Santa Margarita is 0-5 against Orange Lutheran since September of 2023 but things could change on Tuesday. The Eagles will face off against the Lancers at 5:45 p.m. Santa Margarita's defense has only allowed 12.8 points per game this season, so Orange Lutheran's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Santa Margarita is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of California's top teams: Mater Dei, who was ranked 24th at the time (Santa Margarita was ranked sixth). The Eagles sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 28-26 win over the Monarchs on Thursday. The victory continues a trend for the Eagles in their matchups with the Monarchs: they've now won four in a row.
Gwen Julianel
| 09/09/25 vs Aliso Niguel | 115 |
| 09/06/25 vs Redlands East Valley | 103 |
| 09/30/25 @ Mater Dei | 96 |
| 10/09/25 vs Mater Dei | 92 |
| 09/13/25 vs Camarillo | 77 |
Madi Lam had another great game (as she tends to do), rushing for 100 yards and one TD on only ten carries, while also throwing for 152 yards and a pair of touchdowns while completing 80% of her passes. She didn't just play on offense: she also picked up two sacks, made five total tackles, and defended one pass. Santa Margarita also got help from Gwen Julianel, who showed off her sure hands for 92 receiving yards.
Meanwhile, Orange Lutheran was just a hair shy of victory on Thursday and fell 21-20 to JSerra Catholic. The Lancers have struggled against the Lions recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Santa Margarita will have to keep a close watch on Makena Cook and Josie Anderson, a pair of players who had a big impact on Orange Lutheran's prior game. Cook threw for 330 yards and three TDs while completing 77.6% of her passes, while Anderson picked up 195 receiving yards. Cook's passing production has been exceptional recently as that marked her third straight game with at least 308 passing yards.
Santa Margarita's win bumped their record up to 19-6. As for Orange Lutheran, their loss dropped their record down to 20-2.
Tuesday's contest will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: Lam and Cook. Lam just won't slow down this season and has thrown 63 touchdowns while averaging 204.8 passing yards per game. Cook has been a dominant force too and has thrown 88 touchdowns (and and only 12 pick) while averaging 272.1 passing yards per game.
Santa Margarita couldn't quite get it done against Orange Lutheran when the teams last played last Thursday as they fell 26-13. Can the Eagles avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
