Defending national champion Mater Dei to face IMG Academy in 2018

Video: Mater Dei vs. IMG Academy preview
Zack Poff takes a look at what will be the most anticipated game of the 2018 season.

The game every high school football fan wanted to see in 2017 is finally going down in 2018.

Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) vs. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.).

The game is reportedly happening Sept. 21 at Santa Ana Stadium in Southern California.

The Monarchs went wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team in the country last fall, winning the first CIF state championship in school history. Mater Dei never trailed at any point in the season.

IMG Academy, which will carry a 37-game win streak into the 2018 campaign, recorded its third-straight undefeated season in 2017. The Ascenders faced one of the toughest schedules in the country and won every contest by at least two scores. Both teams lost some big-time players to graduation but these schools don't rebuild, they reload.

Replacing 2017 MaxPreps National Player of the Year JT Daniels is the top-rated dual-threat quarterback from the Class of 2020 — Bryce Young. He was a first team MaxPreps Sophomore All-American after throwing for nearly 3,500 yards and 41 touchdowns at Cathedral (Los Angeles) last season. He transferred to Mater Dei in the Spring and is ready to prove he can handle the next step up in competition.

Young isn't the only big-time transfer coming over to join one of the most talented teams in the country.

Two four-star recruits from Rancho Cucamonga, Sean Dollars and Jeremiah Criddell, will both finish their high school careers in Santa Ana. Braedin Huffman-Dixon, a four-star wide receiver from Roosevelt (Eastvale) and Bryson Washington, a four-star safety from the Class of 2020, will both be playing for head coach Bruce Rollinson in 2018.

They join an already loaded roster that includes Bru McCoy, the top rated athlete from the Class of 2019. Mase Funa checks in as the fifth-rated outside linebacker from 2019. Myles Murao is the No. 1 offensive guard from the Class of 2020. Elias Rick and Darion Green-Warren are two of the top rated cornerbacks from the Class of 2020 and give the Monarchs one of the best secondaries in high school football. Michael Martinez is one of the best tight ends on the West Coast, 4-star defensive tackle Keyon Ware-Hudson will be back after missing his junior season with a knee injury and Shakobe Harper is one of the most underrated running backs in the country.

Five of the Top 10 players from Florida play at IMG Academy. 2019 Georgia commit Nolan Smith is the top rated player from the Sunshine State. The five-star defensive end is the No. 5 overall prospect in the Class of 2019. One spot under him is Trey Sanders, a former Alabama commit and the top rated running back in the Class of 2019. They also have the No. 2-rated running back in the class Noah Cain.

The Ascenders bring in one of the best offensive lines in the country led by Evan Neal, Deyavie Hammond and recent Miami (Fla.) transfer Dontae Lucas. They check in as the Nos. 2, 3 and 8 offensive guards, respectively, from the Class of 2019.

A few other big-time transfers include four-star wide receiver Josh Delgado, four-star linebacker Jaleel McRae, Lake four-star safety Briton Allen and four-star wide receiver Shamar Nash. Former Upland (Calif.) quarterback David Baldwin will be competing for the starting job under center in 2018.

The debate raged all of last season, IMG Academy or Mater Dei?

We are about to find out in 170 days.