It’s officially Dolly Parton Day, with parades, pink lights and book drives

• September 25, 2026

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI

Pour yourself a cup of ambition. It’s Dolly Parton Day.

Across the world, communities are dedicating Friday to honoring the beloved country singer. The day is falling on Sept. 25, a wink at Parton’s hit song “9 to 5.”

Parton, who died of cancer last month at age 80, built an impressive legacy over the decades as a singer-songwriter, actor, philanthropist and entrepreneur — leaving big and small ways to honor the icon.

So whether it’s dusting off your rhinestones, donating a book or throwing back a pink-themed cocktail, here’s how you can celebrate Dolly Parton Day.

Join a celebration

In the U.S., a growing number of state and local leaders are establishing Sept. 25 as an annual Dolly Parton Day from California to the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The proclamations highlight Parton’s successful career and stress her lifelong commitment to promoting literacy.

In Nashville — where Parton had lived since she was 18 — the city will honor the singer with pink lights and posters and give away stickers, buttons and bookmarks. Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines announced that it would hold a Parton-inspired karaoke Friday for travelers and employees. Tennessee state and local officials are currently in the process of renaming the airport after Parton.

“Dolly Parton’s impact on Nashville will be felt for generations, through the music she has given us, the people she has helped and the example she continues to set,” said Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell in a statement. “She has shown us that caring for a community means showing up for one another.”

Over in New Orleans, the marching group Krewe of Dolly will lead a parade through the city’s French Quarter to honor Parton.

And in San Francisco, organizers are planning a public event in the heart of the city, called “Dolly Day,” designed to be a celebration of life that will include “singing loud, dressing up, and being a little kinder than usual in her honor.”

Donate a book to Imagination Library

For those chained to their actual 9 to 5 job on Friday, sneaking away for an event may be challenging. Instead, you can channel Parton’s giving spirit.

Parton made it her mission to improve literacy through her Imagination Library book giveaway program. The program has quickly expanded, resulting in more than a million books sent out each month to children in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia.

The Imagination Library is encouraging the public to give directly to their local Imagination Library Partner on Dolly Parton Day, or help establish a new program in their community.

Don’t know where to start? The Dollywood Foundation is directing people to ImaginationLibrary.com, where a ZIP code search can find nearby programs.

“For Dolly, giving was always personal and from her heart,” said Jeff Conyers, president of The Dollywood Foundation, in a statement. “She believed deeply in helping people, especially children, and she always felt if you are in a position to help, you should help.”

Get inspired by Parton’s style and songs

The Queen of Country was known for her over-the-top style, proudly wearing sequins with big hair and plenty of fringe in her signature color pink.

Parton especially adored butterflies, singing that “love is like a butterfly, as soft and gentle as a sigh.”

Dig into your closet and throw on something extra flashy, shiny or sparkly. Feeling adventurous? Some tattoo artists are offering Dolly-inspired tattoos on Friday, but a butterfly clip will also work.

Of course, there’s no easier way to celebrate Parton than by playing one of her many, many albums throughout the day.

Known for her hits “9 to 5,” “Jolene,” and “I Will Always Love You,” Parton’s catalog runs deep, and there’s room to discover new favorites.

It was Parton’s wish that her songs would have a lasting impact, and that in turn, she would be remembered for trying to make the world a better place.

“I hope that a lot of my songs may last that long. And I hope I’ll be remembered as somebody that tried to do some good in the world and left, you know, a few good things,” she told The Associated Press in 2024.

​ Orange County Register 

Top Saudi cleric urges troops to defend against the Houthis, and other Mideast developments

• September 25, 2026

By The Associated Press

Saudi Arabia’s top cleric has issued a rare statement, calling on the kingdom’s troops to defend the country from neighboring Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Yemen is deteriorating as fighting escalates, further straining the country’s overstretched health sector.

In New York, the wars in Iran and Gaza have dominated the agenda at the U.N. General Assembly, where the leaders of Iraq, Lebanon and Egypt were scheduled to address the United Nations later Friday.

Here is a look at the latest news from the Middle East. More coverage of the U.N. General Assembly is available here.

Top religious figure urges Saudi troops to be ready to defend the kingdom

With Saudi oil facilities, cities and ships off its coast coming under escalating attacks, the kingdom’s top religious authority has called on soldiers to be prepared to defend the country from Iran-backed Houthis.

