Sports
Spring Football Preview: Santa Margarita Flies Like an Eagle
Football team bounces back in first season under Coach Harry Welch, who looks to work his magic again as they gear up for 2011's campaign.
Santa Margarita Catholic's meteoric rise from mediocrity captivated football enthusiasts across the Southland last fall. During the previous off-season, the Eagles’ athletic department swooped in to hire Harry Welch, who'd won five consecutive CIF Southern Section titles—two at Canyon Country Canyon and three at St. Margaret's in San Juan Capistrano.
He also won two State Bowl Championships, one at each school for Division I and Small Schools.
Welch's first year at the helm of Santa Margarita's program couldn't have gone much better —he had cancer surgery in midseason. The Eagles finished second in the highly competitive Trinity League, behind eventual Pac-5 champion Servite, and reached the postseason with an 8-2 regular-season record, 4-1 in league. A year earlier, they finished 3-7 overall, 0-5 in league.
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Despite a 31-28 loss to Mission Viejo in the second round of the playoffs, Santa Margarita (9-3) made tremendous strides last season, especially when you consider the team hadn’t finished with a record above .500 since 2006. Welch earned Coach of the Year honors from both the Orange County Register and Los Angeles Times, while putting everyone on alert of his ascending Eagles program.
Now in year No. 2 of his Trinity League tenure, Welch is confident his team is ready to consistently compete in one of the country’s most talented high school football leagues. Servite, which has won a share of six conecutive league titles, has won back-to-back Pac-5 championships.
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“There’s a reason the Trinity League is universally recognized as one of the best in the Unites States,” Welch said. “No league in America can compare to its depth. You won’t find a league with a stronger bottom three in its standings at the end of the season.”
READ ABOUT SERVITE, MATER DEI AND ORANGE LUTHERAN'S FIVE-YEAR RUN
Welch is approaching his 22nd season as a head coach and owns a career record of 231-52-2. The veteran, who has accumulated eight CIF Southern Section titles, doesn’t shy away from stiff competition.
Santa Margarita met five of the Pac-5’s top 10 teams in 2010, when the Eagles were anchored by senior quarterback Adam Young and senior running back Cory Thomson (15 touchdowns). Uncertainty stems from the departure of the team’s top two rushers, top passer and top tacklers, but it’s all part of the process of becoming a successful football program in California.
The ability to reload a roster and replicate success is what separates perennial powerhouses from one-year wonders.
During a seven-on-seven drill, Welch noted that his team featured only one returning starter on each side of the ball. There’s no denying the youth at Santa Margarita’s skill positions in particular.
Junior-to-be Johnny Stanton steps under center as the Eagles’ new quarterback, a role once filled by eventual Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer. The 6-3, 217-pound Stanton has prototypical size at the position and also excels at improvising outside the pocket.
“Johnny can certainly run and he’ll make plenty of big plays that way,” Welch said.
Fellow juniors River Cracraft and Ryan Wolpin should help ease the transition and have the potential to form a potent offensive attack over the next two seasons.
Cracraft, a 6-0 wideout, led Santa Margarita with 35 receptions as a sophomore. Wolpin scored seven touchdowns in 2010 as a reserve member of the backfield and has put on 20 pounds of muscle since last September, according to Welch. Junior Connor O’Brien, a 6-3 receiver, has turned heads in spring sessions and figures to be in the mix as well.
“We’ll need to go through some growing pains, but I think this is a very good group,” Welch said. “I’m 100 percent confident that Stanton can be an outstanding quarterback. I’m 100 percent confident that Wolpin can be an outstanding playmaker. And I’ll say the same thing about River.
“It’s unrealistic to expect everything to come together as soon as we step on the field this summer,” Welch added. “But I know it’s going to happen. When it does, it’s going to be special.”
Stanton and his backfield mates can take solace in the fact that they’ll play behind one of the state’s most impressive offensive lines—in both skill and stature. Santa Margarita’s front five combines to average approximately 6-4, 300 pounds per player.
“They have a great chance to be the best offensive line I’ve ever been around,” said Welch, who has seen his fair share of players during 37 years of coaching. “We may have to count on them to carry us and protect the youth.”
Senior Max Tuerk, who recently committed to USC, highlights a line filled with physical specimens. Tuerk, a hulking 6-6, 297-pound tackle, isn’t even the biggest of the bunch. That title belongs to junior guard Erik Bunte, who is sure to receive attention from college coaches because of his 6-7, 310-pound frame.
Welch’s offensive attack will lean on the lineman as the season starts, while the squad’s young skill players continue to develop against top-tier talent. Tuerk, who earned all-county honors as a junior, knows exactly what to expect from a treacherous Trinity League filled with Pac-5 championship contenders.
“It’s a challenge,” Tuerk said. “Every week you’ve got to work your butt off at practice because there are no soft teams in the league. You’ve got to come with your A-game every week.”
Defensively, the Eagles incorporate a 4-3 scheme that is led by two potentially dominant defensive linemen. Tackle Mack Pierson and end Chris Frost tied for the team lead in sacks last season and figure to take on greater roles as seniors in 2011.
Senior linebacker Matt Anderson was the third-leading tackler in 2010 and continues to grow into a defensive field general for Santa Margarita. Konnor Kafentzis, a senior transfer from Utah, has caught Welch’s eye throughout spring practice. The 5-11 newcomer is expected to play an integral role at safety. Much like the Eagles’ offense, the success of Santa Margarita’s defensive strategy hinges on the maturation of fresh faces.
Even if everything does come together for the Eagles, Welch believes the level of play in the Trinity League will prove to be the tipping point. The six-team field is sure to test his team’s resolve in pursuit of one of the league’s three postseason berths.
“Three very good teams will miss the playoffs from our league this season; that’s just the way it is,” Welch said with a sigh. “We could turn out to be one of California’s best teams and not get a shot at the title. It’s going to be a battle.”
Santa Margarita's 2011 Varsity Football Schedule
Friday, Sept. 2 vs. Long Beach Jordan at Saddleback College, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 9 vs. Tesoro at Saddleback College, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 15 at Trabuco Hills, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 23 at Carson, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 29 vs. Los Alamitos at Veterans Stadium , 7 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 13 vs. Mater Dei at Santa Ana Stadium, 7:30 p.m.*
Friday, Oct. 21 vs. Orange Lutheran at Saddleback College, 7:30 p.m.*
Friday, Oct. 28 vs. JSerra at Saddleback College - 7:30 p.m.*
Friday, Nov. 4 vs. St. John Bosco at Saddleback College, 7:30 p.m.*
Friday, Nov. 11 vs. Servite at Cerritos College, 7:30 p.m.*
* Indicates Trinity League game
