SEA VIEW LEAGUE : Santa Margarita Needs Just a Half From O’Brien

Quarterback Sean O’Brien passed for 156 yards and a touchdown in a nearly flawless first half as Santa Margarita defeated University, 42-7, in a Sea View League game Thursday night at Irvine High.

O’Brien completed 12 of 15 first-half passes and threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Brad Finneran as the Eagles built a 35-0 halftime lead. O’Brien did not play after that.

Santa Margarita (5-0, 2-0) scored every time it had the ball in the first half. Chris Tiernan capped an eight-play, 56-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run to put the Eagles ahead, 7-0, with 7 minutes 33 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

Tiernan scored on runs of four yards and a yard later in the game.

O’Brien’s replacement, Derek Yankoff, guided Santa Margarita to a pair of touchdowns in the second half, scoring himself on a 29-yard run.

Ryan Zinn’s 20-yard run and Kevin Duffy’s six-yard run rounded out the Santa Margarita scoring.

Jason Dunn’s 45-yard run in the fourth quarter, enabled University (0-5, 0-2) to avert the shutout.

“I asked the kids to play a perfect game,” said Santa Margarita Coach Jim Hartigan, who graduated from University in 1979.