Preseason all-state defensive end J.D. Hill of Mission Viejo puts the pressure on Santa Margarita QB Trace Johnson during team’s first game of the season on Friday night at Trabuco Hills. Photo: Scott Kurtz / Cal-Hi Sports.
With the offensive players on both teams, Mission Viejo’s 7-3 win on Friday over Santa Margarita in a matchup between two state top five ranked teams was not expected. It also spoiled the debut of first-year head coach Carson Palmer for the Eagles, who has brought an NFL-style approach to the former NFL quarterback’s alma mater.
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Thirty years ago, when quarterback Carson Palmer was about to start his first varsity season as a sophomore at Santa Margarita Catholic of Rancho Santa Margarita, his favorite quote in a profile at the time was to “be the hammer, not the nail.” Palmer, of course, went on to win a Heisman Trophy at USC and excelled in a long NFL career.
It’s not sure whether Palmer would describe his team after the first game as the “hammer” or the “nail,” but certainly the offense was not doing much pounding in a 7-3 loss on Friday to Mission Viejo in a home game for the Eagles played at Trabuco Hills High in Mission Viejo.
While much of the pregame attention in Southern California was on Palmer returning to coach at his alma mater in his first game, the reality is that it was a matchup between two teams forecast to be among the best in California this season — Mission Viejo entered at No. 4 in the preseason State TOP 50 with Santa Margarita right behind at No. 5 — and two teams that both have very tough games right around the corner.
First-year head coach Carson Palmer directs the team at Santa Margarita during first game vs Mission Viejo. Photo: Scott Kurtz / Cal-Hi Sports.
In addition to Palmer’s arrival, the addition of several key transfers, particularly in the offensive and defensive lines and at quarterback, fueled much of the excitement surrounding this year’s first game. Mission Viejo’s line and defense, however, was up to the challenge itself.
“I could not be more proud of a team,” Mission Viejo head coach Chad Johnson said. “I thought we moved the ball well and all three phases were good. We gave them long fields all night long. That was huge. It’s hard for high school teams to move the ball 80 or yards playing against air.”
With the Eagles clinging to a 3-0 lead late in the third quarter and their defense turning back potential scores, it was impossible not to start thinking about the Diablos and their amazing streak of scoring in 362 consecutive games, a streak that dates back to 1995 and is the second-longest in state history.
The Mission defense then stepped up by holding Santa Margarita’s offense at the 5-yard line on a drive after the Eagles were pinned at the 4 on a punt. The ensuing punt out of the zone helped the Diablos get the ball at the 33-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Luke Fahey fired a strike to the end zone that connected with junior teammate Jack Junker for a 33-yard touchdown. That turned the 3-0 deficit into a 7-3 lead.
Santa Margarita had another 3-and-out on its next series and the Diablos then had a chance to put the game out of reach. Not only did they not reach the end zone, but a missed field goal with 7:59 left then gave the Eagles a shot for a go-ahead score.
Eagles’ quarterback Trace Johnson (a Tulane commit who played last year at Buchholz of Jacksonville, Fla., and passed for 3,522 yards and 29 TDs) then had four straight completions to move the ball inside the Diablos’ 20-yard line and a penalty then pushed the ball inside the 10-yard line. Palmer wasn’t in a rush to score and worked the clock all the way down to below the one-minute mark with three straight running plays. That helped set up a fourth-and-one play from the 7-yard line with 34 seconds left.
Unfortunately for the Eagles, on the big fourth down play, Johnson dropped the center snap, which caused him to have to scramble to his left and then throw it up into the end zone. The pass was too high for everyone except a Mission player who was out-of-bounds. Mission Viejo easily ran out the clock from there.
The only TD of the game ended up being the one scored by Junker, a junior who played last season at Santa Margarita.
“It feels great,” Junker said after the game. “It was not a pretty game. Props to SM, they’re going to be good. Our defense bailed us out for sure.”
Two big penalties that were called on Santa Margarita also contributed to Mission Viejo getting “bailed out.”
The first of those penalties came early in the second quarter when a 37-yard pass play from Johnson to junior tight end Luke Gazzaniga to the 8-yard line was negated by holding penalty. The second came on the very next possession by the Eagles when a 67-yard touchdown pass on a short route to senior Trent Mosley also was wiped out.
Mission Viejo head coach Chad Johnson was fired up when talking to his team immediately after win vs Santa Margarita. Photo: Mark Tennis.
On that same series that the TD was called back, the Santa Margarita offense was looking to take a 7-0 lead at halftime by driving the ball inside the 10-yard line. An incomplete pass, a short pass to Mosley that saw him tackled for a 5-yard gain and then a deflected pass that was picked off but ruled out-of-bounds forced a field goal attempt with just one second left. Tyler Weigand then connected for a 33-yard field goal for a 3-0 halftime lead.
Mission Viejo nearly scored on its second series in the first quarter. The offense had a third-and-goal from the 1-yard line when the Eagles’ defense rose up for a no gain stuff of running back Devonte Curtis. Then on fourth down, as Curtis looked to have a path to score, the ball was popped loose before he crossed the plane and rolled back to the 5-yard line.
Fahey proved to be a magician escaping pressure and making plays for the Diablos. After a spring and summer in which his performances at camps and seven-on-seven events helped land him a verbal commitment to Ohio State, Luke ended 15 of 22 passing for 189 yards.
“He’s a special player and a special kid,” Chad Johnson said. “He’s the best leader that I’ve ever had.”
Trace Johnson threw 31 passes and completed 21 for 212 yards. Neither of the QBs turned the ball over (neither offense did for for that matter).
Fahey’s efforts in the second half also were done without all-state wide receiver Vance Spafford. He suffered an ankle injury trying to block that field goal that Santa Margarita made at the end of the first half. Chad Johnson said at first during his post-game interview that Spafford would be out “a couple of weeks,” but later when reminded that his team is playing NorCal powerhouse Folsom in two weeks at home he said, “I sure hope we have him for that.”
Cash Gervase, a junior linebacker, also went down for Mission Viejo on what was described as “devastating” knee injury. Still, the Diablos’ defense, which lost several big-time players to graduation including first team all-state DB Dijon Lee Jr. and first team all-state DE Jaden Williams, did great with its new starters. Jordan Hicks, a sophomore corner playing on the other side of returning standout Jeron Jones, was especially noticeable.
Mission Viejo shouldn’t have much trouble in its game next week against St. Paul of Santa Fe Springs (lost on Friday 35-7 to Bishop Amat of La Puente), and then will host Folsom (and its five-star QB Ryder Lyons) in two weeks. We’re seeing Folsom’s game next Saturday at Serra (San Mateo).
Santa Margarita’s revamped lines, especially on defense with transfers Simote Katoanga, Manoah Faupusa and Isaia Vandermade occupying the three spots up front in a 3-4 alignment, should keep the Eagles competitive with every opponent on the schedule. It is an extremely difficult schedule, however, and it will only be six days until they play again at home and against state No. 3 Centennial of Corona. The Huskies won 42-14 on Friday vs Servite of Anaheim and will be looking to avenge a loss from last season to the Eagles.
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
