Santa Margarita Beats Aliso Niguel

It has been widely speculated that the Division VI champion will come from the Sea View League.

Santa Margarita, the league’s third-place finisher, added credibility to that speculation Friday night with a 28-14 victory over No. 3-seeded Aliso Niguel in a first-round game at Aliso Niguel High.

The Eagles (8-3) will meet Tustin in next week at a site to be determined.

Aliso Niguel (5-6), the Pacific Coast League champion, had the misfortune of drawing Division VI’s best third-place team in Santa Margarita. The Eagles finished behind No. 1-seeded Woodbridge and second-seeded Irvine in Sea View League play and were ranked fourth in the final Division VI poll.

But the Wolverines weren’t in awe of Santa Margarita, and utilized an effective double-wing rushing attack to earn a 14-14 halftime tie. Aliso Niguel rushed 36 times for 166 yards in the first half, and got a pair of one-yard scoring runs from Iman Nikzad.

“They did a nice job with their double wing,” Santa Margarita Coach Jim Hartigan said. “They were a lot more physical than I expected and really controlled the ball.”

Santa Margarita started the third quarter with an 80-yard scoring drive to retake the lead and establish control. Spencer McCroskey, who rushed for 90 yards in 20 carries, scored his second touchdown of the game on a five-yard run for the Eagles.

Defensive adjustments enabled Santa Margarita to shut down Aliso Niguel throughout the second half. The Wolverines managed only 57 yards in total offense, and couldn’t rally after Greg Orlando threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Mike O’Gorman with 10 minutes 55 seconds left in the game to give Santa Margarita a 28-14 lead.

“Our defense was a lot crisper in the second half and I think we wore them down a little,” Hartigan said. “We did a nice job on both sides of the ball in the second half.”

Orlando completed 10 of 13 passes for 143 yards and the clinching touchdown. Nikzad had 104 yards in 17 carries for the Wolverines.