O’Brien Sparks Santa Margarita

TUSTIN —  Sean O’Brien, caked with mud from head to toe, took a serious tone for a change. The normally brash Santa Margarita quarterback was quite ready to challenge all comers after the Eagles’ 35-21 victory over Tustin Friday night.

“The only ‘defense’ that has stopped us all year was Mother Nature,” O’Brien said. “No one else has come close.”

It would be hard to argue.

After all, O’Brien had just performed exploratory surgery on the Tustin defense. He completed 21 of 25 passes for a school single-game record 337 yards and three touchdowns to tighten the Eagles’s grip on second place in the Sea View League.

Normally a performance like that would bring a high-charged response from the excitable O’Brien. This time, he was willing to let the numbers do the jawing.

“Let’s just say it was fun out there tonight,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien dodged defenders and found receivers all over the wet turf at Tustin High School, the same conditions that slowed him in a 20-13 victory over Saddleback last week. O’Brien was a meager six of 13 for 47 yards and had one pass intercepted in that game.

But this time, O’Brien dominated even the weather conditions.

Receivers Brian Finneran, Brad Finneran and Kevin Duffy found seams in the Tiller defense and O’Brien found them.

Brian Finneran caught 11 passes for 161 yards, tying his own school record for receptions. His brother had four catches for 43 yards and Duffy caught three passes for 115 yards.

All three had touchdowns.

“When the conditions allow us to throw and run the option, we can score 35-40 points,” Coach Jim Hartigan said. “We had the momentum.”

He took great lengths to keep it.

While O’Brien gave what was expected, Hartigan dabbled in the unexpected, which produced two touchdowns.

Tustin (3-5, 2-3 in league) cut the Eagles’ lead in half, 14-7, midway through the second quarter. But Derek Yankoff took the following kickoff, then handed off to Duffy on a reverse. He ran through a crowd for a 85-yard touchdown return.

The Tillers barely had time to catch their breath when the Eagles tried an on-side kick. Kevin Breen recovered the ball, which led to a one-yard touchdown run by O’Brien to give the Eagles (7-1, 4-1) a 28-7 halftime lead.

“We felt like we had things going our way and wanted to keep it that way,” Hartigan said.

It proved to be a wise move.

Tustin managed to pull within a touchdown on a 73-yard run by Lamar Barrett and a 23-yard run by Jason Reynolds.

But O’Brien drove the Eagles 69 yards to clinch the game. He capped it with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Brian Finneran.