Top Ranked Mater Dei Monarchs 2019 Preseason Preview: Going for a National Threepeat

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG

On a national scale, for what seems like a decade and longer streak there has been no beating the top team(s) coming out of Southern California’s Trinity League. Top to bottom, the five-team high school football conference is always loaded with highly-coveted college football recruits making the clashes on the field a “must-see” event. Over the past two seasons, Mater Dei has been the best of the best in the state of California with back-to-back titles and consecutive national championships awarded by MaxPreps. With another loaded roster, but a very challenging schedule ahead, can the Monarchs keep the fires burning for a third consecutive season hoisting a trophy at season’s end?

Last season Mater Dei posted an 14-1 record losing in-conference to bitter rival St. John Bosco 41-18 but received the revenge they were seeking in the playoffs with a 17-13 victory that captured a CIF-Southern Section championship with the right to play northern section champs De La Salle; an eventual 35-21 victory. Led by Class of 2020 four-star quarterback Bryce Young (USC), the Monarchs’ offense was unrelenting scoring an average of 40 points per game while playing against some of the best in the nation including the likes of Bishop Gorman (NV) and IMG Academy (FL) in non-conference action and nationally ranked squads found in the Trinity League, St. John Bosco, JSerra Catholic, Orange Lutheran, with playoff wins over Valencia, Mission Viejo, and Centennial. Graduated are the likes of five-star receiver/athlete Bru McCoy (USC), four-star running back Sean Dollars (Oregon), and three-star tight end Mike Martinez (UCLA), but a new batch of talent is ready to step up to fill the void.

Putting all the spotlight on Mater Dei’s offense would be a mistake. The defense was as tough as it gets limiting the opposition to 11 points each time out. That includes four shutouts and four games when offenses could only post seven or less points. The defense was loaded with guys now set to play on Saturdays in four-star defensive tackle Keyon Ware-Hudson (Oregon), four-star defensive back Jeremiah Criddell (Oklahoma), three-star defensive tackle Evan Bennett (Oregon State), three-star defensive back William Nimmo Jr. (UCLA), and four-star defensive end Mase Funa (Oregon). Any other high school team in the nation graduating that much talent would be a wreck the following season, but not Mater Dei.

Mater Dei’s 2019 Offense

When it comes to directing an offense, Bryce Young is one of the best in the 2020 recruiting class. He completed 70 percent of his passes covering 3,846 yards with 39 touchdowns while only throwing six picks in 331 attempts. He also made plays happen with his legs scrambling for 286 yards posting four more scores on the board. Young will have one of the nation’s best offensive lines giving him time to throw this season with seniors Andrew Ueli-Faatoalia (3-star), Tai Marks (3-star), and Myles Murao (4-star) with Class of 2021 guard George Miki-Han (3-star) rounding out the unit. Senior leadership on the outside will be provided by three-star receiver Kody Epps. The youth in the receiving corps is a proven commodity in four-stars Cristian Dixon and three-star Kyron Ware-Hudson.

Tautai “Tai” Marks talking about the cohesiveness of the offensive line: “As a unit, we are hands down as close as any other unit in the country and as good as any other unit in the country. When teams run stunts, the guard and tackle have to be on the same page. You have to have that chemistry; we have that chemistry.”

Mater Dei’s 2019 Defense

The defensive leaders for the Monarchs are four-star defensive tackle Sefita Tupe and three-star linebacker Jacobah Fuamatu. Filling in the box next to Fuamatu is four-star prospect Raesjon Davis. The secondary has talented juniors in four-star Jaylin Davies and Deandre Ware with sophomores Domani Jackson, Cameron Sidney, and Josh Hunter fighting for starting spots.

Raesjon Davis on the strengths of the Monarchs’ defense: “We are really fast. We are young but fast, and we hit hard. We are physical team that brings the hat to each play.”

Schedule

No other way to say it, but the Monarchs’ schedule is brutal. Mater Dei opens up against No. 9 nationally ranked (MaxPreps) Centennial, faces Villa Park, and then goes on the road to face the fourth ranked team in Arizona in a different Centennial squad. The high-profile games are just beginning with a neutral site game against the No. 3 nationally ranked Panthers of St. Frances Academy. After a well-deserved bye week breather, the team heads on the road to face No. 4 nationally ranked St. John’s in D.C.

When the team comes back, they begin league play with Orange Lutheran followed by Servite (ranked No. 20 in California), and Santa Margarita. The last two games are as tough as the non-conference action with No. 2 nationally ranked St. John Bosco and No. 18 ranked JSerra Catholic.

If you are wondering which Top 5 team Mater Dei is missing in the preseason rankings, it is No. 5 North Shore High School out of Houston.

Overview

If there is another team in the country playing a schedule anywhere close to Mater Dei’s, good luck to them as well. The Monarchs were able to survive one loss on the field in 2018 and avenged that loss in the playoffs to capture back-to-back titles. If they make it through the regular season undefeated, good luck to whoever gets in their way come playoff time because this freight train will not slow down for anyone.

2019 Mater Dei Schedule

Week 1 – Aug. 23 vs. No. 9 Centennial (Corona, CA) – Santa Ana Bowl

Week 2 – Aug. 29 vs. Villa Park (Villa Park, CA) – Santa Ana Bowl

Week 3 – Sept. 6 at Centennial (Peoria, AZ) – ranked No. 4 in Arizona

Week 4 – Sept. 14 vs. No. 3 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, MD) at St. John Bosco

Week 5 – Bye

Week 6 – Sept. 27 at No. 4 St. John’s (Washington, DC) – Catholic University

Week 7 – Oct. 4 vs. Orange Lutheran (Orange, CA) – Santa Ana Stadium

Week 8 – Oct. 11 vs. Servite (Anaheim, CA) – Santa Ana Bowl – ranked No. 20 in California

Week 9 – Oct. 18 at Santa Margarita Catholic (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) – Rancho Santa Margarita

Week 10 – Oct. 25 at No. 2 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, CA) – St. John Bosco

Week 11 – Nov. 1 vs. No. 18 JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, CA)– Santa Ana Stadium

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Photo credit: Mater Dei Twitter; Monarchs take the field (2018)