With a 6-1 record Santa Margarita is off top their best start since 1998 when they were also 6-1 after seven weeks.

This is the ninth game between Santa Margarita and the Servite Friars. It is also their fourth meeting at Saddleback College where the Eagles are 0-2-1 vs. Servite.

The Eagles are 1-2-1 in Serra League play vs. Servite. Last year, The Friars pounded out 346 yards rushing in handing the Eagles a 35-20 setback before 5,000 at Cal State Fullerton. Bobby Whithorne (13 catches for 185 yards) and Jack Meehan (23 tackles) stood out for the Eagles. In 2001, Eagle kicker Jason Graban tied a school record with three field goals, but Mike Lawrence’s 30-yard field goal with 0:09 left gave the Friars a 16-16 tie at Saddleback College. With the tie the Eagles were able to capture their second consecutive Serra League Championship. In 2000, the Eagles defeated the Friars 41-26 to capture their first Serra League Championship. Tyler Thompson rushed for a career-high 258 yards on a school-record 35 carries and three touchdowns to cement his claim as the Serra League MVP, while backfield mate Ashton White added 160 yards of his own to help the Eagles finish with season-highs of 419 rushing yards and 519 total yards overall. (Recaps and highlights from the eight previous Eagle-Friar match-ups are included herein.)

The Friars are 6-1 on the season with a 1-1 league mark and are coming off a 33-20 loss to Bishop Amat. Last year they got off to a 7-0 start but lost their last four games including a 20-17 defeat at the hands of Eisenhower in round one of the CIF Playoffs. Servite is led by Head Coach Larry Toner who is 100-65-2 in his 15th season.

The Eagles are ranked 4th in Orange County per the Orange County Register, 6th in CIF-SS Division I and 15th in Southern California per the LA Times. They have been ranked in the Orange County Top 10 for 87 of the last 97 weekly polls, and in the CIF Division I Top 10 for 42 of the 48 weekly polls since joining Division I in 1999.

Eagle - Friar History (SM leads 4-3-1)
1991 SM 13, Servite 12 @ Orange Coast College
1996 Servite 38, SM 27 @ Saddleback College
1997 SM 55, Servite 14 @ Cal State Fullerton
1997 SM 59, Servite 18 @ Cal State Fullerton
1999 Servite 31, SM 27 @ Saddleback College
2000 SM 41, Servite 26 @ Cal State Fullerton
2001 SM 16, Servite 16 @ Saddleback College
2002 Servite 35, SM 20 @ Cal State Fullerton

Situational Record – Servite Game
Varsity Game No. and Record: 176 128-45-3 (.736)
Home Game No. and Record: 92 70-18-3 (.786)
Record at Saddleback College: 62-15-2 (.797)
Week 8 Record: 10-4 (.714)
Record vs. Servite: 4-3-1 (2003 is 9th Mtg)
Record vs. Orange County Schools: 71-31-1 (.769)
Record vs. Serra League Schools: 16-8-1 (.660)
Record on Friday: 107-37-3 (.738)
Record as a Division I team: 34-16-2 (.673)
Record vs. Division I teams: 39-19-1 (.669)