SOUTHERN SECTION FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS : Two Big Plays Propel Santa Margarita

Santa Margarita High School parlayed a blocked punt and two big plays--from 95 and 80 yards out--for a 21-0 first-half lead and held on for a 24-14 victory over Bell Gardens in the Division IV quarterfinals Friday night at Bell Gardens.

The Eagles (12-0), playing their first season with seniors, won the right to face Baldwin Hills, a 21-7 winner over Canyon Springs, in next Saturday’s semifinals.

“We definitely did some nice things in the first half,” Eagles Coach Jim Hartigan said. “We decided to loosen things up. You can’t be conservative and win the championship. We threw more than we normally do.”

Santa Margarita quarterback Trevor Yankoff threw only 10 times, but he completed six of those for 193 yards, including a 95-yard scoring pass to David Shearer with 59 seconds remaining in the first half to give the Eagles a 21-0 lead.

Santa Margarita jumped to a 7-0 first quarter lead after Ryan Zalta blocked a Lancer punt and Ron Mehrens recovered the ball on the Bell Gardens 29-yard line. Yankoff hit Mike Farris with a 22-yard pass to the one-yard line, where he scored on a sneak. Travis Lucero kicked his first of three conversions.

Eagle running back Josh Ireland made the score 14-0 with 6 minutes 48 seconds left in the half when he took a pitchout from Yankoff, cut through right tackle and headed 80 yards for the end zone.

After Jason Ortiz thwarted a Lancer drive with an intercepted pass, Yankoff and his teammates were pinned on their own five with third and 15. But he hit Shearer streaking down the right sideline for a 95-yard scoring play.

Bell Gardens (8-4) fought back with two scoring drives in the second half, led by running back Alfred Zamudio, who finished the game with 169 yards in 31 carries, but Lucero’s 22-yard field goal with 2:04 left in the third quarter padded the Eagles’ margin.

“Bell Gardens showed a lot of heart (in the second half),” Hartigan said. “They did a nice job of punching it at us. We need to play a complete game.”