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Damian Calhoun. Sports Newsroom Assistant.

// MORE INFORMATION: Associate Mug Shot taken August 24, 2010 : by KATE LUCAS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

After a 10-day break, a slow start in the U.S Lacrosse Southern Section South Division playoffs was almost expected for the St. Margaret’s boys team.

“We were a little slow,” defenseman Fernando Delgado said of the Tartans’ efforts in the first period Tuesday against El Toro. “Then we woke up and realized this is it. You lose and you go home, and none of the seniors want to do that.”

What followed was type of response Delgado has come to expect from his teammates.

The Tartans, the third seed in the South Division bracket, started to flex their muscles after the first period. They scored nine goals in the second and six in third on their way to a 19-9 victory over 14th-seeded El Toro (11-7).

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Tuesday’s playoff scores

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The Tartans will host Trabuco Hills in the second round Thursday. The teams met earlier this season with the Tartans winning, 9-6.

St. Margaret’s was eliminated in the second round of the playoffs last year.

Samuel Harnisch scored seven goals for the Tartans (18-3), and Kevin Cox had three goals. Nicholas Shanks had five assists.

“We were getting shots, but they just weren’t going in,” St. Margaret’s coach Glen Miles said. “Once our shooting kind of settled in a little bit, I think we were a little bit more comfortable.”

Harnisch scored three of his goals in the third period as the Tartans took an 18-6 lead into the final period.

“That’s just a casual game for him,” Ryan Harnisch said of his younger brother. “I wasn’t too surprised.”

Ryan Harnisch frustrated the El Toro team and fans with his strong performance, winning 21 of 26 face-offs. He also scored three goals.

“We had some things start going our way,” Ryan Harnisch said of the second and third periods. “It became more fun and momentum built and it was a fun game.”

Clay Gilmour, Nick Skeffington, Jared Vlach and Parker Core had two goals apiece for the Chargers, who were Sea View League champions this season.

In other first-round games:

Corona del Mar 15, Huntington Beach 3: Jordan Greenhall, Max Kline and Nate Neumann scored three goals apiece for the second-seeded Sea Kings (17-0) in the home victory.

San Clemente 8, Tesoro 7: The seventh-seeded Tritons (13-16) edged the visiting Titans in overtime. This was the third victory this season for the Tritons over their South Coast League rivals.

San Clemente will visit second-seeded Corona del Mar in the second round Thursday.

Contact the writer: dcalhoun@ocregister.com