One of the most anticipated national high school football matchups of the season takes place in Southern California on Saturday when top-ranked
Mater Dei (Santa Ana) hosts No. 8
Servite (Anaheim) at the Santa Ana Bowl. The contest between longtime Orange County rivals won't begin until 8 p.m. but figures to be worth the wait considering the number of top recruits competing and the high-octane nature of both offenses.
The game carries significant implications at every level, starting with the Trinity League championship. Besides the Monarchs and Friars, a third Trinity League foe, St. John Bosco (Bellflower), is nationally ranked at No. 5.
How to Watch
What: Servite (8-0, 3-0 Trinity League) vs. Mater Dei (6-0, 3-0)
Where: Santa Ana Bowl
Day: Saturday, Oct. 23
Time: 8 p.m. (Pacific)
TV/Stream: Bally Sports
Mater Dei opened league play with a 42-21 win over St. John Bosco, meaning a Saturday win and the Monarchs will command the Trinity League title hunt and with it, the top seed heading into the Southern Section Division I playoffs.
A Servite win, however, would spin the league and national football landscape on its axis. St. John Bosco and Servite are scheduled to play next week in Anaheim, setting up a possible three-way tie for the Trinity League title.
Mater Dei has won the nine straight over Servite and owns a 41-17-2 lead in the series which dates back to 1961, but there's plenty of reasons the Friars can pull the upset.
• Servite (8-0, 3-0), under fiery Troy Thomas, hasn't trailed all season while outscoring opponents, 399-90.
• The Friars feature the state's top-ranked senior recruits per position in Oregon-bound wide receiver
Tetairoa McMillan (52 catches, 911 yards, 15 touchdowns) and Arizona-bound tight end
Keyan Burnett (24, 448, 6), to go along with productive running back
Houston Thomas (678 yards rushing, 12 TDs).
Servite 5-star receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) is considered one of the best all-around athletes in Southern California.
File photo by Terry Jack
• The potent offense is orchestrated by one of the most experienced and prolific quarterbacks in
Noah Fifita, a fourth-year varsity player and third year starter who has thrown for 2,242 yards and 29 touchdowns (four interceptions) this season and rushed for 311 yards and six more scores.
• The team is dominated by seniors and two- and three-year starters.
• Servite gave Mater Dei all it could handle before losing 24-17 in the spring.
But Mater Dei is Mater Dei. Led by 33-year head coach Bruce Rollinson (323 wins, 86 losses, two ties), the Monarchs have at least 30 players with FBS offers or three-star rankings and they've outscored opponents 305-57.
Unflappable sophomore quarterback
Elijah Brown has completed 75 percent of his passes (81 of 108) for 1,311 yards, 18 touchdowns and three interceptions.
He has a variety of college-bound receivers to throw to including Notre Dame-bound
CJ Williams (26 catches, 402 yards, six touchdowns), Harvard commit
Cooper Barkate (14, 370, 7) and sophomore
Jack Ressler (13, 155, 2).
Oklahoma-bound running back
Raleek Brown certainly isn't overused with 45 carries, but with 412 yards and seven touchdowns he's always a threat to break a long one. He has at least three capable runners behind him.
Both teams are loaded with other college bound defenders, including Servite's
Mason Graham, a defensive lineman headed to Michigan, Arizona-bound linebacker
Jacob Manu and
Maxx Silao, another active linebacker.
Mater Dei's defense is keyed by edge rusher
David Bailey, a four-star senior with offers to Stanford, Oregon, USC and UCLA, linebackers
Eoghan Kerry (Texas),
Leviticus Su'a and
Malaki Te'o, along with defensive backs
Cameron Sidney (Cal) and
Joshua Hunter (San Diego State).
Notre Dame-bound receiver CJ Williams leads the Monarchs with 26 catches for 402 yards.
File photo by Robbie Rakestraw
