Santa Margarita Finishes Undefeated : Prep football: After their 33-6 victory over Warren, Eagles prepare for playoffs--but don’t know where they’ll go.

Santa Margarita High School made its second season of varsity football a perfect one with a 33-6 victory over Warren Thursday night.

Josh Ireland, a junior tailback, and David Shearer, a senior defensive back, led the way at Orange Coast College. Ireland rushed for 166 yards and two third-quarter touchdowns. Shearer had three interceptions, including one he returned 45 yards for a touchdown with 55 seconds left in the first half.

Santa Margarita (10-0) and its hurry-up offense had stalled at the Warren 39, where the Bears took over on downs near the end of the second quarter. Quarterback Jon Miller threw into the right flat, but Shearer sprinted up to make the interception and race down the sideline for the score to give Santa Margarita a 13-0 lead at the half.

Santa Margarita’s Mike Farris returned the second-half kickoff 57 yards to the Warren 33. And Ireland, who had 47 yards in nine carries in the first half, did the rest.

He had runs of 13 and 20 yards and Santa Margarita had a 20-0 lead. Warren followed with three plays and a punt, and Ireland pulled off another two-play drive. He started with a run of 36 yards and ended with a 12-yard touchdown run.

“We got back to what we do well,” Santa Margarita Coach Jim Hartigan said. “Run the football. Ireland said, ‘Coach, I need the ball,’ and when he said that we listened; he’s a talented player.”

Ireland started the game third in Orange County in rushing with 1,069 yards and ended the regular season with 1,235.

Farris scored on a one-yard run to start the scoring for Santa Margarita in the first quarter, and quarterback Trevor Yankoff scored on a 12-yard scramble with three minutes left in the third quarter to give Santa Margarita a 33-0 lead.

Shearer had two fourth-quarter interceptions, one in the end zone, to halt Warren (2-8) drives. His three interceptions give him five for the season.

Despite its undefeated record, there is still a major question left for Santa Margarita: In what division will it be placed for the Southern Section playoffs? The divisions are made up of leagues, but since Santa Margarita played a free-lance schedule, it will be up to the Southern Section seeding committee to place the Eagles.

The pairings will be announced Sunday, and Hartigan is hoping for nothing higher than Division VII. But there is a good chance Santa Margarita might end up in Division VI. Santa Margarita outscored its opponents, 283-83, and had victories over Pasadena and Gahr, both Division II teams. Division VI would also make geographical sense because four of its five leagues are from Orange County.

“We’ve worked really hard for this (undefeated season),” Hartigan said. “Now, I just hope they’re fair to the kids.”