Despite lightning delaying the game, the Santa Margarita Eagles soared to victory against the JSerra Lions—the team’s fifteenth consecutive win. It took big plays from the offense, defense and special teams, but the Eagles stayed undefeated through a rainy Friday night at Saddleback College with the 36–12 win.
Not only did Santa Margarita have to wait out a lightning delay of more than an hour, but the Eagles also had to work through early mistakes. Their first two possessions showed promise but ended in turnovers. Running back Adrian Petero helped move Santa Margarita inside the JSerra 10 before a fumble ended the drive.
The next opportunity slipped away when JSerra linebacker Grayson Matvay intercepted a pass and returned it more than 80 yards. Grant Mosley chased him down to prevent a touchdown, but Lions quarterback Hayes Cloutier scored on a two-yard run two plays later. Tonga Uhila blocked the extra point, keeping the score at 6–0.
Santa Margarita’s defense then stepped up to help turn things around. Freshman Kaleb Herndon pressured Cloutier into an intentional grounding penalty that resulted in a safety, cutting the deficit to 6–2. Once the Eagles found their rhythm, the big plays kept coming.
The Eagles took their first lead just before halftime. Ryan Clark’s 17-yard punt return set up a short field, and Petero finished the possession with a nine-yard touchdown run. Kai Koga’s extra point put Santa Margarita ahead 9–6 with 54 seconds left in the half.
Then came the third quarter and a big play from Luca Amaya. The junior returned the second-half kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown, stretching the lead to 16–6. Santa Margarita’s defense forced punts on JSerra’s next two possessions before the offense added a 10-play, 60-yard scoring drive. Fletch Palmer found Mosley on an eight-yard shovel pass to make it 23–6.
JSerra nearly answered with a kickoff-return touchdown of its own, but Rayshawn Brandon brought down Luca Deleon before he reached the end zone.
That tackle gave the Eagles’ defense another chance to make a play—and it delivered immediately.
Kingston Jimmerson collected a fumble forced by Uhila and ran 79 yards for a touchdown, pushing the lead to 29–6 with 9:06 remaining.
Jaion Smith added a 28-yard touchdown run later in the fourth quarter. JSerra scored on the final play to bring the final score to 36–12.
Petero finished with 114 rushing yards on 19 carries, while Mosley caught seven passes for 71 yards. Herndon recorded eight tackles, two tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Fellow freshman Aydan Steen added eight tackles, four quarterback hurries and half a sack.
The Eagles improved to 9–0 overall and 4–0 in Trinity League play, securing at least a share of their second consecutive league championship. JSerra fell to 4–5 overall and 0–4 in league play.
The Eagles close the regular season against Orange Lutheran on Friday, October 30, at Orange Coast College. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. A victory would give Santa Margarita its first 5–0 league finish since 1997.