OCVarsity preview for the 2015 season:
SANTA MARGARITA EAGLES
Coach: Rick Curtis
Last season: 6-5 overall, 2-3 league
Scouting report: This team might do whatever it wants on offense. The Eagles have the county’s No. 1 recruit, senior quarterback KJ Costello, who has committed to Stanford. The No. 2 recruit is senior receiver Dylan Crawford, who transferred from St. Francis of La Canada. The receiver corps is deep, with returners Jerome Bohuslavizki, Maxx Lewis and Noah Rasheed. Matt Mark is a sturdy running back, and the offensive line includes 2014 all-league selection Tanner Prenovost and junior Brett Neilon, who has offers from Arizona State and UCLA. But it’s the offensive line that makes Coach Rick Curtis cautious. “We probably average 6-1, 250 pounds across the line,” Curtis said, “and that’s small for our league.” Defensively, the Eagles are strongest at linebacker, where Mark and Tanner Matthews should be standouts, and in the defensive secondary that features returning starter Noah Canty. The kicking game has Sam Loy, who transferred from San Clemente and is attracting recruiting interest. CalHiSports.com has Santa Margarita as the No. 11 team in its state preseason rankings.
Bottom line: The offense is going to score points like it’s a basketball game, so if the defense can keep opposing offenses from doing the same, this team will be in the playoffs and contend for the league championship.
Players to watch: KJ Costello, QB, Sr.; Dylan Crawford, WR, Sr.; JP Hackett, DB, Sr.; Maxx Lewis, WR, Sr.; Tanner Matthews, LB, Sr.
Contact the writer: sfryer@ocregister.com
