Entering the 2006 season, factors seemed to be stacked against Santa Margarita.

The Eagles returned only three starters on offense: a running back, tight end and wide receiver. Matt Bahr would have given Santa Margarita one returning lineman but he departed in the winter for Mission Viejo.

The defense had slightly more experience with four returning starters.

Only one returning player - senior wide receiver/defensive back Ryan Maxwell - looked like a Division I-A recruit.

And the schedule certainly didn't offer any breaks. The Eagles were set to join the Trinity League, arguably the toughest collection of teams in the state. The league featured Mater Dei, Servite and newcomer Orange Lutheran, among others.

When the Orange County preseason poll came out, Santa Margarita was nowhere to be found. In the league preseason poll, the Eagles narrowly avoided fifth place before settling at fourth.

"No one gave them a chance, and I think they felt challenged," Santa Margarita coach Mike Jacot said.

Behind their fourth-year coach, the Eagles more than answered the challenge. They beat Long Beach Poly in their season opener and shot to No.1 in the county after beating Mater Dei in their Trinity League opener.

Santa Margarita later knocked off South County rival Mission Viejo in the quarterfinals to reach the Pac-5 Division semifinals. The Eagles then fell to Edison, 14-3.

For his efforts, Jacot is The Register's Coach of the Year.

"It was definitely very exciting for us," Jacot said of the season. "I think we exceeded everyone's expectations outside of the program and everyone's inside the program."

So how exactly did the Eagles (10-3) do it?

"It just had to with chemistry," Jacot said. "The kids played well together."

Maxwell said a way Jacot developed chemistry was providing workouts that were so challenging, the players had to stick together just to make it.

Maxwell said running hills was one of the toughest exercises presented by Jacot, who sometimes would spring the challenges on the team.

The Eagles certainly showed chemistry on defense.

Santa Margarita's undersized defense swarmed to the ball and forced 33 turnovers.

On offense, the team stuck together for four game-winning, fourth-quarter drives.

Jacot's squad carried 26 seniors, which was considered a large group by the program's recent history.

While numbers helped Jacot, the seniors also knew what he demanded. They were the first group of players to spend four years with him.

His program stresses three characteristics: discipline, loyalty and character.

"They bought into our philosophy," Jacot said.

Maxwell said discipline became a trait of the team because of the time commitment required by Jacot.

The players sometimes were at the school four hours on Saturdays, Maxwell said.

Jacot also stressed loyalty among the players and the program. After experiencing some lagging crowd support at road games in 2005, he challenged his players not to be swayed by the amount fans in the stands, Maxwell said.

"Fans come and go," Jacot told the players.

When it came to character, Jacot pushed the players to find balance in life.

"He shapes us to be well-rounded gentlemen," Maxwell said of Jacot, a former high school standout at the now-defunct Southern California Christian.

But for all their unity, the Eagles needed confidence to offset their inexperience. That's where the Long Beach Poly game came in.

Jacot said Santa Margarita's 9-7 victory Sept. 1 over the Jackrabbits set the tone for the season.

"Playing Long Beach Poly, Week 0, was huge for our program," Jacot said. "It boosted our confidence."

Santa Margarita later played on of its best games against Mater Dei. Jacot counts the Eagles' 17-7 victory as the team's biggest, one spot ahead of the Eagles' 25-24 triumph against Mission Viejo.

Since the end of the season, Jacot has focused on helping his seniors with NCAA recruiting. But the former running back at Fullerton College and Oregon State said it has been difficult because they "don't look good on paper."

But, as Jacot knows, Santa Margarita looked great on the field.