Mission Viejo coach Chad Johnson was surrounded by his players late Friday night after an exhilarating 7-3 victory over Santa Margarita at Trabuco Hills.
“Phenomenal job,” he shouted to his team’s defensive players.
In an opening game that resembled a Southern Section Division 1 playoff game with all the talent, intensity and coaching excellence on display, Mission Viejo placed its trust in perhaps the best quarterback in Southern California, Ohio State commit Luke Fahey, who delivered a 33-yard touchdown pass to Jack Junker late in the third quarter to wipe away a 3-0 deficit.
The Eagles, in the coaching debut of Carson Palmer, could never recover. Junker used to play at Santa Margarita. The touchdown pass came after Mission Viejo punter Isaiah Murgia booted a 54-yard punt that left Santa Margarita on its four-yard line. Then came a short punt giving Mission Viejo the ball at the 33.
As he had been doing all night against Santa Margarita’s big, aggressive defensive line, Fahey rolled out and found Junker open in the end zone.
“It was a deep shot to the corner. See if we could make a play,” Junker said.
Fahey was making plays, dodging and maneuvering, all night. He completed 16 of 22 passes for 169 yards. He suffered only one sack, which was tribute to his instincts and mobility.
“They had a really good game plan,” Fahey said. “That was a great defensive line, and we had to battle through adversity. It shows what kind of team we have.”
Mission Viejo clinched the win when Santa Margarita could not complete a pass on fourth down from the eight-yard line with 26 seconds left.
There was no scoring in the first half until the final play of the second quarter when Tyler Wiegand made a 23-yard field goal. It was two good defenses shutting down offenses with enough pressure on the quarterbacks and fundamental tackling. Mission Viejo was helped by a penalty that nullifed a 67-yard touchdown catch by Trent Mosley.
The Santa Margarita defensive line made up of transfer students Simonte Katoanga, Manoah Faupusa and Isaia Vandermade rose up to stop Mission Viejo twice on goal-line situations from the one-yard line.
The two quarterbacks were doing their best to avoid mistakes. Trace Johnson was 13-of-16 passing in the first half for 138 yards and finished with 208 yards. Fahey, under constant pressure, was nine-of-12 passing for 106 yards in the first half.
It was a night in which teams in the powerful Trinity League showed a chink in their armor. Besides the Eagles losing, JSerra suffered a 35-0 loss to Sierra Canyon with a running clock. Servite was beaten by Corona Centennial 42-14. St. John Bosco went to Bradenton, Fla., and came away with a 31-0 win over Manatee in a game halted at halftime because of lightning. Orange Lutheran and Mater Dei play Saturday in Florida.
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