Eagles 35 - Orange Lutheran 28
MISSION VIEJO, CA., October 29, 2021 – Dense fog rolled in after halftime but that didn't stop Santa Margarita Catholic from ending the regular season with a win. Quarterback Jaxon Potter was on fire as he hit 35-of-55 passes (63.6%) for 462 yards and three touchdowns. All of Potter’s attempt and completion numbers bested previously established school marks, while the passing yards were second all-time. He also rushed for one score. The talented junior now has 2,703 passing yards for the season with 23 touchdown passes. Three of Potter’s receivers smashed the 100-yard receiving barrier: Jalen Jones (135), Niko Lopez (134) and Ty Benefield (101). One of Benefield’s receptions, of 67 yards, helped set up the game winning score. Running back Jake Foye rushed for 137 yards and one touchdown. Offensively, it was a stat freaks delight. Defensively, Hero Kanu had six tackles (4 for loss), one sack and one forced fumble. Linebacker Jacob Bower had five total tackles, while Noah Sulick had five tackles (2 for loss) and one interception. As a team, the Eagles also broke the single game record for offensive plays from scrimmage with 89.
| Santa Margarita | 7 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
| Orange Lutheran | 7 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
SM – Foye 54 run (Christensen kick)
OLU – Faraday 22 pass from Gonzalez (Kelly kick)
OLU – Marshall 81 pass from Gonzalez (Kelly kick)
SM – Jones 5 pass from Potter (Christensen kick)
OLU – Gonzalez 3 run (Kelly kick)
SM – Lopez 31 pass from Potter (Christensen kick)
OLU – Rodriguez 10 pass from Gonzalez (Kelly kick)
SM – Caspino 6 pass from Potter (Christensen kick)
SM – Potter 1 run (Christensen kick)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: OLU - Jackson 11-37; SM - Foye 18-137, Rivera 6-14
Passing: OLU - Gonzalez 17-25-1-308; SM - Potter 35-55-3-462
Receiving: OLU - Marshall 3-135, Jackson 6-67; SM - Jones 12-135, Lopez 10-134, Benefield 3-101
Prep RedZone - Southern California Top Performances: Week 10
Defense: Hero Kanu
Passing: Jaxon Potter
Receiving: Jalen Jones and Niko Lopez
Rushing: Jake Foye
ALL-TIME SMCHS PASSING RECORD BOOK ENTRIES
Most Pass Attempts in Single Game
55 by Jaxon Potter
Previous: 47 by K.J. Costello vs. Orange Lutheran - 2014
Most Pass Completions in Single Game
35 by Jaxon Potter
Previous: 34 by K.J. Costello vs. Orange Lutheran - 2014
Most Passing Yards in Single Game (2nd)
462 by Jaxon Potter
Others - See chart below
| MOST PASSING YARDS IN SINGLE GAME AT SMCHS - ALL-TIME | |||
| QUARTERBACK | YARDS | OPPONENT | DATE |
| K.J. Costello | 495 | Orange Lutheran | October 17, 2014 |
| Jaxon Potter | 462 | Orange Lutheran | October 29, 2021 |
| K.J. Costello | 446 | @ Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) | August 30, 2013 |
| Carson Palmer | 423 | Tustin (CIF Playoffs) @ Cal-State Fullerton | December 13, 1997 |
| K.J. Costello | 423 | @ Santiago (Corona) | September 4, 2015 |
ALL-TIME SMCHS RECEIVING RECORD BOOK ENTRIES
3 Players with 100-Plus Receiving Yards in Same Game at SMCHS - All-Time
| RECEIVERS | YARDS | TOTAL | OPPONENT | DATE |
| Kyle Sweet | 235 | 475 | Orange Lutheran | October 17, 2014 |
| Conner Bianchini | 139 | |||
| Noah Rasheed | 101 | |||
| 370 | Orange Lutheran | October 29, 2021 | ||
| Niko Lopez | 134 | |||
| Jalen Jones | 135 | |||
| Ty Benefield | 101 | |||
| 365 | Tustin (CIF) @ Cal-State Fullerton | December 13, 1997 | ||
| Mike O’Gorman | 127 | |||
| John Minardi | 124 | |||
| Greg Orlando | 114 |
ALL-TIME SMCHS COMBINED OFFENSE RECORD BOOK ENTRIES
3 Players with 100-Plus Receiving Yards and 1 Player with 100-Plus Rushing Yards in Same Game at SMCHS - All-Time
| PLAYERS | YARDS | TOTAL | OPPONENT | DATE |
| Jalen Jones | 135 Rec. | 507 | Orange Lutheran | October 29, 2021 |
| Niko Lopez | 134 Rec. | |||
| Ty Benefield | 101 Rec. | |||
| Jake Foye | 137 Rush | |||
| 469 | Tustin (CIF) @ Cal-State Fullerton | December 13, 1997 | ||
| Mike O’Gorman | 127 Rec. | |||
| John Minardi | 124 Rec. | |||
| Greg Orlando | 114 Rec. | |||
| Bryant Wolfsberger | 104 Rush |
ALL-TIME SMCHS TEAM OFFENSE RECORD BOOK ENTRIES
Most Offensive Plays from Scrimmage:
89 (34 rushing & 55 passing)
Previous: 86 vs. Bishop Amat - 2014 (43 rushing & 43 passing)
* Special Note *
Each week, Michael Huntley, prep football journalist from Orange County publishes his online column entitled: Hits, Misses and Helmet Stickers. On November 2 in the Orange County Register, Huntley recognized our own master statistician Shane Mielke with a “Huntley Hit” for his effort to keep the numbers straight during the fierce blanket of fog that engulfed Saddleback Stadium during the last home game versus Orange Lutheran.
Summary by Chuck Nan
Statistics by Shane Mielke
Santa Margarita, Mater Dei win Trinity League finales
MISSION VIEJO – Santa Margarita quarterback Jaxon Potter threw for 443 yards and three touchdowns in a Trinity League win over Orange Lutheran, 35-28, on Friday at Saddleback College.
The Eagles earned a fourth-place finish in the Trinity League behind Mater Dei, St. John Bosco and Servite.
Potter also ran for the game-winning touchdown with 10 seconds remaining on the clock.
Niko Lopez caught 10 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown for Santa Margarita (6-4, 2-3). Jalen Jones had 10 receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown and Ty Benefield had 101 yards on three receptions.
Junior running back Jake Foye ran for 137 yards and a touchdown.
Logan Gonzalez threw three touchdown passes and ran for a touchdown for Orange Lutheran (6-4, 1-4).
Jace Rodriguez and Hayden Faraday caught touchdown passes from Gonzalez. Kaleb Marshall caught an 81-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to give the Lancers a 14-7 lead.
Hero Kanu had four tackles for a loss and a sack for the Santa Margarita defense. Noah Sulick had an interception for the Eagles.
Manaia Ala had two interceptions for Orange Lutheran and Bryce Brown-Johnson had an interception in the fourth quarter.
By Michael Huntley
Saturday, October 30, 2021
The Orange County Register