The strongly worded statement from Grand Mufti Sheikh Saleh al-Fawzan, who traditionally avoids weighing in on politics in a country that holds enormous influence among Muslims worldwide, is a rare message on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East from the kingdom’s top religious authority.

Al-Fawzan addressed his message to soldiers defending the kingdom’s borders and members of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen, peppering it with Quranic verses and religious edicts.

“Protecting this great nation, guarding its borders, defending against aggression and punishing those who want to harm any inch of it is one of the greatest duties … where lives are sacrificed for the sake of God,” he said. The Saudi Press Agency carried the statement late Thursday.

Saudi Arabia has said it intercepted a number of missiles launched at the kingdom but has struggled, along with its allies, to contain the Houthis.

Two Israeli soldiers are killed in Gaza

Israel’s military said two of its soldiers were killed in northern Gaza on Thursday while inspecting an unexploded Israeli drone near a military post. They were the first Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza in months.

The drone exploded as the soldiers approached it, the military said Friday. They were evacuated to a hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

The military called the explosion “a serious safety incident” and identified the soldiers as Ofek Moalem and Nadav Kali. It said the incident was under investigation.

Previously, five Israeli soldiers have been killed since last October’s ceasefire that attempted to halt a more than two-year war between Israel and the militant Hamas group.

While the heaviest fighting has subsided, the ceasefire has seen almost daily Israeli fire. Israeli forces have carried out repeated airstrikes and frequently fire on Palestinians near military-held zones and have killed 1,408 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.

Hospitals in Yemen struggle as the country’s civil war reignites

The human toll of renewed hostilities in Yemen has stretched beyond the battlefield, overwhelming a health system already battered by years of war.

More than 130,000 people have fled their homes as fighting escalates between the Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces. Fewer than 10% of health centers in affected areas are equipped to provide the trauma care wounded people need, according to the World Health Organization.

Years of war have left Yemen’s hospitals with little capacity. Children are sharing emergency room beds, pregnant women are being turned away from health centers and medical supplies are running low.

The most recent round of fighting began in July after the Houthis declared a blockade on Saudi ships in the key Bab el-Mandeb strait, adding to pressure on global trade already disrupted by the war in Iran and the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.

Former UNRWA chief defends agency’s role in Gaza

The U.N. agency for Palestinians has met behind the scenes with officials from the U.S.-created Board of Peace, though the board has declared that the agency — known as UNRWA — will have no role in a future Gaza.

Publicly, UNRWA has not been included in the board’s planning for the territory’s postwar future. But Philippe Lazzarini, the U.N. agency’s last chief, told The Associated Press that members of a Palestinian technocratic committee are clear they want to work with the agency.

“They know that if you get completely rid of the agency today, it might have a further additional devastating impact on the population,” Lazzarini said.

The dynamic underscores how central UNRWA remains to addressing Gaza’s humanitarian crisis during the fragile ceasefire, even as Israel has sought to marginalize it. Israel alleges the agency has been infiltrated by Hamas militants, claims the International Court of Justice has said have not been substantiated.

This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

​ Orange County Register 

Trump’s fiery UN address masks growing Republican panic

• September 25, 2026

Even for President Trump, famous for his habit of contradicting himself, his speech at the United Nations on Tuesday was impressive.

Indeed, just weeks after imploring Republicans to consider him on the ballot in an effort to stave off what polls suggest could be a landslide midterm defeat, Trump told world leaders the opposite.

Explaining why the war in Iran has not ended nearly seven months in, Trump said the regime in Tehran was “waiting to see how I do” in November.

He then added, “What they don’t realize is that I’m not running. I did that already and won in a landslide…I gave absolutely no credence [to midterms] when it comes to Iran; it doesn’t even enter my mind.”

While dangling prospects for a deal with Iran following the midterms, Trump put the world on notice that, for now at least, he remains committed to the blockade and threats of military escalation.

How credible those threats are after months of repetition is questionable.

That said, it was beyond clear that Trump, increasingly frustrated by a war he cannot force to end and his poll numbers—along with those of GOP candidates throughout the country—falling, decided to turn to bellicose rhetoric, championing the use of American force to secure our interests and his own legacy.

As the Wall Street Journal described, it was an example of a President putting his legacy ahead of midterm politics.

Nevertheless, for Republicans who will be facing angry voters in a few short weeks, that underscores the depth of their problems.

