Carson Palmer was named head coach at
Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) just over a year ago and rewarded that decision quickly by leading his alma mater to its first state title since 2011. The Eagles finished ranked No. 4 in the final MaxPreps Top 25.
Palmer led Santa Margarita (11-3) to more wins over teams that finished ranked in the MaxPreps Top 25 than any other school with four.
The Eagles took on the
toughest schedule in high school football with 10 of their 14 opponents finishing ranked in the top 100.
The Southern Section Division 1 field was pegged as the
toughest postseason bracket in the nation and Santa Margarita cruised to its first section title in 14 years. The Eagles handed Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) its only loss of the season in the opening round and punched their ticket to the championship game with a 35-6 win over Orange Lutheran (Orange).
Playing at the famed Rose Bowl in the title game, Santa Margarita handed Centennial (Corona) its worst defeat since 2019 with a 42-7 win. MaxPreps California Player of the Year
Trent Mosley had 10 catches for 293 yards and accounted for four touchdowns.
De La Salle (Concord) headed into the Open Division state championship game a perfect 12-0 and the Eagles rolled to a 47-13 win. It was the worst defeat for the Spartans under Justin Alumbaugh or Bob Ladouceur dating back to 1979.
During the regular season the Eagles snapped an 11-game losing skid to Mater Dei (Santa Ana) with a 7-6 win. Mosley scored the go-ahead touchdown with just over five minutes left as they knocked off the Monarchs for the first time since 2013.
Santa Margarita won its final six games while outscoring the opposition 210-56. Five of the six opponents were ranked in top 100.
Palmer is the first MaxPreps National Coach of the Year to earn the honor after his first season. He is the fifth head coach from California joining Mike Alberghini of Grant (Sacramento), Bob Ladouceur of De La Salle (Concord), Jason Negro of St. John Bosco (Bellflower) and Bruce Rollinson of Mater Dei (Santa Ana).
As a player, the 2002 Heisman Trophy winner led Santa Margarita to back-to-back section titles in 1997 and 1998. He graduated with 27 school records before moving on to USC, becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft and playing 15 seasons with the Bengals, Raiders and Cardinals.
Past MaxPreps National Coaches of the Year
2008 — Mike Alberghini, Grant (Sacramento, Calif.)
2009 — Mike Newsome, Butler (Matthews, N.C.)
2010 — Tony Heath, Pearland (Texas)
2011 — Hal Wasson, Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas)
2012 — Bob Ladouceur, De La Salle (Concord, Calif.)
2013 — Jason Negro, St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)
2014 — Tom Westerberg, Allen (Texas)
2015 — Gary Joseph, Katy (Texas)
2016 — Kenny Sanchez, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)
2017 — Bruce Rollinson, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
2018 — Jon Kay, North Shore (Houston)
2019 — Jason Negro, St. John Bosco
2020 — Todd Dodge, Westlake (Austin, Texas)
2021 — Todd Dodge, Westlake
2022 — Reginald Samples, Duncanville (Texas)
2023 — Nate Moore, Massillon (Ohio)
2024 — Ray Gates, North Crowley (Fort Worth, Texas)
