Despite tough ending, Segerstrom coach said seniors, ‘put it on the line for us’

Noah Tagaloa of Segerstrom gains yards against St. Margaret’s Friday. (Photo courtesy Mark Bausman).

Segerstrom High School football players came into the Division 11 playoffs with hopes of a solid post-season run.

But the fourth-seeded Jaguars fell short Friday night, losing to St. Margaret’s 55-27 at Segerstrom.

Segerstrom Coach Joseph Tagaloa said Saturday his team came into the game with a significant number of players out with injuries and illness which depleted the Jaguars’ secondary. St. Margaret’s was able to capitalize with quarterback Max Ruff throwing seven touchdown passes to lead the Tartans.

Noah Tagaloa, the son of Coach Tagaloa, scored three TDs to lead Segerstrom.

“Last night was a tough one,” Coach Tagaloa said. “St. Margaret’s brought a potent passing attack and we were down several guys in our secondary. When I stop to really assess our secondary last night, we were without our starting defensive back (ACL), our starting free safety (illness), back-up free safety (concussion), back-up defensive back (illness) back-up defensive back (concussion), lost our other starting defensive back in the the game to a broken collar bone and had two linebackers playing under the weather.

“As a result we had to play people out of position and start guys who have never played defense or were back ups on our JV team. I am not taking away from St. Margaret’s or making excuses, but that is a difficult task to ask of our guys.”

Tagaloa said he was still proud of his players.

“Still, at the end of the day, they gave us everything they could. I am proud of their effort and willingness to compete,” he said. “Offensively we moved the ball efficiently but had to change our game plan as we fell behind and needed to score quickly. At the end of the night our guys played hard and that is all I could ask.”

Tagaloa also assessed the season for the Jaguars, who finished 3-8.

“Looking at our season in hindsight we played a gauntlet of tough and well coached teams, which helped us grow both on and off the field,” he said.

“It’s a little frustrating to reflect on the season because unfortunately our season was plagued by injuries. We never played a single snap with our starting 11 on both sides of the ball, which leaves some uncertainty as to how well we could have done had we stayed healthy. This is going to be an area of focus for the off season. We need to make sure we are all healed up and then prepare our bodies for the long season. I know injuries are part of the game but we want to make sure to limit them as best as we can. 

“The seniors who put it on the line for us are amazing. I am so proud of their growth and commitment to our program. They truly formed a brotherhood and bond that can never be broken. Now we will look to support their academic career to make sure they are ready for their next journey in college. I anticipate several of them playing at the next level.”

Tagaloa said he’s looking forward to next season.

“Our underclassmen will be returning with a chip on their shoulder,” he said. “We will have several returning starters who will look to bring home a league championship as well as a CIF championship.

“These returning starters are extremely talented and we are excited for them to come back. It is going to be a challenge to replace our seniors, but we have a good group of talented kids on our lower levels who will get to compete for a starting job.”

—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com