Santa Margarita Puts Stop to Tustin’s Rushing Attack

Santa Margarita’s semifinal playoff victory over Tustin on Saturday wasn’t a complete surprise. The Eagles were seeded second in the Southern Section Division V after all.

But the shocking part was the manner in which they won.

Santa Margarita’s defense shut out third-seeded Tustin, the highest-scoring team in county history, 31-0, in front of 4,000 at Tustin.

Tustin had scored 613 points, an average of 51.1 per game, and needed 47 to move into second-place in Southern Section history.

Tustin’s running attack needed only 303 yards to break the section record for single-season yardage. Tustin, averaging 390.3, gained 103 on the ground.

“We had a feeling we could slow them down,” defensive lineman Austin Jayred said, “but we came out and shut them out.”

Instead, it was Billy Newman, the county’s third-leading rusher, who stamped his signature on the game. Newman rushed 21 times for 208 yards and four touchdowns--three in the first half. The starting backfield didn’t even play offense in the fourth quarter.

“We knew we could run on them,” said Newman, who scored on runs of nine, 62, 47 and two yards. “We didn’t know how well. It was just 11 guys doing their job.”

Santa Margarita players, offensive and defensive alike, couldn’t believe what they had done on the other side of the ball. Coach Jim Hartigan said it clearly had to be the greatest defensive performance in the school’s history.

Tustin gained only 173 yards total--70 passing--and gained virtually nothing on the ground.

* DeShaun Foster (1,664 yards, 28 touchdowns), who needed only five points to move into second place for scoring in county history, was averaging 11.4 yards per carry. He rushed 14 times for 26.

* Brandon Lambert (1,219 yards, 18 touchdowns) was averaging 8.6. He rushed seven times for 34.

* Greg Carnal (1,162 yards, 15 touchdowns) was averaging 11.7. He rushed eight times for 35.

“I’m kind of stunned,” Tustin Coach Myron Miller said. “They just refused to be blocked. They crushed my guards and my fullback. We got our hats handed to us.”

Santa Margarita defensive coordinator Matt Rink said the plan was simple: Use the linemen to stalemate Tustin’s, have the linebackers take out the blocking backs, and let the secondary make the tackle. It was executed brilliantly.

The linemen, Troy Brenes, Matt Strickroth, Andy Hopper, Jayred and Ryan Mannix, were especially impressive, and Matt Brooks and Brett Crowder’s coverage in the secondary shut down Tustin’s passing attack.

Santa Margarita plays Newport Harbor, the second-place team from the Sea View League, Saturday at a site to be determined. Santa Margarita won the earlier meeting, 36-22.