This is the first game between Santa Margarita and the Lincoln Hornets. It marks the second year in a row that the Eagles have opened against a team outside of Orange County. Last year the Eagles beat Dominguez 13 - 8.

This match-up marks the 7th game overall between the Eagles and a team from San Diego County, and the first of three this year. Santa Margarita's all time record against San Diego Section teams is 5-1 (.833).

Lincoln finished the 1998 season 9-3 and advanced to the CIF-San Diego Section Division III semi-finals. The Hornets are expected to compete for the Western League title in 1999. Lincoln is coached by Tony Jackson and led by Junior QB Jason Swanson, sophomore wide receiver Steve Smith and senior linebacker DeRon Terry.

The Eagles are 7-3 in season opening games. They are 74-16 (.822) in seasons when they win their first game and 20-13-1 (.603) in seasons when they don't.

Coaches

Eagle Head Coach Jim Hartigan is 94-29-1 (.762) entering his 11th season as varsity Head Coach. Overall Coach Hartigan has a 110-32-2 (.771) if you include 10-0 and 6-3-1 lower level teams that he led in 1987 and 1988 respectively before the Eagles fielded varsity teams. He was honored as the both the 1996 and 1997 Daily Pilot Sea View League Coach of the Year, CIF-SS Division V Coach of the Year and the National Football Foundation Orange County Coach of the Year. Coach Hartigan has directed his squads into the playoffs in nine of their ten seasons and has never posted a losing season. In the past two seasons, Jim has coached in two State Games of the Week and a National Game of the Year (the 1997 CIF Championship Game). The Hornets are led by fourth-year coach Tony Jackson who has a 21-13 (.618) record at Lincoln.