JSerra 27 - Eagles 20 - CIF
JSerra football slips past Santa Margarita with a boost from defense
MISSION VIEJO, CA., November 4, 2022 – JSerra dominated the second half Friday in a 27-20 win over Santa Margarita in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 football playoffs at Saddleback College.
The Lions held Santa Margarita scoreless in the second half and had 12 first downs compared to four for the Eagles.
JSerra (6-5) will play top-seeded Mater Dei in the second round of the Division 1 playoffs next week at Santa Ana Stadium.
Santa Margarita (6-5) had a chance to tie the score late in the fourth quarter. On fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line, Jack Munro deflected a Santa Margarita pass to ensure the victory for JSerra.
Prior to the game, JSerra head coach Scott McKnight was injured in an on-field accident and had to be taken to nearby Providence Mission Hospital Mission Viejo. The game was delayed 15 minutes and both teams met at midfield for a prayer before the game started.
As of halftime, McKnight was responsive and speaking at the hospital, according to school officials.
JSerra quarterback Zander Singh had a season-high 242 yards passing with a touchdown. Josh Jordanal caught five passes for 85 yards.
JSerra opened the second half with a seven-play, 78-yard scoring drive that was capped by a 4-yard touchdown run by George Perez.
Late in the third quarter, Singh threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jose Frutos. Perez ran for a 2-point conversion to cut the lead to 20-19.
Midway through the fourth quarter, JSerra linebacker Clarence Chaney recovered a fumble and returned it 33 yards for a touchdown to give JSerra the lead. Singh completed a 2-point conversion attempt to Brett Debergh.
Santa Margarita opened the game with a big scoring play. Jaxon Potter threw a screen pass to freshman Trent Mosley, who ran 71 yards for a touchdown to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead.
Potter completed 24 passes for 331 yards and three touchdowns.
The senior quarterback was forced to throw the ball away while in his own end zone and it resulted in a safety to make the score 7-2.
JSerra capped a scoring drive with a 30-yard field goal by Shayne Daly to cut the Santa Margarita lead to 7-5 late in the first quarter.
The Eagles responded with a six-play, 68-yard scoring drive capped by a 23-yard touchdown pass from Potter to Niko Lopez to extend the lead to 14-5.
After Donovan Comestro and Ben Durham forced a JSerra fumble, Potter ended a scoring-drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Lopez to give the Eagles a 20-5 lead at halftime.
The two Trinity League foes previously faced each other on Oct. 7 at Saddleback College. Santa Margarita won that game 29-28.
| JSerra | 5 | 0 | 14 | 8 | 27 |
| Santa Margarita | 7 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
SM – T. Mosley 71 pass from Potter (Schuster kick)
JS – Safety: Potter intentional grounding in endzone
JS – Daly 30 FG
SM – Lopez 23 pass from Potter (Schuster kick)
SM – Lopez 5 pass from Potter (Potter pass failed)
JS – Perez 4 run (Singh pass failed)
JS – Frutos 11 pass from Singh (Perez run)
JS – Chaney 33 fumble return (Debergh pass from Singh)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: SM - Foye 6-36
Passing: SM - Potter 24-39-0-331
Receiving: SM - E. Mosley 9-99, T-Mosley 5-94, Lopez 6-79
By Michael Huntley
Friday, November 4, 2022
The Orange County Register
