Margarita

Santa Margarita’s Southern Section Division 1 championship football team lost some impressive players to graduation in the spring, but the Eagles (2-0) have already showed off two impressive freshmen to help overcome the loss of Trent Mosley (USC) and Dash Fifita (Arizona).

Kiyan Callis, a receiver, started his high school career with nine catches for 105 yards and one touchdown, then came back with three receptions against Corona Centennial. Aydan Steen, a linebacker, delivered seven solo tackles in a opening win, followed by four more solo tackles against Corona Centennial.

Santa Maragarita is back to No. 1 in The Times’ top 25 rankings after finding players to replace nine of 11 starters on defense, including several more freshmen besides Steen. It’s important to know the best days for the Eagles are ahead as their young replacements receive early-season experience in anticipation of becoming much better later in the season.

Sana Margarita wasn’t the state’s best team to start last season, but by the end, no one had a chance to beat the Eagles as their defense and offense reached another level under first-year coach Carson Palmer and his staff.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

If anyone wants to know what “big-boy” football in Southern California looks like, Santa Margarita’s 21-20 road win over Corona Centennial on Friday night gave fans everything they expected from two powerhouse programs.

“There was greatness on that field,” Santa Margarita coach Carson Palmer told his players afterward.

From cornerback Caron Williams producing a pick six on the final play of the third quarter to Mighty Mouse 5-foot-4 running back Adrian Petero rushing for 108 hard-earned yards in 23 carries to run out the clock, the Eagles (2-0) are proving they are no one-hit wonder after winning last year’s Southern Section Division 1 championship over Centennial.

“Even if I can’t find a hole, I’ll make one,” Petero said.

Unlike that 42-7 loss at the Rose Bowl, Centennial rallied from a 14-0 deficit. An 11-yard touchdown run by Braylin Drake with 7:33 left put the Huskies within 21-20. But Santa Margarita’s Jake Martin deflected the PAT attempt, and the Huskies (1-1) never got another opportunity to score against a defense with top linemen, young and sensational linebackers and defensive backs who engaged in hand-to-hand combat with one of the best receivers in the nation in Quentin Hale.

Santa Margarita’s defense celebrates a pick six by Caron Williams (21) at the end of the third quarter from 30 yards.

(Craig Weston / For The Times)

Centennial was at a severe disadvantage by not having two potential starters available on its offensive line because of injuries. Then the Huskies lost a third lineman in the third quarter. Quarterback Jaden Jefferson was left having to run for his life from the outset but used his instincts and intelligence to find ways to succeed. He passed for 192 yards with touchdowns of seven yards to Hale and 24 yards to Kennie Leggett. He adjusted to the pass rush by scrambling up the middle for gains of 11 and 15 yards. Hale caught seven passes for 105 yards.

For some unknown reason, Williams, a junior, now has five of his six career interceptions against Centennial. He said the pick six was no surprise.

“I saw it coming,” he said. “I saw the quarterback’s eyes.”

“Defense suffocating,” is what Palmer told his players in his postgame talk, and he was right.

Santa Margarita’s defense controlled much of the first half because of its ability to put pressure on Jefferson. It wasn’t until Centennial’s final possession of the first half, when trailing 14-0, that Jefferson finally started to connect with Hale. Jefferson got the ball to Hale for a touchdown, rolling left and throwing off his back foot to find Jefferson in the back of the end zone.

Santa Margarita’s defense lost nine of its 11 starters to graduation and was supposed to need time this season to develop, but the guy who wears No. 99 for the Eagles, Kingston Jimmerson, had two sacks in the first half. He’s 6-foot-2, 270 pounds, only.a sophomore and likes to manhandle ballcarriers.

“When he’s a senior, he’s going to be an All-American,’’ Williams said.

Also contributing was 6-5, 225-pound freshman lineman Kaleb Herndon and linebacker Cruz Nunez, a transfer from JSerra. Then there’s freshman linebacker Aydan Steen, who contributed two huge tackles in the second half in critical situations.

Short touchdown runs by Petero and Jaion Smith accounted for Santa Margarita’s first-half touchdowns. Centennial fumbled on its first possession to set up Petero’s two-yard TD run.

The last time Centennial coach Matt Logan was on the same field with Santa Margarita, his face with bright red at the Rose Bowl. He blamed himself for his team’s poor performance. “We weren’t prepared to play football that night,” he said.

This time, the Huskies were able to stay close with the help of a defense that sacked Santa Margarita quarterback Fletch Palmer three times. Cal-bound Miles Schirmer was effective on the defensive line.

“The defense played phenomenal,” Logan said. “We were not on the same page on offense. The kids didn’t waver and kept fighting.”

Fourth in a series of stories profiling top high school football players by position. Today, Luke Gazzaniga, Santa Margarita tight end.

You’re unlikely to feel sympathy for 6-foot-4, 235-pound tight end Luke Gazzaniga, a senior at Santa Margarita High who enjoys the idea of running over tacklers after catching a pass or sending an opponent crashing to the ground with a bone-crushing block.

Except understand that he’s the smallest brother in his family. The others are 6-7 and 6-5, so imagine the little brother in the front yard doing the Oklahoma drill, a legendary one-on-one football drill from years ago that tested toughness via collisions.

“We’d literally just run at each other,” he said.

Some brothers play video games or collect baseball cards. The Gazzanigas were into seeing who would be the last one standing.

“It was fun,” Luke said. “I was quick when I was a little kid. I wouldn’t go down. I’ve had to fight for myself. I had to find my way to win.”

Their father, David, who played football at Dartmouth and became an orthopedic surgeon, welcomed the competition. If any of the boys came into the house before a game was over, Dad’s response was, “Suck it up and go back.”