To be sure, in Trump’s defense, there is a legitimate case to be made for the decision he described to the world leaders gathered in New York.

Wars do not run on a political calendar, and any commander-in-chief who bases military decisions around an election is a bad one.

Criticizing the ways the Iran war has been prosecuted is highly legitimate, yet there can be no debate that denying Iran a nuclear weapon remains a genuine national interest. It is also one that multiple U.S. administrations have promised, only to allow themselves to be bullied or lied to by the Mullahs in Tehran.

Or, as Trump put it, “While others have ignored threats, I have confronted them.”

Further, while Trump’s speech, laden with threats to “annihilate Iran,” could easily be read as a return to gunboat diplomacy, he has had a number of true foreign policy successes that will bolster his legacy.

He oversaw the latest ceasefire in Gaza, which included the release of the final Israeli hostages—something the Biden administration repeatedly tried and failed at.

Additionally, the removal of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro could well lead to the collapse of the regime in Cuba, which Trump threatened and referred to as a failed state.

However, the costs of Trump’s “might makes right” approach to using American military force to bend foreign policy to his will are not deferred to history. They will be paid by Republicans in November.

The national average for a gallon of gas stood at nearly $4.50 on Wednesday, up 40% year-over-year.

Worse still, diesel—the fuel that packs and transports groceries and other essential items—sits above $6.50 per gallon, up nearly 80% in the last year.

These have fed into inflation, which remains stubbornly high and forced the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates: precisely the opposite of what a President would want before a midterm, when history says the party in power is highly likely to lose seats anyway.

As a result, not only are Americans increasingly frustrated with Trump—his approval rating sits at just 39% and Democrats’ lead in the generic ballot has widened to almost 9 points—but now Republicans are distancing themselves in order to salvage their seats.

In just the last few days or weeks, Rep. Ashley Hinson, Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers, and Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is running for Wisconsin Governor, called on Trump to end the war.

Even away from Iran, Florida Rep. Maria Salazar criticized Trump’s deportation tactics with an ad saying they “have gone too far” and threaten Hispanic support in midterms, a demographic that was key for Republicans in 2024.

Likewise, Sen. John Curtis called on the Senate Judiciary Committee to subpoena Donald Trump Jr. over his foreign business dealings and reports that his recent wedding was funded by a Putin-linked Russian oligarch.

Perhaps curiously, despite staunch opposition to the war in Iran—and its likely political consequences—that wasn’t the only sensitive topic Trump bucked public opinion on.

Despite growing concerns over the consequences of artificial intelligence, Trump doubled down on his opposition to regulating it. Instead, he pledged not to “stifle [AI’s] growth” and suggested renaming it to “super intelligence.”

To that end, with his influence slipping at home amid discontent over the war and other issues, it makes sense that Trump would turn to foreign policy.

Not only is this an area where Presidents have considerably more power, but many have bet that the way they shape the world will define their legacy.

The problem is that with mounting economic concerns, voters are considerably more concerned with affording groceries and the possibility of humanity-ending AI incidents than they are with whether the American military can impose Trump’s will on Iran, Venezuela, or Cuba.

Put another way, bets have costs, and these are now being financed by Republican candidates in Iowa, North Carolina, Michigan, Ohio, and perhaps even Kansas and Alaska.

Ultimately, if Trump spends the next six weeks governing with the tone of his UN speech, he is going to spend the final two years of his term battling not distant threats in Tehran, but extremely hostile Democrats in charge just a few miles down the road.

Douglas Schoen is a longtime Democratic political consultant

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers clinch No. 2 seed, playoff bye despite loss to Padres

• September 25, 2026

LOS ANGELES — Long before Tyler Glasnow was tightening the screws on the San Diego Padres on Thursday night, the Dodgers’ path to a third consecutive World Series title had been shortened.

If earning a bye into a National League Division Series matchup, while avoiding the best-of-three wild-card round, was the lone objective, Glasnow never let it show.

Even as the Dodgers dropped a 4-2 decision to the San Diego Padres, who clinched a wild-card playoff berth, at least two objectives were secured.

Shortly after the first pitch was thrown on Thursday, the Dodgers clinched a top-two spot in the National League to earn their bye. That honor came gift wrapped by the Cincinnati Reds, who rallied for a 7-6 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

The Dodgers also saw that Glasnow is more than ready to assume one of the team’s four spots in the playoff rotation along with Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell, who is expected to pitch Saturday in San Francisco after a recent bout with groin discomfort.

