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  • Thanks to a pair of late touchdowns that made the...

    Thanks to a pair of late touchdowns that made the game seem closer than it was, the mood of the St. Margaret's players and coaches wasn't too low as they celebrated their runner-up finish. St. Margaret's head coach Stephen Barbee raises the runner-up trophy.

  • Central Catholic's Hunter Petlansky (11) scrambles toward the sideline during...

    Central Catholic's Hunter Petlansky (11) scrambles toward the sideline during the second half of the CIF State Division IV championship game Friday at StubHub Center.

  • Central Catholic's Jared Rice (16) leaps for this reception over...

    Central Catholic's Jared Rice (16) leaps for this reception over St. Margaret's weremy Davis (12) during the second half of the CIF State Division IV championship game Friday at StubHub Center.

  • Despite getting knocked down, St. Margaret's Preston Ellis (11) still...

    Despite getting knocked down, St. Margaret's Preston Ellis (11) still manages to bring down Central Catholic's Ryan Vierra during the second half at StubHub Center.

  • St. Margaret's Auston Locke (25) gets slammed to the turf...

    St. Margaret's Auston Locke (25) gets slammed to the turf by Central Catholic's Danny Abbate (3) after making a reception makes during the second half of the CIF State Division IV championship game Friday at StubHub Center.

  • St. Margaret's Preston Ellis (11) grabs his facemark and screams...

    St. Margaret's Preston Ellis (11) grabs his facemark and screams after giving up a long reception to Central Catholic's Ryan Vierra during the first half of the CIF State Division IV championship game Friday at StubHub Center.

  • St. Margaret's head coach Stephen Barbee walks off the field...

    St. Margaret's head coach Stephen Barbee walks off the field after Central Catholic scored its last touchdown to take a 31-6 lead during the second half of the CIF State Division IV championship game Friday at StubHub Center.

  • Central Catholic's defense crushes St. Margaret's Nick Shanks (2) after...

    Central Catholic's defense crushes St. Margaret's Nick Shanks (2) after he caught a pass during the second half of the CIF State Division IV championship game Friday at StubHub Center.

  • St. Margaret's interim coach Stephen Barbee said after Friday's game...

    St. Margaret's interim coach Stephen Barbee said after Friday's game that he would like to keep the job.

  • Central Catholic's Austin Piper (28) and St. Margaret's Charlie Beall...

    Central Catholic's Austin Piper (28) and St. Margaret's Charlie Beall (8) came down with the last pass of the game and it was ruled to be in Beall's possession at the end of the CIF State Division IV championship game Friday at StubHub Center.

  • Central Catholic's Austin Piper (28) and St. Margaret's Charlie Beall...

    Central Catholic's Austin Piper (28) and St. Margaret's Charlie Beall (8) came down battling for the last pass of Friday's CIF State Division IV championship game at StubHub Center. Officials ruled it to be in Beall's possession.

  • St. Margaret's quarterback George Krantz (7) walks off the field...

    St. Margaret's quarterback George Krantz (7) walks off the field after throwing an interception in the third quarter of the CIF State Division IV championship game Friday at StubHub Center.

  • St. Margaret's Nick Shanks is swarmed under by Central Catholic's...

    St. Margaret's Nick Shanks is swarmed under by Central Catholic's defense during the first half Friday. Central Catholic won its third consecutive Division IV championship.

  • Thanks to a pair of late touchdowns that made the...

    Thanks to a pair of late touchdowns that made the game seem closer than it was, St. Margaret's players were left celebrating.

  • St. Margaret's quarterback George Krantz (7) gets sacked again in...

    St. Margaret's quarterback George Krantz (7) gets sacked again in the during the third quarter of the CIF State Division IV championship game Friday at StubHub Center.

  • St. Margaret's Fernando Delgado (24) has a moment to himself...

    St. Margaret's Fernando Delgado (24) has a moment to himself during the fourth quarter of the CIF State Division IV championship game Friday at StubHub Center.

  • St. Margaret's quarterback George Krantz (7) gets sacked by Central...

    St. Margaret's quarterback George Krantz (7) gets sacked by Central Catholic's Miguel Hernandez (7) during the second half of the CIF State Division IV championship game Friday at StubHub Center.

  • St. Margaret's Jack Westhead (55) sits on the bench alone...

    St. Margaret's Jack Westhead (55) sits on the bench alone during the fourth quarter of the CIF State Division IV championship game Friday at StubHub Center.

  • Central Catholic's Ryan Vierra (17) pulls in a long pass...

    Central Catholic's Ryan Vierra (17) pulls in a long pass in front of St. Margaret's Preston Ellis (11) during the first half of the CIF State Division IV championship game Friday at StubHub Center.

  • St. Margaret's Nick Shanks recovers a fumble by Central Catholic's...

    St. Margaret's Nick Shanks recovers a fumble by Central Catholic's Hunter Petlansky during the first half of the CIF State Division IV championship game Friday at StubHub Center.

  • Central Catholic's Hunter Petlansky fumbles the ball, which was recovered...

