Santa Margarita wins Open Division football title

In a high college football season full of surprises, the most important of all was a Heisman Trophy winner guiding his alma mater to a state championship on Saturday evening in California’s hardest division in his rookie season of teaching.

Who had Carson Palmer and Santa Margarita on their bingo card toppling Sierra Canyon, Orange Lutheran, Corona Centennial and Corcord De La Salle in a four-game postseason stretch that left the Eagles as Southern Section Division 1 and CIF Open Division state champions?

The ultimate piece of the puzzle was solved with Santa Margarita’s 47-13 win over De La Salle on Saturday evening at Saddleback College, the ninth consecutive season a Southern California staff has received California’s highest bowl sport.

It’s been fruitless to suppose anybody was beating Santa Margarita (11-3) over the last month with a healthy Trent Mosley. Two weeks in the past, he dazzled Corona Centennial in the Division 1 ultimate with 10 catches for 292 yards. On Saturday, even though De La Salle knew what he may do, Mosley still was unstoppable. In the first half, when Santa Margarita opened a 35-7 halftime lead, Mosley had eight catches for 134 yards and touchdowns from 34 and six yards and also ran seven yards for another landing. He completed with 11 receptions for 183 yards.

With his underrated velocity, upper-body strength and the talents to play a number of positions, Mosley has been the best participant in California for weeks. Santa Margarita has been getting him the ball a lot more in the postseason, and opponents have had no solutions for defending him.

“Mosley is incredible,” De La Salle coach Justin Alumbaugh said of the USC commit. “He does some special things on the football field.”

Said Mosley: “It feels great. We’ve worked hard. I wanted to come out and do my best. It’s sad to go but a what a great way to end it.”

How Santa Margarita rose to the top with Palmer at the helm is an equally compelling story. Palmer was employed with little teaching expertise but his choice making, judgment and connections from the NFL world grew to become clear with the all-star teaching workers he put together, none more important than retaining defensive coordinator Steve Fifita, last season’s interim coach. With 9 returning defensive starters and three defensive position transfers, the Eagles had no weaknesses on a protection that repeatedly neutralized the best offensive gamers sport after sport.

“It’s been an unreal year from start to finish,” Palmer said. “I could not be more proud of these guys, could not be more proud of our coaching staff and support system.”

Quarterbacks have been pressured by a line that had Lenny Vandermade recording 9 sacks in the postseason. The linebackers. led by Dash Fifita and Leki Holani, have been in a position to transfer freely and make tackles with blockers preoccupied by the road. The secondary, led by sophomore star Ca’ron Williams, had the freedom to be aggressive thanks to understanding quarterbacks wouldn’t have a lot time to release the ball. Siua Holani closed the scoring with an interception return with 1:36 left in the fourth quarter.

De La Salle (12-1) thought it will have a probability to end Northern California’s shedding streak. Santa Margarita had not seen the veer-option assault used by De La Salle. Steve Fifita even had goals about the veer watching so a lot movie to put together his gamers. But the Eagles have been prepared for quarterback option performs and for energy runs up the center. And De La Salle didn’t help issues by committing 4 personal fouls in the first 4 minutes of the sport. The only touchdowns for De La Salle got here on landing runs by Jaden Jefferson after recovering Santa Margarita fumbles.

The cause Santa Margarita grew to become so dominant over the last month was the development in the offense. Quarterback Trace Johnson grew to become comfy and injured gamers got here back, including tight end Luke Gazzaniga, who had landing receptions from 20 and two yards on Saturday.