Santa Margarita’s Upset Has Impact

Several hundred spirited students, parents and alumni greeted the Santa Margarita football team late Friday night upon its return to campus following an upset of top-ranked Mater Dei that could have far-reaching implications for both programs.

For the Eagles, ranked 10th in Orange County but sure to rise significantly once the weekly Orange County Sportswriters’ poll is published Tuesday, the victory may have signaled their arrival as a top-tier Southern Section Division I team in only their second season since moving up from Division VI.

It also put Santa Margarita in position to win its first Serra League title. All the Eagles (7-2, 2-0) need is a victory over No. 7 Servite (7-2, 1-1) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Cal State Fullerton.

“It’s an attention-getter,” Santa Margarita Coach Jim Hartigan said Saturday evening. “The phone is ringing off the hook and people are congratulating us. But we’re not ready to put the flag out there and say we’re a Division I contender year in and year out. We still have a lot to prove.

“We’re going to have to go through the playoffs and week in and week out beat teams like Mater Dei. Then I would say we’re a top-flight Division I team.”

For Mater Dei, the 21-14 loss changed the complexion of its season. The Monarchs (7-2, 1-1) were on track for a No. 2 seed in the Division I playoffs; now they’re fighting to assure themselves of a playoff berth.

“We’ve put ourselves into a do-or-die situation,” Mater Dei Coach Bruce Rollinson said. “You can paint scenarios that say we may not even get into the playoffs. The only thing that we have to concentrate on is trying to beat [Bellflower] St. John Bosco Friday and see what happens from there. We have no control anymore.”

If Mater Dei beats St. John Bosco and Servite beats Santa Margarita, then the Monarchs, Friars and Eagles would finish in a three-way tie for first place. Coin flips would determine who receives the league’s two guaranteed playoff berths, though the third team would almost surely receive one of three wild-card entries.

Winning the league title and earning a No. 1 seeding is significant for more than the championship hardware; it guarantees a first-round home game against a wild-card entry or a team that finished third in its league.

Mater Dei has won its league every year since 1990, when it competed in the Angelus League. The Monarchs also have remained atop the county poll for a good part of the last decade, but they could be dethroned this week.

Mater Dei is also expected to fall in the section Division I poll, released Monday. The Monarchs were ranked second before Friday’s defeat.

“Mater Dei had a total breakdown starting at the head coach right on through,” Rollinson said. “I didn’t do my job in making these men realize this was a formidable opponent. It was a total team defeat and it will take a total team effort to bounce back.”

Nearly two hours before his team took the field Friday, Hartigan stood outside the Santa Margarita locker room and talked about what it would take to generate a first-rate rivalry with the Monarchs.

“I don’t think a rivalry gets intense until you start beating each other,” Hartigan said. “We haven’t beaten them yet.”

They have now.