The Santa Margarita boys lacrosse team finally made it to the top of the Trinity League standings this season.
The Eagles, under Coach Adam Guy, secured their first outright league title, knocking perennial champion JSerra from the top spot.
“The guys were definitely motivated,” Guy said. “We knew we had the guys to win league and we were able to put it all together. They believed in each other and worked for it.”
The Eagles defeated the Lions, 17-9, on April 12, and concluded league play with a 15-8 victory over JSerra on April 23.
“It was nice to get the monkey off of our back,” Guy said of beating JSerra and winning the title.
Santa Margarita will likely be seeded fourth in the U.S. Lacrosse Orange County Championships, which start next week. The pairings will be released Saturday.
The Eagles have already faced two of the likely top seeds, St. Margaret’s and Foothill. They lost to the Tartans, 16-5, and to Foothill, 6-4.
“As a whole, there is a lot of parity (in the county) this year,” Guy said. “The top eight seeds are all really good.”
Sophomore Quentin Buchman has scored 77 points for Santa Margarita. Guy calls him the team’s catalyst. Guy added that Logan Dochterman, Eric Rubak and CJ Deal have also been keys to Santa Margarita’s success.
“We’ve done a good job of playing as a team,” he said.
The Eagles’ focus now is on trying to make a deep run in the playoffs. Last year, JSerra, as the fourth seed, advanced to the county finals.
“Each team has their own strength,” Guy said of the possible top four of Corona del Mar, Foothill, St. Margaret’s and the Eagles. “CdM has established itself as the top team, and they have a great face-off guy to keep possession. Foothill is never not in the conversation. They’re always so athletic and those kids expect to win. St. Margaret’s is incredibly talented and well-coached.
“We have some nice pieces offensively and defensively, and I like that we have some big game experience.”
Contact the writer: dcalhoun@ocregister.com
