MISSION VIEJO, California, Sept. 27 — The SN No. 13 Santa Margarita [Rancho Santa Margarita, CA] Eagles' offense was only on the field for one scoring play Saturday night.
Unfortunately for the Eagles, it was an interception return for a touchdown by the SN No. 8 Bishop Gorman [Las Vegas, NV] Gaels on the third play of the game. From there, the game settled into a defensive slugfest with both offenses unable to sustain drives for most of the night.
The early interception by Kamil Loud would ultimately be all the points Bishop Gorman needed on a night when Santa Margarita's offense was unable to finish drives on the Gaels' end of the field. The Eagles' best scoring opportunity actually came on a 32-yard field goal attempt in the first half, but the kick sailed wide.
Following the miss, Bishop Gorman moved deep into Santa Margarita territory on a long pass play, and Noah Cole's short touchdown run moments later would double the Gaels' lead to 14-0. That's where the game stood going into the half, and it would ultimately prove to be the final result after a scoreless second half.
Bishop Gorman now moves to the in-state portion of its schedule. The Gaels have won 152 out of 153 games against their Nevada neighbors, and it's unlikely anybody in the Silver State will be able to beat them. But those games won't register on the national level, and they will need a lot of help to be considered for The Sporting News High School Football National Championship. They'll host the Palo Verde [Las Vegas, NV] Panthers next Friday.
Santa Margarita, meanwhile, falls to 3-2, and the Eagles are officially eliminated from the national championship picture. The Eagles will visit the Servite [Anaheim, CA] Friars next Friday.
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FINAL — Bishop Gorman 14, Santa Margarita 0
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|| FOURTH QUARTER ||
About six and a half to play, and Santa Margarita gets the ball at their own 46 to start a drive. Trailing 14-0, this drive is an absolute must.
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Bishop Gorman misses a field goal that would have made it a three-score game. That keeps Santa Margarita in the game, but they have to score on this drive to stay alive as we are now in the fourth quarter.
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|| THIRD QUARTER ||
END OF 3RD QTR — Bishop Gorman 14, Santa Margarita 0
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The story of the game so far is Santa Margarita's inability to finish drives in Gorman's end of the field. They've had several successful drives into the Gaels' territory, but they haven't been able to finish those drives.
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And we are under way in the third quarter.
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|| SECOND QUARTER ||
And that's your first half in the books.
END OF 2ND QTR — Bishop Gorman 14, Santa Margarita 0
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And finally, one of these offenses finds the end zone. It's Noah Cole doing the honors for Bishop Gorman, doubling the Gaels' lead just 21 seconds before the half.
2ND QTR — Bishop Gorman 14, Santa Margarita 0
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After sustaining a nice drive into Gorman's territory, Santa Margarita misses a 32-yard field goal. It's still 7-0, Gorman.
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We've got 4:02 left to play before halftime, and the offenses are still scoreless. This feels a lot like Santa Margarita's 7-3 loss in the 2025 season opener in a defensive slugfest with Mission Viejo. Margarita is driving, though.
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|| FIRST QUARTER ||
So far, the offenses have been shut out. If not for a Bishop Gorman interception return, we'd still be scoreless.
END OF 1ST QTR — Bishop Gorman 7, Santa Margarita 0
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Santa Margarita turns the ball over on downs deep in Gorman territory.
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And just like that, it's 7-0 Bishop Gorman as Kamil Loud picks off a pass in the flat and takes it back 40 yards for a touchdown.
1ST QTR — Bishop Gorman 7, Santa Margarita 0
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And we're under way in Mission Viejo!
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Coming soon!
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OUR PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAMS ...
Finally, don't miss out on The Sporting News Preseason All-American Teams that just debuted today!
The Sporting News High School Preseason All-American Offense 2025
The Sporting News High School Preseason All-American Defense 2025
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