Football Preview: Servite Friars vs. Mater Dei Monarchs
Servite is 0-10 against Mater Dei since October of 2016 but things could change on Saturday. The Friars are taking a road trip to face off against the Monarchs at 7:00 p.m. Servite will be strutting in after a victory while Mater Dei will be coming in after a defeat.
Servite is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of California's top teams: JSerra Catholic, who was ranked 20th at the time (Servite was ranked 12th). The Friars took down the Lions 43-26 on Friday. The high-flying offensive performance was a huge turnaround for the Friars considering their seven-point performance the matchup before.
Steele Holcomb
| 10/10/25 vs JSerra Catholic | 89 |
| 09/26/25 @ St. Paul | 13 |
| 09/12/25 @ Notre Dame (SO) | 71 |
| 09/05/25 vs Chaminade | 15 |
| 11/01/24 @ Santa Margarita | 3 |
| + 5 more games |
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Servite to victory, but perhaps none more so than Steele Holcomb, who rushed for 89 yards and two touchdowns on only nine carries. That's the most rushing yards Holcomb has posted since back in August of 2024. Jorden Wells helped out on the ground, rushing for 103 yards and a rushing touchdown.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Servite was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 348 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Servite's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB eight times. The heavy lifting was done by Allen 'Cinco' Kennett V and Sevelino Taliauli, who racked up four sacks between them.
Meanwhile, Mater Dei and Santa Margarita were almost perfectly matched up on Friday, but Mater Dei suffered a 7-6 loss. The contest marked the Monarchs' lowest-scoring game so far this season.
Mater Dei didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut CJ Lavender Jr.. Shaun Scott was another major factor on D, picking up a sack, forcing one fumble, and making five total tackles (1.5 for loss).
Servite's record now sits at 5-2. As for Mater Dei, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-2.
Servite might still be hurting after the 28-6 loss they got from Mater Dei in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. Thankfully for the Friars, Dash Beierly (who threw for 296 yards and three TDs while completing 86.4% of his passes) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
