St. Margaret's breaks record in title game

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO - As the St. Margaret’s football team posed for a photograph in front of its scoreboard late Saturday night, someone mentioned the word “dynasty.”

The Tartans presented a convincing case for small-school supremacy by defeating Twentynine Palms, 17-3, in the CIF-SS East Valley Division final in front of an overflow crowd at St. Margaret’s.

It was the Tartans’ third consecutive Southern Section title and extended their winning streak to an Orange County record 42 consecutive games.

St. Margaret’s (14-0) captured Northeast Division titles in 2006 and 2007. And Saturday, they moved past Mission Viejo for sole possession of the county record for consecutive victories. The 42-game roll also is the longest active streak in the state.

Twentynine Palms (10-4) pushed St. Margaret’s throughout.

Both defenses were strong but the offenses were sloppy as the schools combined for nine turnovers.

St. Margaret’s had five turnovers; Twentynine Palms four.

The top-seeded Tartans cost themselves points with fumbles at the Wildcats’ goal line and 10-yard line.

But the turnovers didn’t dampen the mood of the Tartans, who drenched Coach Harry Welch with water during a postgame interview.

“This was outstanding,” said Welch, who claimed his seventh section title overall. “The kids were so ready to play. They were so ready to play.

“In fact, they were too ready. I didn’t do a good enough job.”

St. Margaret’s took advantage of the first mistake of the game to score. On the opening possession, Twentynine Palms recorded a minus-4 yard punt to give the Tartans the ball at the Wildcats 48.

Four plays later, quarterback David Mothander threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Travis Anderson as the Tartans opened a 7-0 lead with six minutes left in the first quarter.

The Tartans’ defense then scored on the next play from scrimmage.

After a touchback by Mothander on the kickoff, defensive tackle Jeremy Baileys stripped the ball on a first-down running play and sprinted into the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown return with 5:54 left in the quarter.

St. Margaret’s took its 14-0 lead into the fourth quarter when Mothander added a 25-yard field goal with 5:51 left to make it 17-0.

Twentynine Palms responded with a 27-yard field goal by Nicolas Darrigrandi with 3:43 left. But the Tartans’ defense held one last time on an interception by defensive back Alex Brolick with 49 seconds left. Safety Chris Adams delivered his third jarring hit of the game near the play.

“Our defense has been nails all year,” said Baileys, who also had two sacks.

Twentynine Palms standout running back/receiver Montreal Harris was hobbled by an ankle injury from the semifinals and saw limited touches on offense.

The senior did endorse the Tartans’ candidacy to receive a berth in the state small school bowl Dec. 19. The announcement will be made Sunday.

St. Margaret’s main competition is Francis Parker of San Diego, which beat The Bishop’s of La Jolla, 51-22, for a title Saturday night at Southwestern College.

Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com