Glasnow did all he could to stop a champagne party in the visiting clubhouse. He took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and was ultimately charged with three runs over 6⅓ innings after two of his base runners inherited by left-hander Justin Wrobleski scored.

“He’s a big weapon,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I think that obviously, you can see when he’s right, he’s as good as anybody in baseball. The fastball beats bats in the zone, the slider and the curveball get swing-and-miss, and tonight he was very efficient getting into the seventh inning.

“So, to be one of our four starters in the postseason, that’s tough to navigate as an opposition.”

Glasnow added a season high 11 strikeouts, which topped his 10-strikeout performance last week against the San Francisco Giants.

“The last couple have been a lot better for me, timing-wise,” Glasnow said. “I feel like I’m in a pretty good rhythm right now, so it’s the perfect time to bring it into the postseason.”

The Padres’ first hit came on a single to center from 20-year-old rookie catcher Ethan Salas with one out in the sixth. Fernando Tatis Jr. followed with a single and Dustin Harris added a sacrifice fly to center field for a 1-0 lead.

In the seventh, San Diego received a double from Jackson Merrill and a walk from Xander Bogaerts with one out. Glasnow gave way to Wrobleski, who gave up RBI singles to Austin Hays, Salas and Tatis.

“I felt good the whole game,” Glasnow said. “I think my timing was good today. I felt really good on the quick-step (with runners on base).”

Had they won Thursday, the Dodgers would have left for San Francisco with a slim chance at finishing with the best record in the National League and securing home-field advantage through the World Series.

The Milwaukee Brewers (100-59), who own the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Dodgers (97-62), had already secured their spot in a best-of-five NLDS and clinched the NL’s top seed with the franchise’s first 100-win regular season and the Dodgers’ loss.

If there remains a concern for the Dodgers, it is that they are 2-14 since July 31 against playoff teams in the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Brewers, Braves and Padres. They went 18-20 against the five other NL playoff teams this season.

“All we care about is playing good this weekend, these three games, and take that in,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said about the final regular-season series in San Francisco. “Doesn’t matter who we’re playing (to open the playoffs) or what we’ve done against those teams. It’s all out the window come (next) Saturday. It’s game on there.

“Play good baseball (in San Francisco) so we can have some positive things going into the off week.”

San Diego hasn’t had a regular season in the class of the Brewers and Dodgers, but the Padres (89-70) are not done having their say. They have now clinched a playoff spot in three consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history and are currently lined up to potentially face the Dodgers in an NLDS.

Adding to their sense of accomplishment was the opportunity to celebrate a playoff berth on the Dodger Stadium infield.

After going 10-3 with Shohei Ohtani on the injured list, the Dodgers are now 0-2 since he returned from biceps discomfort. He returned to the leadoff spot for the first time since Sept. 7 after he batted second against a left-handed starter Wednesday.

Ohtani went 2 for 5 with a pair of fly balls to the base of the outfield wall and an RBI double with two outs in the ninth. He is now 3 for 9 in the two games of his return.

“The last two nights, he’s looked great,” Roberts said. “The bat speed is there, the quality of the at-bats there, and just getting to the fastball and hitting it like that. Really exciting. Just missed a homer. So it looks really good; very encouraging for all of us.”

Mookie Betts dropped into the No. 2 spot for the first time in six games and had three hits.

The Dodgers scored their first run in the eighth when Betts scored on a balk by Adrian Morejon.

“Some guys are swinging the bat well and getting on track, and then other guys are sort of scuffling,” Roberts said. “Trying to sync that up, and when we do get traffic, to get that hit, we just didn’t get it the last couple nights.

“But I think with Shohei obviously back, Freddie showing some life the last couple nights was good, and then Mookie staying hot, and (Kyle) Tucker’s kind of staying the course. We have to get a couple of other guys back, but I feel good where we’re at offensively.”

​ Orange County Register 

High school football: Scores from Thursday’s Week 5 games

• September 25, 2026

The scores from the high school football games Thursday, Sept. 24.

THURSDAY’S RESULTS

Bolsa Grande 47, Savanna 22

Century 49, Santiago 13

Villa Park 51, Lakewood 0

Gahr 36, Gardena 0

La Sierra 36, San Bernardino 20

​ Orange County Register 

Villa Park football races past Lakewood after bus accident delays kickoff

• September 25, 2026

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ORANGE — Villa Park’s football team encountered an unexpected delay Thursday before playing Lakewood in a nonleague game.

