Mater Dei players, Coach Bruce Rollinson and other officials celebrate after the Monarchs won the CIF Division 1 title. (Photos: Fernando M. Donado, For OC Sports Zone)
Raleek Brown rushed for 162 yards and a touchdown and No. 1 Mater Dei used a smothering defense to defeat No. 4 Servite 27-7 to capture the CIF Division 1 championship game Friday night at Long Beach Veterans Stadium before a sellout crowd of 9,879.
Mater Dei (11-0) has beaten Servite 11 consecutive times and holds a 43-17-2 all-time advantage against the Friars. Coming into Friday’s game, Servite had scored 40 or more points in nine of its 12 games, but Monarchs defensive standouts David Bailey and Tanner Williams led an aggressive Mater Dei defense that kept the pressure on the Friars all night.
Servite converted only 3 of 11 third downs and had only 133 yards of offense in the game and gave up four sacks.
“Our defense came prepared and I thought Tanner (Williams) had a great game and we played better than they did,” said Bailey.
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Friday marked the first time the two teams have met in a CIF championship game and it was the first time since 2015 that a CIF Division 1 championship game did not pair St. John Bosco against Mater Dei.
“We kept our composure and made our running game work,” said Raleek Brown.
“We watched a lot of film, had hard practicesand executed,” said Mater Dei defensive lineman Aydin Breland.
Servite took advantage of a Mater Dei miscue on the first play of the game. Elijah Brown’s pass was deflected by a Monarch’s receiver and then intercepted by Friars linebacker Zion Sims at the Mater Dei 28-yard line. Five plays later, Noah Fifita tossed a 4-yard TD pass to Tetairoa Mcmillian, giving Servite a 7-0 lead.
The Monarchs countered with a 14-play, 76-yard scoring drive that took 7:15. Quincy Craig powered into the end zone from three yards to tie the game at 7-7 with 58 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Monarchs took the lead midway through the second quarter when Ajon Bryant capped a six-play, 63 yard scoring drive when he broke a 27-yard touchdown run to give Mater Dei a 14-7 lead. The drive was highlighted by a key third-down pass play from Elijah Brown to Quincy Craig and a 27-yard run by Raleek Brown that gave Mater Dei a key first down.
Mater Dei’s defense dug in and held the Friars on back-to-back series in the second quarter. In addition, the Monarchs had a golden scoring opportunity, following a Servite shanked punt that gave Mater Dei a first down at the Friars 30-yard line. However, the Monarchs were unable to capitalize and Mcmillian intercepted a Brown pass (his eighth interception of the season) and returned it 30 yards to the Mater Dei 44. But the Friars were unable to move the ball.
Servite had a late second quarter scoring opportunity foiled when running back Hoi Hansen was stripped of the ball after gaining a first down at the Mater 13-yard line with 21 second left in the half. The Monarchs ran out the clock and took a 14-7 lead at the break. Mater Dei offense mustered 147 yards in the first half and held Servite to 55 yards.
Raleek Brown capped off Mater Dei’s first possession of the second half drive with a 1-yard TD run as the Monarchs took a 21-7 lead at the 2:49 mark of the third quarter. Late in the fourth quarter, the Monarchs sealed the victory as Elijah Brown completed a 27-yard TD pass to CJ Williams.
“I give a lot of credit to our Oline and our defense got big stops,” said Brown, who completed 11 of 14 passes for 110 yards. “It feels awesome to be a champion.”
Monarchs coach Bruce Rollinson was extremely pleased with his team’s performance.
“Our defense rose up and we won the battle of the trenches,” Rollinson said. “I told them at halftime that we squandered a lead in the 2019 championship game and we didn’t want to repeat that. They played four quarters tonight and they realized that we are all in this together.”
After Servite’s first series of the game, they struggled offensively and committed untimely penalties that cost them.
“I have to give them (Mater Dei) credit,” said Servite Coach Troy Thomas. “I thought our defense played well but they were on the field a long time and we struggled offensively.”
Fifita completed 10 of 22 passes for 86 yards and was under heavy pressure throughout the game. Hansen rushed for 64 yard and Mcmillian caught 8 passes for 68 yards to lead the Friars (10-3).
Servite reached the final by defeating Santa Margarita and St. John Bosco in the playoffs. After completing the regular season 8-0 (Mater Dei had two games cancelled due to COVID protocol), the Monarchs defeated Norco and Corona Centennial in the playoffs leading up to Friday’s championship game.
Friday was the 14th time Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson has guided his team to a CIF championship game (winning eight times, including four national championships). Servite made its ninth appearance (winning four times) in a CIF final.
—Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone
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