Mater Dei is 9-0 against Santa Margarita since October of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Mater Dei Monarchs will be playing at home against the Santa Margarita Eagles at 7:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Mater Dei and Orange Lutheran (ranked five and 75 in the MaxPreps national rankings respectively) squared off in a high-profile match. Mater Dei simply couldn't be stopped on Thursday as they easily beat Orange Lutheran 55-13 on the road. The result was nothing new for Mater Dei, who have now won six matches by 34 points or more so far this season.
Mater Dei's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ajon Bryant led the charge by rushing for 155 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 9.7 yards per carry. Bryant really tore up the turf during one magnificent 83-yard run. Another player making a difference was Elijah Brown, who threw for 199 yards and four touchdowns while completing 88.9% of his passes.
Mater Dei's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB six times. Orange Lutheran's QB won't forget Nasir Wyatt anytime soon given Wyatt sacked him six times.
Meanwhile, Santa Margarita came up short against Servite on Friday and fell 50-42. Despite running the score up even higher than they did two weeks ago (34), Santa Margarita still had to take the loss.
Despite the defeat, Santa Margarita had strong showings from Trent Mosley, who gained 237 total yards and four touchdowns, and Skylar Lendsey, who rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 8.8 yards per carry. James Johnson was another key contributor, throwing for 144 yards and two touchdowns while completing 80% of his passes.
Mater Dei's win bumped their record up to 8-1. As for Santa Margarita, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-4 record this season.
Everything came up roses for Mater Dei against Santa Margarita in their previous matchup back in October of 2022 as the team secured a 52-7 win. Does Mater Dei have another victory up their sleeve, or will Santa Margarita turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
