Santa Margarita slides past Mater Dei

Trent Mosley itched and itched, the discomfort of standing on the sideline — not his foot injury that held him out of action since Aug. 22 — weighing on the senior receiver.

- By BENJAMIN ROYER

THE MONARCHS' CJ Lavender Jr. intercepts a pass in front of Grant Mosley.

(CRAIG WESTON For The Times)

The USC commit picked an exceptional time to return. Trailing by six, with 5:06 remaining in the game, Mosley took the snap in the wildcat formation and swerved his way into the end zone for a touchdown.

“Tt sucked just knowing I couldn’t go out there and help my teammates,” Mosley said. “Now I’m back and we're getting better.”

The score and the hush of the normally raucous Santa Ana Stadium crowd told the story: For the first time in a long while, the Trinity League is up for grabs. Santa Margarita (5-2, 2-0) played Southern Section stunner on Friday night at Santa Ana Stadium, upsetting Mater Dei 7-6 to set the stage for a thrilling Trinity League finale after the Eagles took down the Monarchs (4-2, 11) for the first time since 2013.

“Incredible,” Santa Margarita coach Carson Palmer said. “They've been playing like the best defense in the country all year long, every week.”