CORONA – Loaded with lots of weapons, Santa Margarita proved to host Santiago of Corona on Friday night why it’s one of the top teams in Southern California.
Standout quarterback KJ Costello used those weapons to show why he’s one of the top quarterbacks in the state.
In little more than two quarters, Costello passed for 432 yards (completing 17 of 21 passes) and four touchdowns to lead third-ranked Santa Margarita to a 59-14 victory over the Sharks in a nonleague game.
Costello was precise from long distance, throwing for touchdowns of 61, 50 and 80 yards for Santa Margarita (2-0).
He connected with favorite targets Dylan Crawford (six for 176 yards), Grant Calceterra (five for 141) and Noah Rasheed (five for 81).
After Santa Margarita drove down the field on seven plays to score on its first possession of the the second half, Coach Rick Curtis gave his senior quarterback the rest of the night off.
“He looked really good tonight,” Curtis said. “We have the weapons to spread it around and he had an outstanding game.”
Santiago (0-2) was outmatched but did show a burst of moxie near the end of the first half, matching touchdowns with the Eagles to go into the half down 42-14.
Sharks quarterback Alex Sandoval led the late-half attack, running for a 4-yard score then connecting with Jacob Ricard on a 48-yard strike with :48 left in the half.
“The effort is better but it’s still not good enough,” first-year Santiago coach Scott Morrison said. “We’ll go back and work on it and play better next week.”
The first quarter was all Santa Margarita (2-0). The Eagles were very efficient, scoring 21 points on 13 plays.
Costello, who had 151 yards and two touchdowns, hit Calcaterra on a 61-yard strike on Santa Margarita’s first play.
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