Palmer Plays Pitch, Catch, Leads Eagles

Santa Margarita quarterback Carson Palmer threw three touchdown passes and caught another as the Eagles trounced El Modena, 32-3, in a nonleague football game Friday night at Saddleback College.

Palmer, a 6-4, 205-pound junior, gave Santa Margarita a 7-0 lead on the Eagles’ first possession when he threw a screen pass to backup quarterback Mike Thompson, who then delivered it back to Palmer on the other side.

Palmer caught the ball at the Vanguards’ 47, and then weaved his way through the El Modena defense for the score.

El Modena’s offense gave the ball back to Santa Margarita after three plays, and Nick Sparks made it 10-0 with a 37-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter.

The Eagles (3-1) added to their lead on the next series of plays when Billy Newman’s 18-yard run put the ball on the El Modena 32. After a false-start penalty backed Santa Margarita up five yards, Palmer connected on the first of three touchdown strikes to wide receiver John Minardi.

Minardi was well-covered by Joe Edmisten on the play, but the junior reached high to snare the pass and then stumbled the final five yards into the end zone with 8:44 left in the first half.

El Modena (1-3) finally got across midfield when Newman fumbled on his own 45 with 2:11 left in the second quarter, but Santa Margarita sacked El Modena quarterback Matt Garcia on successive plays to put the ball back into Vanguard territory.

Palmer and Minardi then connected on touchdown passes of 54 and six yards in the third quarter to increase the Eagles’ lead to 32-0.

El Modena’s Charlie Williams, who rushed for 110 yards in 17 carries, ran 61 yards in the fourth quarter to set up John Chavez’ 28-yard field goal with 3:13 left.