Defensive stand sparks St. Margaret's

SHERMAN OAKS - It all started with a dicey-fourth down call. St. Margaret’s, on its own 33, tried a fake punt on fourth-and-5 and failed to get a first down.

“That was the dumbest play of the whole game,” St. Margaret’s coach Harry Welch said. “And then, you know what’s typical of this team? The other team had eight attempts and still couldn’t score.”

That’s right, eight.

Welch said it changed the complexity of the Tartans’ 37-6 victory against Brentwood in the Northeast Division title on Saturday at Notre Dame High.

With a first down at the St. Margaret’s 11, two Brentwood runs picked up 9 yards. On third down, Tartans defensive back Dorian Farhang stripped Josh Amster — Brentwood recovered.

On fourth-and-13, a pass interference call on St. Margaret’s gave the Eagles first-and-goal.
Two plays later, Brentwood quarterback Mason Moss looked destined to score on a naked bootleg. But Moss briefly hesitated when he saw Hunter Steffien, allowing linebacker John Murayama to catch him from behind for a loss of yards.

Brentwood went for it again on fourth down, and this time a pass fell incomplete.

“Had they scored right then, it’s 7-6, and they have confidence in their offense,” Welch said. “That was probably the changing point.”

There were nine minutes left in the second quarter when St. Margaret’s eight-play defensive stand ended. Brentwood, trailing 6-0, would never be that close again.

“All week we watched countless hours of film,” said defensive back Michael Newman, who had two interceptions. “They had something completely different than what we’ve seen. We tried to mimic it as best as we could (in practice).”

Brentwood’s spread offense started fast but produced just 92 yards rushing. The Eagles gained 39 yards on their first five plays from scrimmage. The sixth play saw a pass go through one of its receiver’s hands and into Newman’s, standing at his 10-yard line.

Near the end of the third quarter, Brentwood, still with enough time to stage a comeback, made another push inside St. Margaret’s red zone.

Farhang ended that drive when he out-jumped a Brentwood receiver in the corner of the end zone and stretched out for an acrobatic interception.
 
 

Contact the writer: amaya@ocregister.com