Lions show they belong after beating Mater Dei at its own game.
JSerra celebrates its monumental win over Mater Dei.
Photo courtesy of Moore Video Productions
For
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), it was another tough week of Trinity League football, knowing that any team can beat any opponent.
It was a whole lot more than that for
JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.).
Nick Robinson, JSerra Catholic
File photo by Ted Aguirre
The Lions posted an upset of No. 10 Mater Dei (6-2) on Friday night, posting a 17-10 triumph that represented the first time they have ever defeated the Monarchs. For a school that opened in 2003, earning a maiden victory over a national juggernaut is definitely reason to celebrate.
According to the Orange County Register, it all started fast for the Lions, who got a 97-yard touchdown pass from
Nick Robinson to
Isaiah Diego-Williams on their first play from scrimmage to put the Mater Dei homecoming crowd in a bit of shock. He also found
Sam Philippi for another score.
Even better for the dramatic effect, JSerra (7-1) converted a fake punt to get itself a first down and run out the clock.
The Monarchs held a 10-7 advantage in the third quarter after
Elias Deeb converted on a field goal, but Philippi's score was the one that put JSerra in the lead for good.
Ethan Worden kicked a field goal to give JSerra its 17 points.
For Mater Dei,
Jack Lowary passed to
Andres Udria for a touchdown.
To get some perspective on just how huge the win was for JSerra (aside from the fact it was a non-ranked team beating an Xcellent 25 squad), just
take a look at the team history for the Lions. According to the MaxPreps data since the 2004 season, here are some facts showing just how far the program has come:
- The win moved JSerra to 7-36 in league competition all-time. JSerra was a freelance team until the 2006 season.
- The cumulative score against Mater Dei since 2007 (excluding a 2006 JSerra forfeit) before the JSerra win: 349-71 (a 50-10 average).
- JSerra had to forfeit all five of its league games in 2006 (reportedly due to a lack of players).
The Lions won their final two league games last year and they entered Friday ranked No. 11 nationally in the MaxPreps Computer Rankings (Mater Dei was No. 7). Expect another climb, and if they can make noise in the playoffs, the Lions could find itself in the national rankings.
