Perfection on the line

sage grid pre vs. st. margaret’sUndefeated Lightning visit unbeaten St. Margaret’s, ranked No. 1 in CIF Southern Section Division XIII.The Sage Hill School football team could taste sweetness with a victory over host St. Margaret’s tonight.

“Beating Brethren Christian broke the ice, but defeating St. Margaret’s would be icing on the cake,” Lightning Coach Tom Monarch said.

Heading into its last two games of the season, Sage Hill all but locked up one of the four-team Academy League’s two playoff spots with its 27-16 victory over Brethren Christian on Friday.

But to remain perfect, the Lightning (7-0, 1-0 in league) -- ranked No. 8 in CIF Southern Section Division XIII -- will have to pull out all the stops against top-ranked St. Margaret’s (7-0, 1-0).

Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

“The kids have a challenge of their lives,” Monarch said. “It’s tough to bring that sort of intensity two straight weeks.”

The Lightning, facing their first true test of the season, dispatched Brethren Christian for the first time in school history. In two previous meetings, the Warriors had prevailed by a combined score of 79-21.

But Sage Hill used its most potent weaponry of senior tailback Keya Manshadi, junior fullback Don Ayres and sophomore quarterback Jamie McGee to send the “laid-back” Warriors away empty handed.

“They’re kind of a laid-back bunch,” Monarch said about Brethren Christian. “But it worked for them in the past.”

If Brethren Christian was the first true test, St. Margaret’s will serve as the final exam.

The Tartans have defeated their opponents by an average margin of 32.3 points on their way to a perfect record. The San Juan Capistrano-based squad has racked up 288 total points on the year, allowing 62.

The Tartans are led by quarterback Scott Edgcomb, who has thrown for 740 yards and six touchdowns and rushed for 276 yards. Running back Hunter Steffien has rushed for 374 yards and 14 touchdowns.

The Lightning are led offensively by Manshadi, Ayres and McGee. Manshadi has 18 touchdowns on the year, Ayres has 11 scores and McGee has thrown for 14 and run for two more.

A win over the Tartans would help Sage Hill’s cause for its first league title, as the less-threatening Capistrano Valley Christian awaits in the season finale Nov. 11.

SAGE HILL STARTERS