- Santa Margarita running back Jaion Smith (1) goes airborne to pick up extra yards while carrying the ball during a CIF-SS Division 1 quarterfinal playoff game against San Clemente at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo on Friday, November 13, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Santa Margarita running back Jaion Smith (1) goes airborne to pick up extra yards while carrying the ball during a CIF-SS Division 1 quarterfinal playoff game against San Clemente at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo on Friday, November 13, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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MISSION VIEJO – Santa Margarita’s football team had nine seniors on defense on last year as it won CIF Southern Section and CIF State championships.
The Eagles defense allowed only 12 points a game last season while playing a challenging nonleague schedule plus five games in the Trinity League. They gave up only 35 points in their four playoff games.
This year’s Santa Margarita defense might be even better.
The Eagles defeated San Clemente, 7-0, on Friday
The Eagles defeated San Clemente, 7-0, on Friday in the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs at Saddleback College.
The Eagles (11-0) went into the game allowing only eight points a game this season.
San Clemente, which finishes the season 8-2, held Santa Margarita to its lowest point total of the season.
Jaion Smith provided all the points the Eagles
Jaion Smith provided all the points the Eagles needed with a 1-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter.
Santa Margarita will play St. John Bosco (8-3) in the Division 1 semifinals Friday, Nov. 20, at Saddleback College. St. John Bosco beat Orange Lutheran on Friday in a Division 1 quarterfinal.
The Eagles beat St. John Bosco, 21-7, in a Trinity League game Oct. 16 at St. John Bosco High.
Santa Margarita will likely be No
Santa Margarita will likely be No. 1 in MaxPreps’ national rankings next week. This week’s No. 1 team, Thomas Aquinas of Florida, lost Friday.
Santa Margarita coach Carson Palmer, a longtime NFL quarterback who also played at USC and Santa Margarita, said the team’s defensive quality starts with the character of the unit.
“Great leadership,” Palmer said. “Tonga (Uhila) and Isaia (Vandermade) up front. They’re the seniors, the elder statesmen of the group. They create so much havoc.”
Then there is the speed and multiple players at the point of attack.
They play hard, Palmer said
“They play hard,” Palmer said. “They’re violent, extremely violent. They’re playing lights out right now.”
Santa Margarita freshman linebacker Setaleki Manu said the defensive success comes from effort.
“What makes us so good is us working together and all the work we put in,” Manu said. “Day in, day out through the week.”
San Clemente had to play without starting quarterback Preston Beck, who is injured. Freshman quarterback Koston James and Jaxson Rex, a receiver and defensive back, rotated at quarterback for the Tritons. Rex rushed for 47 yards and threw for 30 yards, and had an interception on defense.
Tritons linebacker Jack Weller also had an interception.
Of Santa Margarita’s first three offensive possessions, two
Of Santa Margarita’s first three offensive possessions, two ended on unsuccessful fourth-down conversion attempts. The other was stopped by an interception by Rex, his fourth interception of the season.
The Eagles finally found the end zone with 1:12 to go in the second quarter. Smith carried the ball eight times on the drive, including a 20-yard gain on a lateral. Santa Margarita’s nine-play, 49-yard drive ended with Smith’s 1-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead.
Smith became the Eagles’ featured back after team’s leading rusher, Adrian Petero, went out with a leg injury in the first quarter.
Petero jogged on the sideline but did not return to action.
San Clemente had to punt on its first
San Clemente had to punt on its first five possessions of the first half. Weller made his interception at midfield in the final minute. On San Clemente’s first play after the Weller interception, Santa Margarita’s Ca’ron Williams made an interception, his fourth pick of the season, with seven seconds left in the half.
Santa Margarita led 7-0 at halftime.
San Clemente’s best opportunity for points came in the third quarter. The Tritons drove to the Santa Margarita 19-yard line. A running play on fourth-down-and-1 there was stopped by Eagles Setalki Mamu and Prime Williams.
Palmer expects the Eagles’ offense to be better next week.
“We ran the ball effectively at times,” he said. “We just didn’t do the things we normally do.”
