to a California State Championship.
| Santa Margarita | 7 | 2 | 14 | 10 | 33 |
| Redlands East Valley | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
SM – Wetmore 35 pass from Fulton (Teasley kick)
SM – Safety, ball snapped out of endzone
SM – Wetmore 37 pass from Fulton (Teasley kick)
SM – Kama 63 interception return (Teasley kick)
REV – Wells 56 pass from Donahue (Kamakawiwoole kick)
SM – Ard 40 interception return (Teasley kick)
REV – Wells 81 pass from Donahue (Kamakawiwoole kick)
SM – Teasley 26 FG
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: REV - Ramos 9-25; SM - Barcelos 17-88
Passing: REV - Donahue 17-42-3-304; SM - Fulton 13-20-1-207
Receiving: REV - Wells 8-207; SM - Wetmore 2-72, Grogan 2-51, Contreras 3-44
Sean Zeitler
Sports Information Director
Santa Margarita football outlasts Redlands East Valley
REDLANDS – It was not a perfect performance for either team, but Santa Margarita High made far fewer errors than Redlands East Valley in a 33-14 nonleague victory.
Santa Margarita quarterback Colt Fulton, a junior transfer from Corona Centennial, had touchdown passes of 35 and 37 yards to Tyler Wetmore to pace the victory in the season opener at Citrus Valley High.
“We’re starting to connect,” Fulton said. “We worked in the spring and the summer and we’re starting to get on the same page.”
Regarding REV, Fulton said, “They had a few good defensive players and they tested us, but we executed and were able to do our stuff.”
Anything but deflated was REV coach Rich Lunsford, whose team gave up two interceptions for touchdowns and a safety.
“We predicted this,” Lunsford said. “We’re young and we knew we were going to make mistakes. But we gave them 16 points and otherwise it was a 17-14 game. They may be the (last-place) team from the Trinity League, but that’s the best league in the nation.”
Santa Margarita looked sharp on its first drive, mixing runs and passes. The Eagles finally scored on the first of Fulton’s long TD passes to Wetmore.
A fumble recovery by Jonathan Ramos on the REV 1 seemed to get the Wildcats out of trouble late in the first half. But the Wildcats could not stand prosperity, snapping the ball out of the end zone on first down for a safety and Santa Margarita led 9-0 — a lead it took into halftime.
Fulton and Wetmore connected again with 9:42 left in the third quarter to put Santa Margarita ahead 16-0, and it looked like it would be a very long night for REV.
Things got worse for REV when Keanu Kama returned an interception 65 yards for a TD midway through the third quarter to boost the Eagles’ lead to 23-0.
However, touchdown passes of 57 and 81 yards from Jeremiah Donahue to Brandon Wells kept the Wildcats in the game, almost until the end.
Fulton completed 12 of 18 for 172 yards and three touchdowns for Santa Margarita, with one interception. Nicholas Barcellos paced the ground game with 17 carries for 86 yards.
Donahue completed 16 of 40 passes for 292 yards and two TDs for REV, with two interceptions. Wells caught seven passes for 179 yards and both TDs.
Also returning an interception for a TD for Santa Margarita was Jacob Lopez, who timed a Donahue pass perfectly, picked it off and took it 60 yards to the house.
It was a positive way to start the season for Santa Margarita, which went 3-7 last season, including 0-5 in the Trinity League. REV had its share of bright spots as well, coming off a 7-4 season and a second-place finish in the Citrus Belt League.
“They’re from a great league and have been a powerhouse in the past,” Lunsford said. “We have nothing to hang our hats about.”
By John Murphy
Friday, August 23, 2019
The Orange County Register
