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    Villa Park quarterback and Leuzinger safety transfer to Santa Margarita
    • March 17, 2026

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    Villa Park quarterback Matthew Smith and Leuzinger safety Pole Moala have enrolled at Santa Margarita, the players confirmed Monday.

    Smith is a 6-foot-1, 190-pound junior. He observed the sitout period last season at Villa Park after transferring from Loyola.

    In six games with Villa Park, Smith completed 69 percent of his passes for 1,006 yards and seven touchdowns.

    He is the second Orange County quarterback to transfer to Santa Margarita this offseason.

    Koa Smith-Mayall from JSerra (5-11, 180), who also is a junior, has been attending Santa Margarita since the start of the second semester, he confirmed.

    Santa Margarita graduated starting quarterback Trace Johnson (Tulane) from its CIF-SS Division 1 and CIF State Open Division championship squad last season. His backup was Fletch Palmer, a sophomore and the son of Eagles coach Carson Palmer.

    Moala, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound safety, is the No. 4 ranked sophomore in California by Rivals/On3. He holds offers from Mississippi, Ohio State, USC, Oregon, Miami, Michigan and Oklahoma among others.

    Last season, Moala recorded 45 tackles and three interceptions to help Leuzinger reach the Division 2 semifinals.

    He returned two interceptions and one kickoff for touchdowns and caught three scores. His positions included cornerback and wide receiver.

    Please send football news to Dan Albano at dalbano@scng.com or @ocvarsityguy

    ​ Orange County Register 

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