Football: St. Margaret's Beats Big Bear in OT

Four years after Harry Welch left the St. Margaret’s football program, the Tartans are back in a Southern Section championship game.

Seniors who were never coached by the legendary and charismatic coach, but were instead mentored by Rod Baltau, moved into the East Valley Division XII finals with a dramatic overtime victory Friday over third-seeded Big Bear, 35-28. 

With a home crowd looking on, Josh Davis scored his fourth rushing touchdown and, protecting the lead in what essentially amounted to sudden death, Fernando Delgado recovered a Big Bear fumble to bring the game to an emotionally-charged close.

The second-seeded Tartans will play in the finals next week against top-seeded Fontana Jurupa Hills, a 40-39 winner over fourth-seeded Western Christian. 

Score: St. Margaret’s 35, Big Bear 28

Key Stats: Josh Davis passed for 173 yards and one touchdown, and rushed for 166 yards and four touchdowns, including a 10-yard score in overtime, for St. Margaret’s.

Pivotal Moment: Tied at 21-21 but facing a fourth-and-2 situation at the Big Bear 42, St. Margaret’s rolled the dice and went for it. Davis, running the option, found a hole and ran 42 yards for a touchdown and a 28-21 lead with 9:27 remaining

Records: St. Margaret’s (12-1), Big Bear (10-3)

Notes: Davis passed 26 yards to Charlie Beall for a 7-0 lead just over 3 minutes into the game. He scored rushing touchdowns of 1, 18, 42 and 10 yards. … Oscar Gomez Jr., rushed for 139 yards for St. Margaret’s. … Both quarterbacks had outstanding games. Big Bear’s Taylan Seaman rushed for 143 yards, and passed for 120. His carries of 18 and 26 yards gave Big Bear a 14-7 lead seconds into the second quarter. … Blake Smith also scored twice for Big Bear, from 2 yards to tie the score at 21-21, and 46 yards to tie the score at 28-28 with 5:05 left in regulation. … 

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After St. Margaret’s scored in overtime on the first possession, Big Bear got a possession to match the Tartans. St. Margaret’s Dalan Cragun forced a fumble that Delgado recovered. … It’s the second week in a row St. Margaret’s won on its final defensive play. A goal-line stand turned back Lake Arrowhead Rim of the World, 27-26. … St. Margaret’s won four straight section titles from 2006-09, under coaches Jason Hitchens (2006) and Welch. In 2008, the Tartans won a State Bowl Championship. … Next week’s opponent, Jurupa Hills, is 11-2.