    Central Catholic's Hunter Petlansky fumbles the ball, which was recovered by St. Margaret's Nick Shanks (2) during the first half of the CIF State Division IV championship game Friday at StubHub Center.

  • Central Catholic's Jared Rice comes down with a touchdown during...

    Central Catholic's Jared Rice comes down with a touchdown during the first half of the CIF State Division IV championship game Friday at StubHub Center.

  • Central Catholic's Justin Rice rumbles over St. Margaret's defense during...

    Central Catholic's Justin Rice rumbles over St. Margaret's defense during the first half of the CIF State Division IV championship game Friday at StubHub Center.

  • Central Catholic's Jared Rice intercepts this half back option pass...

    Central Catholic's Jared Rice intercepts this half back option pass during the first half of the CIF State Division IV championship game Friday at StubHub Center.

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Dan Albano. Sports HS Reporter.

// MORE INFORMATION: Staff Mug Shot taken August 26, 2010 : by KATE LUCAS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER.

CARSON – The official signaled touchdown on the final play and St. Margaret’s players mobbed Charlie Beall for a wild celebration that featured lifted helmets and spirits.

For the next several moments at StubHub Center, the final numbers on the scoreboard didn’t seem to match the postgame reactions of the players.

Central Catholic of Modesto dominated St. Margaret’s, 31-19, Friday night to claim a third consecutive CIF state Division IV bowl championship, but it was the Tartans – after suffering their first loss — hoisting their helmets and smiling after the postgame handshakes.

“We’re happier than they are,” former St. Margaret’s star quarterback Josh Davis said while viewing the scene.

A season-worth of overcoming adversity created the smiles, which received some extra fuel after the Tartans (15-1) scored two touchdowns in the final 20 seconds of the fourth quarter.

Beall, the Tartans’ Stanford-committed kicker, outleaped and then outwrestled a defender to grab a pass from quarterback George Krantz for a 9-yard touchdown reception on the game’s last play.

St. Margaret’s targeted Beall because he gave up playing wide receiver at the request of college coaches more interested in his powerful foot.

The Tartans’ Preston Ellis recovered an onside kick by Beall to set up the final score, which came after a 23-yard touchdown run by Oscar Gomez with 15 seconds left in the fourth.

A team built on resolve knew no other way to end its season. Beall said taking a knee or hanging their heads wasn’t an option.

“We’ve been through a lot,” the senior said. “We were going to go out with a bang. … We’re proud.”

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Related: Loss hurts, but St. Margaret’s still smiling

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The Tartans played the season without Coach Rod Baltau, who went on medical leave with back and spine issues and eventually resigned. Stephen Barbee served as the interim head coach and Robb Fahrion took on the role of offensive coordinator.

There were plenty of other obstacles. Center Enrique Loya was lost for the season with a foot injury. The Tartans nearly suffered a rare Academy League loss before rallying from an 18-point deficit against Brethren Christian. And Krantz, a sophomore transfer from Laguna Beach, didn’t become eligible until the sixth game but flashed his potential the past two weeks.

So there was no doubt St. Margaret’s would fight to the end against Central Catholic, which led, 24-6, at halftime.

“A lot of (our) kids have known each other since preschool,” said St. Margaret’s linebacker/offensive tackle Dalan Cragun, who had a game-high 11 tackles. “We always know we’re going to have each others’ backs, so even if we lose, it feels like a win.”

Beall, wide receiver Fernando Delgado and Ellis were among the St. Margaret’s “lifers” or players who started at the school during preschool. 

“It’s who we are,” Barbee said of the team’s bond.

Central Catholic (12-3) simply performed better, even playing only the first half with standout running back Justin Rice (knee). Rice’s brother, Jared, made leaping touchdowns catches of 20 and 26 yards from quarterback Hunter Petlansky and also dished out some hard hits from safety, including one of the Raiders’ four sacks. He also had two key interceptions.

Jared’s first interception came two plays after Sam Harnisch of St. Margaret’s recovered a fumble in the middle of the second quarter at his 19. The Raiders already led, 14-0, so the Tartans were looking for a spark but Jared grabbed a deep pass by Nick Shanks, who took a direct snap. The Raiders quickly capitalized by driving for a 3-yard TD run by Montell Bland with just under five minutes left in the half to open a 21-0 lead.

“He’s a big-time player,” Central Catholic coach Roger Canepa said of Jared Rice. “Big players make big plays in a big games.”

The Raiders’ defense also shut down Gomez, a 2,300-yard rusher, and the Tartans’ ground game. St. Margaret’s finished with only 8 yards rushing while Central racked up 240 on 44 carries.

Central also mostly contained the dangerous Shanks, who finished with 143 all-purpose yards, including a 4-yard TD reception in the first half.

And the small-school power noticed the Tartans’ enthusiasm afterward.

“They were way more excited than we were. It’s all right, we won,” Canepa said. “We’re excited. We’ve just been here so many times, it’s kind of like, ‘another one.’ We’ll enjoy it. We’re all a little tired.”

The Tartans were in the moment.

“We wanted our last play to be a touchdown,” Beall said. “We had a great year.”

Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com