St. Margaret's wins showdown to extend streak to 31
St. Margaret's wins showdown to extend streak to 31
Whittier Christian vs. St. Margaret's
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO - In a game that wasn't as close as the score, St. Margaret's scored the first 28 points, gave up the last 14 and defeated visiting Whittier Christian, 42-26.
The victory is the Tartans' 31st in a row. They are one short of Edison for second-place in Orange County history.
If St. Margaret's (3-0) does what many people expect it to do — go through the regular season undefeated and win a third consecutive Southern Section championship — the Tartans will break the record set by the Mission Viejo program, 41 games, from 2001-03.
David Mothander completed 7 of 16 passes for 146 yards and a 38-yard touchdown pass to Alex Brolick, and also carried 11 times for 52 yards and three touchdowns.
Speedy junior tailback John Murayama rushed 15 times for 107 yards and returned the second-half kickoff 98 yards for a 35-12 lead.
Whittier Christian (2-2) had scored a 34-16 victory over public-school Savanna last week and was averaging 32.3 points per game, and some were looking at this outcome to determine how St. Margaret's would fare against tougher competition.
St. Margaret's had its way with the Heralds, especially early in the game.
Mothander scored the first three touchdowns on runs of 4, 2 and 3 yards, but his real value came on long passes to move the ball downfield on the first two scoring drives.
He completed passes of 32 yards to Alex Brolick and 55 yards to J.T. Carpenter.
The lead was stretched to 28-0, thanks to a 16-yard fumble return by Austin Holden with 8:08 left in the first half.
"He can do it all," St. Margaret's coach Harry Welch said of Mothander, who also kicked extra points and blocked a Whittier Christian point-after attempt. "He's an effective runner and good leader."
Matthew Duenes had two interceptions for St. Margaret's against Whittier Christian quarterback Stephen Anderson, who completed 19 of 31 passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns.
Michael Schmall's interception set up St. Margaret's first score.
Contact the writer: preps@ocregister.com
