SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – St. Margaret’s path to potential postseason berth was filled with obstacles Friday night.
The Tartans set out to pad their resume in hopes of securing an at-large entry into the CIF-SS playoffs with a sophomore behind center.
James Mott, starting in place of star quarterback George Krantz (34 touchdowns this season), who was out with a shoulder injury, was stellar on homecoming, as St. Margaret’s cruised past Crean Lutheran, 49-7, in a nonleague regular-season finale.
Mott completed 11 of 15 passes for 223 yards and three touchdowns for the Tartans (8-2). He also rushed for two scores.
“This year I’ve probably had 10 varsity snaps,” Mott said. “This is amazing. There are so many emotions right now. It’s just so hard to describe.”
St. Margaret’s, playing without a league and ranked No. 5 in Division 7, will find out Sunday at 8 a.m. if it has earned one of the 16 playoff spots in a 23-team division.
Crean Lutheran (7-3), which is also unaffiliated, could still receive an at-large berth in Division 11.
Running back Nick Krantz ran for 155 yards and two touchdowns for the Tartans. He scored on runs of 46 and 5 yards in the third quarter.