A bus transporting most of the Spartans’ players to El Modena High was involved in a minor accident, Villa Park athletic director Tom Fox said. There were no injuries, Fox said, but kickoff was delayed about 30 minutes.

Villa Park then resumed its sprint toward the Bravo League.

Jacob Titchenal threw touchdowns on three consecutive passes in the first half and Jr Orta broke a 47-yard scoring run as Villa Park raced past Lakewood 51-0 at El Modena High.

“Our players did a really good job for the unique situation. Lots of distractions,” Villa Park coach Dusan Ancich said of the delay.

“We were on the bus an hour and half waiting for the (California Highway Patrol) and right when we got here, we had to warm up. We kind of scrambled. It was a Senior Night and we skipped all the announcements (until after the game).”

Titchenal said he and his teammates were chatting on the bus during the delay in eagerness to play.

“We bring the energy. We had energy on the bus,” said the sophomore, who completed all 11 of his passes for 184 yards. “We just come to play. We’re ready to play whenever.”

Villa Park (5-0), ranked No. 13 in Orange County and 60th in the state by hsratings.com,  outscored its five nonleague opponents 297-40.

The Spartans’ scoring average of 59.4 points per game leads the Bravo League.

“We got a lot of things going our way,” Ancich said. “We got a good offense. A young, talented quarterback. An aggressive defense. Our kicking game is doing well. But it’s week by week. Right now, we’re feeling pretty good. We got to prepare for next week. Season 1 is over. We did our job.”

Villa Park matched its best start since 2023. The Spartans started 7-0 that season and finished 10-2.

Villa Park opened the first quarter with a nine-play, 81-yard drive. Maverick DeClark capped the march with a 1-yard touchdown run.

The Spartans’ quick-strike offense took over from there.

Late in the first quarter, Orta scored on a 47-yard touchdown run after taking a direct snap while in motion as a wide receiver. The 2-point conversion extended the lead to 15-0.

In the second quarter, Titchenal threw touchdown passes of 35 yards to Ethan Hedrick, 1 yard to Ben Hannah and 39 yards to Alex Samuel.

Hannah’s score came after an interception by Wil Cassara.

Villa Park led 37-0 at half.

Running back Coy Collins highlighted the second half with a 20-yard touchdown run. The junior finished with 109 yards on 11 carries.

Next week on Friday, Oct. 2, Villa Park opens the Bravo League against Corona del Mar (5-0) at El Modena High.

Jordan Montgomery rushed for 43 yards and Garon Harden recorded a sack for Lakewood (2-4).

Lakewood opens the Moore League against Long Beach Poly at Cabrillo High on Friday, Oct. 2.

​ Orange County Register 

Bolsa Grande football’s playmakers take over against Savanna

• September 25, 2026

GARDEN GROVE — Bolsa Grande quarterback Michael Nguyen and a supporting cast of talented playmakers were too much for Savanna in a Tango League game Thursday night.

And 187 yards in penalties against Savanna didn’t help, either, as the Matadors were able to extend several drives and defeat the Rebels, 47-22, at Bolsa Grande High School.

Nguyen completed 13 of 21 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown and ran for two touchdowns. Anthony Bell rushed for 167 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.

“I feel like the biggest key to this game was our line,” Nguyen said. “They were sending like seven defenders, but our line did great and really carried us in this game.”

With four games in the books and four games remaining in the nine-team Tango League, the Matadors (4-2, 3-1) are in second place behind Loara.

The Matadors’ only league loss came against the Saxons in the league opener.

Loara plays Magnolia on Friday night.

“In the first game, we came in with the mentality that we are just going to win,” Bell said. “We didn’t practice hard. We didn’t play hard. But after that, it really gave us motivation to not take any team lightly.”

The league receives four automatic spots in the CIF-SS playoffs, so the Rebels (3-3, 2-2) are certainly still in contention to reach the postseason.

After Bentley Cruz scored for the Rebels to make the score 6-6, a 15-yard penalty against the Rebels on the ensuing kickoff gave Bolsa Grande good field position. Another 15-yard penalty against Savanna later in the drive gave the Matadors a first down at the Savanna 29.

Two plays later, Nguyen connected with Alex Vargas for an 18-yard touchdown, giving the Matadors a 13-6 lead.