“He taught us how to be tough,” Luke said.

You can sense the enjoyment Luke has on a football field. After he catches a pass, he looks up and gets excited if there’s a defender nearby.

“I love seeing people there,” he said. “I’m letting them know if you’re going to try to tackle me, it’s going to hurt you more than me. I’m glad someone thinks they can tackle me.”

Future Hall of Fame tight end Rob Gronkowski has been the player he’s most admired, and Gazzaniga has been able to see pro players up close because his father worked as a physician with the Chargers. Luke got to hang out in the training room and on the field.

“They’re impressively big and impressively fast,” he said. “People were huge.”

During Santa Margarita’s run to the Southern Section Division 1 and Open Division state titles last season, Gazzaniga became an important offensive weapon over the middle, even though he suffered an ankle injury and missed six weeks. He caught 20 passes for 332 yards and four touchdowns.

“God gave me the blessing to catch anything,” he said.

Santa Margarita coach Carson Palmer used to take advantage of throwing to the tight end when playing at USC and in the NFL, and there’s no doubt Gazzaniga feels comfortable in the Eagles’ offensive schemes. Tight ends continue to gain attention at the highest levels.

“It’s a super important position,” Gazzaniga said. “People love looking at receivers and forget the tight end is almost the glue between passing and running. The Rams use three tight ends and there’s a bunch of big personnel types all over the league. I can envision myself being there one day and making an impact.”

Gazzaniga is committed to Kansas. He comes from a family of athletes. Two older sisters played water polo at USC, with Rachel now a candidate to play for the U.S. Olympic team in 2028. Brother John is a quarterback at Alabama. His mother is an avid mountain climber. John used to throw bullet passes to Luke growing up, which helped prepare him for any and all quarterbacks.

Thanksgiving always has produced an interesting dynamic with five tall, energetic kids circling for a turkey leg.

“It’s hard to know how much we eat,” Luke said.

Saturday: Vincent Shields, Murrieta Valley offensive lineman.

Tight ends to watch

Luke Gazzaniga, Santa Margarita, 6-4, 235, Sr.: Kansas commit makes big catches in traffic

JJ Haley, Corona del Mar, 6-3, 200, Jr.: The next top tight end from the tight end school

Max Markofski, Mission Viejo, 6-4, 230, Sr.: Arizona commit is known for his receiving skills

Hudson Ploog, Orange Lutheran, 6-5, 235, Sr. Nevada Las Vegas commit is like a sixth offensive lineman to clear defenders

Jaylin Smalls, Rancho Cucamonga, 6-4, 230, Jr.: This is the season he begins to show his talents

On paper, Lauren Meyering’s debut feature “Horsegirls” sounds like it was made in a 2000s indie movie lab: It features a quirky heroine with a unique hobby, a loved one with a devastating illness and the formation of an unlikely community that rallies around our protagonist and her dream. But surprise — the events of “Horsegirls” are inspired by a true story, one close to Meyering, who based the film on her family friends Mackenzie and Sandra Breeden. Sometimes real life can be the realest indie movie of all.

“Horsegirls” might read on paper as too sickly sweet, but Meyering’s thoughtful direction and star Lillian Carrier’s performance keep it from tipping too far in that direction. Carrier stars as Margarita, a young woman with autism who lives with her cancer-stricken mother, Sandy (Gretchen Mol). The pair are inseparable, with Margarita accompanying her mother to chemotherapy treatments and their own special celebration rituals involving karaoke and sharing combo platters.

Sandy desperately wants Margarita to get a job but her first steps toward independence come when she spies a hobby horse rehearsal and becomes fixated on joining. If you’re unfamiliar with hobby horsing, it’s a sport originating from Finland that’s growing in popularity. It involves a choreographed routine involving elements of gymnastics and traditional dressage performed while using a “hobby horse” — a stuffed horse head on a stick.

For Margarita, who loves horses but isn’t allowed to interact with them due to her mother’s safety fears, it seems the perfect solution, and she persists despite the clique-ish mean girl behavior from some of the younger participants. The coach (Jerod Haynes) sees her determination and encourages her participation, so she gets a job at a Halloween store to pay for it but keeps it a secret from Sandy. As it turns out, both mother and daughter are keeping secrets from each other.

While the plot unfolds in a fairly predictable manner, it’s the character of Margarita who keeps us on our toes. Carrier, who also has autism, brings an inherent authenticity to the role as well as a sense of good humor that draws people to Margarita, a character who always says what’s on her mind, whether or not it’s polite or appropriate. But her refreshing honesty is what people respond to, and both she and Sandy know she’s going to need people in the not-so-distant future.

Meyering carefully threads the themes of parental concern and young adult independence throughout her screenplay. The anxieties are universal — any parent wants to feel assured that their child is going to be OK when they’re gone; any child wants to prove that they’re capable and free to do what they want. Characters like Margarita’s store manager Hank (Iqbal Theba) prove that strangers can “get” Margarita just as she is, without her mother’s interference or interpretation, even if it takes some time for Sandy to understand that.

Meyering and cinematographer Natalie Kingston create a naturalistic and often dark look, though “Horsegirls” is beautifully shot. The distinctive photography sets it apart cinematically from other films in this genre — just like Margarita herself, who visually stands out from the other girls.

This is a simple story executed with singular panache, and while “Horsegirls” follows expected narrative beats, it’s in the moments of surprise that it works best, often thanks to Carrier and her straightforward line deliveries, which help the tone pop. The film is a reminder that conformity is never compulsory, and that putting yourself out there is the only way to find out who’s ready to catch you.

Katie Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.