Eagles 42 - Patriots 3
MISSION VIEJO, CA., September 6, 2024 – Game time temperature still hovered around the 100-degree mark as Santa Margarita Catholic (SMC) kicked off to visiting Liberty (Bakersfield) on “Senior Night.” The Patriots come from the lower Central Valley where these triple-digit readings are routine. However, it was the Eagles that brought the sizzle and never let Liberty gather a gasp of success as they rolled, 42-3.
For the third-straight week, Steve Fifita’s defense was intense and inspired. This season, the squad has demonstrated speed and athleticism that the program has not seen in the past several years. Stout and rigged play limited the Patriots to short gains, tightly defended passes and quarterback hurries that led to mistakes. J.J. Hanne and Tonga Uhila made themselves very friendly in the backfield. Logan Hirou and Luke Anderson introduced themselves as they snagged interceptions.
The big story of the evening, though, was the quarterback play of James Johnson. The game started with “J.J.” alternating each series with John Gazzaniga. Quickly, the senior caught fire, showed poise, and threw some remarkably accurate passes to a talented stable of receivers. When he was done, he had five touchdowns passing to three receivers. Jack Junker and Trent Mosley each snared two and tight end Fisher Melton one.
Eagle’s Highlights
- James Johnson: 11-for-17 (83.3%), 246 yards and 5 touchdowns
- Trent Mosley: 6 receptions, 111 yards (18.5) and 2 touchdowns
- Jack Junker: 4 receptions, 132 yards (33.0) and 2 touchdowns
- Fisher Melton: 1 receiving touchdown
- Jaion Smith: Led team with 40 rushing yards
- Luke Anderson: 2 Interceptions and one touchdown (3 interceptions in past 2 weeks)
- J.J. Hanne: One sack and one tackle for loss
- Logan Hirou: One interception
- Tonga Uhila: One interception, one sack and one tackle for loss
- Ryan Gass: 6-for-6 on PAT conversions / Now 11-of-11 for season
Last game with 40-or-more points: October 20, 2023 vs. Servite @ Cerritos College, Lost 50-42
Last game allowing 3-points-or-less: March 26, 2021 vs. JSerra, Won 42-0
| Santa Margarita | 7 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 42 |
| Liberty | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
SM – Melton 8 pass from Johnson (Gass kick)
SM – Junker 10 pass from Johnson (Gass kick)
LIB – Struzyna 25 FG
SM – Junker 80 pass from Johnson (Gass kick)
SM – T. Mosley 65 pass from Johnson (Gass kick)
SM – T. Mosley 4 pass from Johnson (Gass kick)
SM – Anderson 60 interception return (Gass kick)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: SM - Ja. Smith 10-40, Johnson 5-19; LIB - Murphy 13-34, Perry 6-32
Passing: SM - Johnson 11-17-1-246, J. Gazzaniga 5-6-0-22; LIB - Turk 8-20-4-53
Receiving: SM - T. Mosley 6-11, Junker 4-132;
Compiled by Chuck Nan
Statistics by Shane Mielke