Bell’s 45-yard touchdown run in the second quarter made the score 20-6.

The Matadors had a first-and-10 from the Savanna 40 when another 15-yard penalty and a 7-yard penalty later in the drive helped set up a 1-yard touchdown run from Nguyen to make the score 27-6.

Savanna had a chance to get back into the game on the ensuing drive, but an interception in the end zone by Slater Espinoza preserved the Matadors’ three-score lead.

The Matadors also stopped the Rebels on fourth down twice in the contest.

Three penalties by the Savanna defense totaling 38 yards on a third-quarter drive led to an 8-yard touchdown run from Bell.

Two personal foul penalties by the Rebels on a fourth-quarter Bolsa Grande drive set up a 2-yard touchdown run from Daymien Sanchez that put the contest out of reach.

​ Orange County Register 

Woodbridge flag football scores decisive victory over Santa Margarita

• September 25, 2026

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA — One player dominated on offense. Another player dominated on defense. And Woodbridge dominated Santa Margarita.

In a showdown of two of the better girls flag football teams in Orange County, No. 5-ranked Woodbridge scored a decisive 46-6 nonleague victory over the host Eagles on Thursday.

Santa Margarita, which fell out of the county Top 10 this week, was down five starters who were at a week-long school event.

Santa Margarita coach Brad Finneran said it probably wouldn’t have made any difference after watching Delia “D.D.” Stone dominate on offense and Naiomi Tase dominate on defense with a record-setting performance.

Tase had the game of her life. The two-way starter caught a touchdown pass, but her most significant contribution were her school-record four interceptions. Three of those turnovers —including one that was returned 34 yards — led to Woodbridge touchdowns.

She said she had never had more than one interception in a game before beguiling Santa Margarita quarterback Elle Palmer.

“It’s rare that I get an interception in a game,” Tase said. “This game, our rush did a good job of making the quarterback panic and throw it up there.”

Stone, the Woodbridge quarterback, was just as impressive on the offensive side of the ball.

“I’m so lucky to have a blocker and a receiver like (Tase),” she said.

A sophomore, Stone frustrated Santa Margarita with her running and her passing. She ran for one touchdown (seven yards), to go ahead 19-6. But her passing is where she bruised the Eagles the most, as she tossed six TD passes.

“We’ve been looking at their scores,” Stone said, “we’ve been trying to prepare using film. But we’ve all worked very hard and that’s why we got the result that we did. I’ve been working on taking more time in the pocket rather than rushing out, and I noticed I had a lot more time because of my blocks … so I found more people.

Stone connected with Lauren Gagnier for a 33-yard TD pass to go up, 6-0, and connected with Laney Brucker for 5-yard score to make it 13-6 just two plays into the second quarter.

After running for a score, Stone passed nine yards to Loghan Everett, and two yards to Brucker to make it 33-6 at halftime.

She continued the onslaught by the Warriors with an eight-yard scoring pass to Tase, and a 10-yard pass to Everett.

The fourth quarter was played with a running clock and neither team scored.

The Eagles fell to 7-10 overall and will need to get busy if they are to qualify for the CIF-SS playoffs as an at-large team, which will require a .500 record.

Santa Margarita answered Woodbridge’s first touchdown with a 16-yard pass from Palmer to Gwen Julianel, but it was the only time the Eagles would get the best of the Warriors defense.

Finneran refused blame the absence of five starters — three on defense — with the result.

“I don’t even think it would have mattered the way we came out,” he said. “We might have been a little better on defense, but we have players who should be able to play the game but just didn’t show up. Coaching-wise, we have to be better as well, we’re not doing a good enough job.

“We’ve got to play better and smarter overall.”

For Woodbridge, it’s green-light go. The Warriors are 16-4 and just dominated a Trinity League opponent that, despite being down the senior starters, figured to put up more of a battle.

“It gives us confidence that we’re good enough to play with the better teams,” said Tase, a junior.

Woodbridge coach Mark Thompson knows his team can be better, and is optimistic about the future.

“Santa Margarita plays fast and they’re strong, so it’s good play teams like that to keep our edge,” he said.

“I feel we’re going to go deep in the playoffs whether we go Division 1 or Open. I think we’re on the bubble right now. This team still has more potential in them. They play for each other. Every person, no matter their role, does their best to help the team.”

If Thursday was any indication, they might be playing together for a long time.

​ Orange County Register