Santa Margarita and Orange Lutheran are an even 5-5 against one another since October of 2016, but not for long. The Eagles will take on the Lancers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Santa Margarita is coming into the contest hot, having won their last three games.
Santa Margarita is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They came out on top against Sierra Canyon by a score of 21-9.
Ryan Clark
| 11/14/25 vs Sierra Canyon | 2 |
| 10/31/25 @ JSerra Catholic | 1 |
| 09/12/25 @ Oaks Christian | 1 |
| 08/28/25 vs Centennial | 1 |
Santa Margarita's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ryan Clark led the charge by picking up 75 receiving yards and a pair of scores. The dominant performance also gave Clark a new career-high in receiving touchdowns (two).
Santa Margarita didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Sierra Canyon to a completion percentage of just 39.1%. That dominant aerial defense primarily came from four players: Isaia Vandermade, Siua Holani, Ivrick Carrigan, and Jayden Crowder, who each logged one passes deflected. Santa Margarita wasn't nearly as limited: they posted one of 55.6%.
Santa Margarita's defense didn't let Laird Finkel, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for four sacks. Sierra Canyon's QB won't forget Vandermade anytime soon given he sacked him three times. Vandermade also set a new season-high mark in total tackles with seven. Santa Margarita got some further help from Holani: he made ten total tackles (1.5 for loss) and defended one pass in addition to snagging an interception.
Meanwhile, Orange Lutheran and St. John Bosco (ranked 19th and 20th in the MaxPreps national rankings respectively) squared off in a high-profile matchup on Friday. The Lancers pulled ahead with a 20-19 photo finish over the Braves. The score was all tied up 7-7 at the break, but the Lancers were the better team in the second half.
Orange Lutheran's win came from a few key players Santa Margarita will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Sean Morris Jr, who rushed for 121 yards. He is becoming a predictor of Orange Lutheran's success: when he posts at least 80 rushing yards the team is 2-1 (and 3-5 when he doesn't).
Santa Margarita's record now sits at 8-3. As for Orange Lutheran, their record is now 5-6.
Everything went Santa Margarita's way against Orange Lutheran in their previous matchup back in October, as Santa Margarita made off with a 28-7 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Eagles since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
