SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – Electrical issues made for a slow start to Friday night’s game at St. Margaret’s High.
But when the lights showed up – after a 45-minute delay – so did the Tartans. They put up 35 unanswered points in the first half en route to a 42-6 nonleague win over Arrowhead Christian.
Nick Shanks led St. Margaret’s (4-0) with five touchdowns – two rushing and three on receptions. He put the Tartans on the board three minutes into the first quarter with a leaping grab on a 12-yard pass from George Krantz, and rushed for another score on the next drive.
“He’s a special player,” Coach Stephen Barbee said. “Not too many people in the state can play on his level when he gets going. He’s a threat.”
Krantz completed 14 of 19 for 225 yards and four touchdowns.
James Eidt had two fumble recoveries and a sack for the Tartans’ defense, which held the Eagles (2-3) to just 48 all-purpose yards in the first half.
Arrowhead Christian was scoreless until the fourth quarter, when Joseph Yarber slipped through the Tartans’ defense for an 8-yard touchdown.
The game came to a halt for 20 minutes in the second quarter when Tartans’ sophomore Ryan Cragun was carted off the field after a hard open-field tackle. He had three catches for 88 yards prior to the injury, including a short slant pass for a touchdown.
The loss of Cragun was apparent on the sidelines for the Tartans.
“I did what I could but honestly all I could think about was Cragun,” said Shanks, who came back from a season-ending injury two seasons ago. “They (Arrowhead Christian) were coming out and saying ‘We can still win this, we’re still in this. Honestly, we’re like (heck) no we’re not. We’re doing this for Cragun.
“We came out and did what we had to do and the scoreboard showed it.”
