Mission Viejo 7 - Eagles 3
MISSION VIEJO, CA., August 22, 2025 – With numerous storylines surrounding the opening football game of the 2025 season for Santa Margarita Catholic High School (SMCHS), ultimately the bottom line was that there was a game played between the lines of the turf by student-athletes from two high schools. Mission Viejo was the opponent making the short trip up the 5 Freeway to face the Eagles at Trabuco Hills High School.
At kickoff time (7:00 p.m.), the heat was just a few ticks under the century mark, rivaling the hottest game in school history, in terms of temperature at kickoff. Three former SMCHS players wore the red and gold for the Diablos. The gates finally had to be shut as a sellout capacity crowd was on hand. How many? Well, several websites say that 5,666 can be shoehorned inside. Not sure, but there were a lot of people present for the biggest crowd to see the Eagles play in some time. Oh, and yes, Carson Palmer made his coaching debut with the Eagles.
The defensive struggle defied the expectation of many who expected points on the scoreboard. Both schools have a boatload of talent that can detonate at any time. The Eagles managed to breakthrough first with a 23-yard field goal as time expired in the first half. Senior Tyler Wiegand spilt the uprights with precision and SMCHS grabbed the slim lead. Those would be the only points the Eagles put on the scoreboard for the night as they fell 7-3.
The game was not without hints of positive assets to build upon in the upcoming weeks. Receiver Grant Mosley enjoyed the best game of his young career with four pass receptions for 30 yards. The sophomore seems poised and confident to step forward in establishing his own identity beside All-America brother Trent.
Other new faces who emerged and gained a foothold for the future included sophomore receiver Jake Martin with two receptions -- his first offensive touches for the Eagles. Freshman Adrian Petero saw significant action at running back and combined with sophomore Jaion Smith for 94 rushing yards.
In addition to the pass-catching wizardry of Trent Mosley, the receiving connection between quarterback Trace Johnson and junior tight end Luke Gazzaniga seemed to spell harmony. The combination collaborated nicely -- five catches for 67 yards. Overall, Johnson was 20-of-29 passing (70.0%) for 205 yards. In all, the Eagles gained 299 yards of total offense.
SMCHS’s vaunted defense was present. Skilled linebacker Dash Fifita tied for the team lead in tackles with six. Sophomore cornerback Ca’ron Williams also registered six tackles. The man they call “Prime” was selected this week by MaxPreps.com as a national Preseason Sophomore All-America honoree. Two other linebackers, Leki Holani and Vai Manutai, each logged one sack.
| Mission Viejo | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Santa Margarita | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
SM – Wiegand 23 FG
MV – Junker 34 pass from Fahey (Murguia kick)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: SM - Smith 19-56, Petero 8-38;
Passing: SM - Johnson 20-29-0 205;
Receiving: SM - T. Mosley 7-52, L. Gazzaniga 5-7;
Compiled by Chuck Nan
Statistics by Shane Mielke
Mission Viejo football rallies to spoil Carson Palmer’s coaching debut
MISSION VIEJO, CA., August 22, 2025 – There was no shortage of storylines as Santa Margarita and Mission Viejo kicked off their football seasons on Friday.
From the coaching debut of Santa Margarita’s Carson Palmer to the arrival of the Eagles’ new linemen to the heat of a South County rivalry, the game offered the spectators who filled Trabuco Hills High plenty to follow.
The drama built as the defenses dominated, setting the stage for Mission Viejo quarterback Luke Fahey to showcase his skill.
The Ohio State commit threw a 32-yard touchdown to wide receiver Jack Junker late in the third period and Diablos forced an incompletion on fourth-and-1 from their 7 with 26 seconds left in the fourth to secure a 7-3 victory.
“I’m so proud of my guys,” Mission Viejo coach Chad Johnson said. “We were banged up tonight. We (were) missing some guys. Vance Spafford got hurt (before) halftime and we kept fighting through adversity. Our starting linebacker Cash Gervase had a really catastrophic injury to his knee … but our young guys stepped up.”
“We’re a small, gritty group,” the coach added, “playing (the) big, Trinity (League) bad boys. I could not be more happy for our defense.”
Trailing 7-3, Santa Margarita drove about seven minutes from its 20 to reach the fourth-and-1 with 34 seconds left in regulation. But the Eagles briefly lost the ball on the snap and the Diablos pressured Trace Johnson into an incomplete pass through the end zone.
Mission Viejo, ranked No. 2 in Orange County and No. 14 in the nation by MaxPreps, took a 7-3 lead as Fahey rolled to his right to connect with Junker, an offseason transfer from Santa Margarita.
The senior found Junker on the first play after the Diablos’ defense forced a punt after the Eagles were pinned deep in their territory by a punt by Isaiah Murguia.
Fahey finished 15 of 22 for 188 yards.
Johnson, a Tulane commit, completed 21 of 31 passes for 212 yards in his first start since transferring from Florida.
Santa Margarita, ranked No. 3 in Orange County and No. 16 in the nation by MaxPreps, led 3-0 at halftime on a 23-yard field goal by Tyler Wiegand as time expired.
On the play, Spafford injured his ankle attempting a block, Chad Johnson said.
The kick helped the Eagles salvage a possession that included a long touchdown catch by Trent Mosley negated by a holding penalty,
Wiegand’s field goal came after the Eagles’ Vai Manutai sacked Fahey to halt a Mission Viejo drive at the Santa Margarita 31.
Santa Margarita set the tone for a defensive battle with a fourth-and-goal stand from its 1 with 3:28 left in the first quarter.
The Eagles’ offensive and defensive lines featured recently cleared transfers Simote Katoanga, Manoah Faupusa, Niniva Nicholson and Isaia Vandermade.
Santa Margarita outrushed Mission Viejo 94-29 but the Diablos’ defense made the stop when it mattered.
“As soon as we heard that they wanted to run the ball down our throats, we emphasized closing that gap,” Mission Viejo defensive lineman JD Hill said. “Transfers don’t mean nothing. It’s all about heart.”
As for playing spoiler on Friday, Hill added, “We just focus on this team.”
Mission Viejo defeated Santa Margarita for the sixth consecutive game in the rivalry to open a 7-2 advantage.
Palmer entered the game feeling “gratitude” for the chance to coach at his alma mater.
Santa Margarita hired the Heisman Trophy winner from USC and former NFL All-Pro in December in the wake of a alleged sexual assault case.
Palmer, 45, has delivered a “calming presence” and plenty of teaching, said Jim Hartigan, his high school coach who now serves as the school’s vice president of athletics.
“He just seems to be really invested into getting to know all the kids,” Hartigan said. “A lot of that is who he is (as a person).”
Next week, Santa Margarita faces another test by playing host to Centennial on Thursday, Aug. 28. Mission Viejo plays at St. Paul on Aug. 29.
By Dan Albano
August, 22, 2025
The Orange County Register
