GAME OF THE WEEK RECAP: Santa Margarita advances to the Division 1 Final for the First Time Since 2011

by Noah Scherson

Trent Mosley and Santa Margarita took down Orange Lutheran in a dominant 31-6 victory over Orange Lutheran at LeBard Stadium.

The Eagles started with the ball and drove down the field as senior quarterback Trace Johnson would link up with senior wide receiver Trent Mosley on a deep pass to set up Mosley’s first touchdown of the night on a 4-yard reception. Mosley would tally 83 yards on five catches and two touchdowns through the air, rushing for another 12 on three attempts. 

After the Lancers’ upset win against No. 4 St. John Bosco, the Eagles knew they needed to keep the momentum. They converted on the onside kick to keep the ball and set up a 13-yard rushing touchdown from sophomore running back Jaion Smith. Smith would tally 69 yards on the ground throughout the evening. 

“We wanted to be really aggressive,” Santa Margarita head coach Carson Palmer said. “In the playoffs, you can’t wait around to win.”

Orange Lutheran would receive the kickoff, and their offense stepped on the field for the first time with only about three minutes left in the first quarter. Their hopes wouldn’t last long as Santa Margarita’s senior safety Logan Hirou recovered a fumble in Lancer territory. 

This time, it was freshman running back Adrian Petero on a 4-yard rushing touchdown to extend the lead to 21-0. 

After exchanging punts, Orange Lutheran found some life offensively. After taking some costly sacks, they missed the 55-yard field goal to end the half 21-0 in favor of the Eagles.

Midway through the third quarter, Johnson would find Mosley again for a 45-yard score to extend the lead to 28-0. Johnson finished with a quarterback rating of 101.9, going 11-21 with a pair of touchdowns.

After a long field goal for the Eagles, with one minute left in the third, junior defensive lineman Tonga Uhila recovered the second fumble for the Eagles. Santa Margarita’s defense came up big last night, tallying five total sacks, seven tackles for loss and two turnovers.

The Lancers finally found the endzone deep in the fourth quarter as freshman quarterback Ezrah Brown linked up with senior running back Sean Morris Jr. for a 14-yard receiving touchdown.

Santa Margarita will face Corona Centennial on Friday at the Rose Bowl for the Division 1 championship.