Santa Margarita’s Problems Team-Wide

It would be easy to blame Santa Margarita’s 1-2 start on quarterback Chris Rix, who is 13 for 41 for 128 yards with four interceptions and no touchdowns.

But after the Eagles’ 37-14 loss to Dana Hills, Santa Margarita Coach Jim Hartigan defended his senior signal caller, who passed for 1,500 yards last year at La Puente Bishop Amat.

“We’ve got problems with the whole team, not just one guy,” Hartigan said. “Chris wants to win as badly as anyone on this team. And we’re behind him.”

Hartigan tried to instill some confidence in Rix and junior quarterback Matt Dlugolecki by calling a lot of running plays and safe, short passes against Dana Hills.

“We were trying to protect our quarterbacks,” Hartigan said. “But the score forced us to abandon our conservative offense.”

Poor special-teams play is hurting the Eagles’ cause, too. In a 40-20 loss to Carlsbad, two punt returns were fumbled away. In the loss to Dana Hills, a three-yard punt led to a field goal.

“The good thing is we’ve got some time to turn it around before league starts,” said Hartigan, whose team doesn’t play its Serra League opener until the eighth week.

NO SENTIMENTALIST

Bob Johnson, still looking for his first victory as head coach at Mission Viejo, said he doesn’t get sentimental about such issues. He said he doesn’t remember his first victory at Los Amigos when, at 23, he was the county’s youngest head coach. Nor does he recall his first victory at El Toro in 1979.

“Are they special? Yeah. But it was my first win--what do I care?” Johnson said.

A STEP UP

Natalie Golda (Rosary), Kristyn Pulver (Villa Park), Cara Chlebicki (Marina) and Amber and Ashley Stachowski (Capistrano Valley) began working out last week with the U.S. national water polo team on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Golda, a two-meter player, was also one of six players selected to work out with the team on weekends beginning this Friday. She is the only high school player in that group, and is currently an alternate for the national team.

“I’m excited, but it’s going to be tough,” said Golda, who will be working out five times a week with the team. “It’s a big step up.”

The national team will work out in Southern California with these practice players through the first weekend in December.

INJURY UPDATE

Western sophomore Chris Jackson, who was injured returning the opening kickoff against Rancho Alamitos Friday, causing the game to be delayed for 1 1/2 hours, will be out six to eight weeks, he said.

Jackson said doctors told him that his thigh bone separated from his hip bone, causing him to fall despite not being hit. He had to wait 25 minutes for an ambulance, then the game was held up another hour when officials realized there was no doctor on hand.

Under Garden Grove League rules, games can’t be played until a doctor is on the sideline.

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Staff writers Dan Arritt and Martin Henderson contributed to this story.