Santa Margarita’s girls swimming/diving team is shown at left after it won its sixth straight CIF state title. At right, Santa Margarita’s Leo Francis competes in long jump. He wound up as the CIF state champion in that event as well as the 200-meter dash. Photos: @SMCHSswim & @SMCHSEagles / X.com.
Another CIF state title in girls swimming and two second-place showings in boys and girls golf helped Santa Margarita of Rancho Santa Margarita compile very high finishes in many CIF sports during the 2024-25 school year. That is enough to get the athletic program to the top of the mountain in California for overall athletic excellence. This is the second time in three years that the Eagles have gained State School of the Year honors. Their only other top No. 1 overall finish came in 1998.
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Excitement for the upcoming football season at Santa Margarita Catholic of Rancho Santa Margarita may be at an all-time high, but before the Eagles’ faithful think too much about that they should take some time to look back at what the school did during the 2024-25 school year in all sports combined.
For the second time in three years and the third time in all, Santa Margarita has been named as the State School of the Year by Cal-Hi Sports. These honors have been tabulated since the early 1980s and there also are winning schools listed back more than 125 years based on all of the years of research that was done by the late Nelson Tennis, founder of Cal-Hi Sports.
The school’s dominant program in girls swimming is the only team at the school that captured a CIF state title during the 2024-25 school year, but there were two second-place showings in CIF state golf (boys and girls separately), a third-place finish in team scoring at the CIF state track finals and numerous other significant CIF Southern Section and CIF SoCal regional playoff finishes in other sports.
Santa Margarita’s depth of success in all sports was similar to why it was State School of the Year for the 2022-23 school year. The school’s first overall excellence honor came for the 1997-98 school year and that was partially due to the football team going 14-0 behind future Heisman Trophy winning QB Carson Palmer. He is now of course getting ready for his first season as the school’s head football coach.
Here is a recap of all of the Santa Margarita teams that helped the school pile up enough high playoff finishes to outpace all other schools in California:
Santa Margarita’s Donina Zhou, an Incoming junior and sophomore from last year, competed earlier this summer at the LPGA / AJCA Mizuno America’s Open in New York. Photo: smchs_wgolf / Instagram.com.
Football – Despite the team going 4-6 in the regular season due to the brutal schedule of the Trinity League and some injury issues, a more healthy group of Eagles opened the CIFSS D1 playoffs with a big win (59-26) over previously unbeaten Inglewood (which was 10-0). Santa Margarita continued to play well in the quarterfinals against national powerhouse St. John Bosco and only lost to the Braves, 31-29.
Boys Basketball – The Trinity League is as tough in boys hoops as it is in many other sports and the big accomplishment for the Eagles was tying for the league title at 8-2 with St. John Bosco. The 23-7 team had a CIFSS Open Division win vs La Mirada that helped it advance to the CIF SoCal D1 playoffs, but an early upset to Torrey Pines ended the season.
Baseball – Getting hot at the right time of the year, head coach Chris Malec’s squad began the CIFSS D1 playoffs with a big upset of nationally ranked Huntington Beach. The Eagles blasted No. 2 seed Crespi of Encino, 12-0, in the semifinals and took league rival St. John Bosco into extra innings in the championship game before falling, 3-2. Santa Margarita then lost to Patrick Henry of San Diego in the CIF SoCal D1 playoffs.
Girls Swimming – Like many of the usual suspects in the State School of the Year honors, Santa Margarita has a team that almost seems automatic that it will win a CIF state title. That team at this school is in girls swimming. At last May’s CIF finals held in Clovis, the Eagles were the only ones to score more than 200 points as a team and breezed to their sixth straight D1 championship. Teagan O’Dell, an internationally renowned swimmer, made it a point to swim for her school in the state finals and picked up two wins (200-yard individual medley & 100 back) and led off two relay units that won state titles.
Girls Golf — The top team in the fall at Santa Margarita was in girls golf. At the CIF state championships, the Eagles were just three shots back from championship team Torrey Pines and were four shots better than third-place Orange Lutheran. Donina Zhou of Santa Margarita was one of just four golfers on the day who were under par. She carded a round of 71.
Boys Golf — The Eagles matched the second-place showing of the girls from the fall season by shooting seven over par on the course at Poppy Hills (Pebble Beach). They also won in a tie-breaker over De La Salle of Concord, which shot the same score. Hudson Vedder had one of the best rounds of the day among all team and individual golfers with a score of three-under par 68.
Boys Track — Senior Leo Francis of the Eagles had one of the best outings among any athlete at the CIF state meet held in Clovis. Leo had PRs in both the long jump and 200-meter dash of 25-0 3/4 and 20.84 respectively to win the rare double. He also pushed Santa Margarita’s team scoring total to third highest among all schools. Only league rival Servite and Clovis North of Fresno were higher.
Girls Soccer — Program with two mythical national titles won the CIF Southern Section Open Division title with a 4-2 win in the title match vs Santiago of Corona. University of Tennessee commit Cora Fry (a junior) scored two goals to lead the Eagles. Santiago, however, got some revenge in the CIF SoCal D1 regional playoffs as it upset Santa Margarita (20-2-2) in the title match on penalty kicks after the two teams played to a 1-1 draw in regulation and extra time.
Softball – Led by second team overall all-state player Payton Kennedy, the Eagles posted a 21-10-1 record. They went to the semifinals in the CIFSS D2 playoffs before the run ended with a loss to Los Alamitos.
The addition of junior Kaiden Bailey as a transfer from Crean Lutheran helped the Santa Margarita basketball program earn a co-title in the Trinity League. Photo: @SMCHSBasketball / X.com.
