Quick Facts
This is the Eagles' 98th Varsity game, and 46th road game. Santa Margarita's all-time road record is 30-15 (.667). The Eagles are currently 71-25-1 (.732) as they enter Week 2 of their ninth season.

Santa Margarita is ranked No. 8 in the Western United States by USA Today, No. 6 in California, and No. 1 in CIF-SS Division V. The Eagles are ranked 2nd in the Orange County behind Mater Dei.

The Eagles have won 12 games in a row, and with a win vs. Durango they would break the school record set by the 1990 team which started the season 12-0. They have won 14 of 15 and 23 of their past 28. During the streak the Eagles have outscored the opposition 428-99, an average margin of victory of 27.4 points. Over the past seven wins the Eagles have averaged 41.3 points.

Santa Margarita is now 6-3 in season opening games, and are 51-12 (.809) in seasons when they win their first game. The Eagles have fared well over the years on Friday nights posting a 58-21-1 record (.725).

Game Notes
The Eagles will depart from Santa Margarita High after practice (6:00 pm) on Thursday, September 18th. The Eagles will be stationed at Buffalo Bill's in Stateline Nevada, and will return on Saturday the 20th. The Eagle staff will make every effort to contact all media outlets immediately after the game with scoring and statistical data. We will have Coach Hartigan and several key players available for questions.

This is the first game between the Eagles and Durango High Trailblazers. Durango plays in Nevada's highest classification (4A), and entered the NIAA 4A State Playoffs last year. The Trailblazers finished 1996 with a 5-5 record. Durango is the largest high school in Nevada.

The Trail Blazers have already played three games this season. They beat Rancho, 20-12, and 1996 state finalist, Valley, 33-28, before losing to 1995 state finalist, Cheyenne, 21-0, on September 12th.

The Eagles have had success over the years against teams in top classifications. With the win Trabuco Hills, Santa Margarita's all-time record against teams in CIF-SS Division I, the top division in California, is 9-3 (.750) with the three losses being by a total of 18 points. The Eagles have won three in a row, and five of six against Division I schools, outscoring the past three opponents 103-38. The Eagles have been promoted to CIF-SS Division I effective in 1998, and are expected to join arch rivals El Toro and Trabuco Hills in a realigned South Coast League.

The Durango game will be the first out-of-state game for the Eagles, and the fifth game outside of the Southern Section that the school has played. The Eagles are 4-1 (.800) in non-Southern Section games, and 47-14-1 (.758) overall in non-league games.

Coaches
Jim Hartigan is 71-25-1 in his ninth varsity season as Head Coach. Overall Coach Hartigan has a 87-28-1 (.750) if you include 10-0 and 6-3-1 lower level teams that he led in 1987 and 1988 respectively. He was honored as the 1996 CIF-SS Division V Coach of the Year. The Trailblazers are led by second year coach John Mausbuch. Coach Mausbuch is 7-6 overall at Durango High.