Competitive Cheer – The Eagles placed 2nd in the varsity large division at the CIF State Championship Invitational.
Girls Cross Country – Santa Margarita ran in the CIF D3 state championship race at Woodward Park in Clovis and wound up with second-place medals. Junior Alanna Thomas was the team’s top individual with a 23rd-place finish.
Boys Swimming – The Santa Margarita boys were not able to repeat as CIF state champions, but the team still gained state school of the year points by placing 11th in team scoring.
Girls Tennis – This is a sport with no divisions in the CIF regional championships. The Santa Margarita girls won in their first-round match in the CIF SoCal D1 playoffs over Granada Hills of the L.A. City Section, then lost in the regional semifinals to Portola of Irvine.
Girls Volleyball – The Eagles went to CIF SoCal D1 semifinals where they lost to eventual champion Palos Verdes of PV Estates. They ended with a final record of 25-15.
Flag Football – Santa Margarita had some close losses to state No. 1 Orange Lutheran in the Trinity League, but didn’t get to play the Lancers in the first-ever CIFSS D1 championship. The Eagles (19-6) lost to Canyon of Anaheim in the CIFSS D1 quarterfinals.
Boys Volleyball — In the CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoffs, the Eagles advanced to the quarterfinals where they lost in a tough match, 3-2, to Peninsula (Rolling Hills Estates).
Congrats to all of the athletes and coaches at Santa Margarita for helping the school reach the top. Special kudos to Jim Hartigan (Vice President of Athletics), Annie Garrett (Athletic Director), Donald Evans (Athletic Director) and Justin Bell (Assistant Athletic Director).
Cal-Hi Sports State Schools of the Year
All-Time List
Luke Lavin was an all-state catcher when Santa Margarita was State School of the Year for 2022-23. Photo: @SMCHSBaseball / Twitter.com.
2024-25 – Santa Margarita (Rancho SM)
2023-24 – Mater Dei (Santa Ana)
2022-23 – Santa Margarita (Rancho SM)
2021-22 – St. Francis (Mountain View)
2020-21 – Harvard-Westlake (Studio City)
2019-20 – Buchanan (Clovis)
2018-19 – Buchanan (Clovis)
2017-18 – Mater Dei (Santa Ana)
2016-17 – Cathedral Catholic (San Diego)
2015-16 – Torrey Pines (San Diego)
2014-15 – Torrey Pines (San Diego)
2013-14 – Mater Dei (Santa Ana)
2012-13 – Mater Dei (Santa Ana)
2011-12 – De La Salle (Concord)
2010-11 – Long Beach Poly (Long Beach)
2009-10 – Junipero Serra (Gardena)
2008-09 – Archbishop Mitty (San Jose)
2007-08 – Long Beach Poly (Long Beach)
2006-07 – Archbishop Mitty (San Jose)
2005-06 – Buchanan (Clovis)
2004-05 – Clovis West (Fresno)
2003-04 – De La Salle (Concord)
2002-03 – Torrey Pines (San Diego)
2001-02 – Long Beach Poly (Long Beach)
2000-01 – Long Beach Poly (Long Beach)
1999-00 – De La Salle (Concord)
1998-99 – Clovis West (Fresno)
1997-98 – Santa Margarita (Rancho SM)
1996-97 – Mater Dei (Santa Ana)
1995-96 – De La Salle (Concord)
1994-95 – Mater Dei (Santa Ana)
1993-94 – Clovis West (Fresno)
1992-93 – Esperanza (Anaheim)
1991-92 – Mater Dei (Santa Ana)
1990-91 – Poway
1989-90 – Bakersfield
1988-89 – Corona del Mar (Newport Beach)
1987-88 – Capistrano Valley (Mission Viejo)
1986-87 – Mission Viejo
1985-86 – Bellarmine (San Jose)
1984-85 – Bellarmine (San Jose)
1983-84 – Cordova (Rancho Cordova)
1982-83 – St. Francis (Mountain View)
1981-82 – Mission Viejo
1980-81 – Long Beach Poly (Long Beach)
1979-80 – Berkeley
1978-79 – Mt. Whitney (Visalia)
1977-78 – Andrew Hill (San Jose)
1976-77 – Pasadena
1975-76 – San Fernando
1974-75 – Clovis
1973-74 – Kearny (San Diego)
1972-73 – Monte Vista (Spring Valley)
1971-72 – Ygnacio Valley (Concord)
1970-71 – Lompoc
1969-70 – Blair (Pasadena)
1968-69 – Compton
1967-68 – Homestead (Cupertino)
1966-67 – El Rancho (Pico Rivera)
1965-66 – El Segundo
1964-65 – Long Beach Poly (Long Beach)
1963-64 – Long Beach Poly (Long Beach)
1962-63 – Santa Clara
1961-62 – McClymonds (Oakland)
1960-61 – Compton
1959-60 – Long Beach Poly (Long Beach)
1958-59 – Long Beach Poly (Long Beach)
1957-58 – Berkeley
1956-57 – Fresno
1955-56 – Jefferson (Los Angeles)
1954-55 – Centennial (Compton)
1953-54 – St. Ignatius (San Francisco)
1952-53 – Santa Monica
1951-52 – Compton
1950-51 – Compton
1949-50 – Jefferson (Los Angeles)
Note: All-time list extends back to 1890-91 in the Cal-Hi Sports State Record Book and Almanac. All selections prior to 1980 made retroactively through research by the late Nelson Tennis, founder of Cal-Hi Sports.
Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle: @CalHiSports
