SANTA ANA – The Mater Dei faithful might have needed a little time Friday night to warm up to the Monarchs’ new dark gray jerseys and pants.
The Monarchs’ offensive and defensive units also needed some time before they looked like themselves against Upland. But once each found their strides in the second half, Mater Dei played like the No. 1-ranked team in Orange County.
Running back Brandon LaMarche returned a blocked punt for a touchdown and also scored on a run, and the defense racked up seven sacks as Mater Dei improved to 3-0 with a 28-14 victory against Upland (2-2) at Santa Ana Stadium.
LaMarche scored on an 18-yard run in the third quarter and quarterback Jack Lowary tossed a 40-yard TD pass to Andre Collins in the frame to help Mater Dei break open a 14-14 tie after halftime.
Lowary missed on his first four passes but later completed 10 consecutive passes en route to a 14-of-25 night for 228 yards.
Mater Dei’s defense handled the rest by blitzing more in the second half against quarterback Tyler Hilinski. Defensive linemen Malik McMorris and Rasheed Williams and linebacker Ronald Nickerson each had two sacks.
“We didn’t play well in the first half offensively,” Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson said. “We struggled a little up front (on offense) tonight and we have to find some solutions or this bubble is going to break. … But we did what we’re supposed to do. We got the win and we’re relatively healthy.”
Mater Dei played without standout safety/receiver Ben Humphreys (ankle), who said he would play next week against Edison.
Mater Dei broke a 24-year tradition of wearing red jerseys at home.
“The kids were excited we broke these out,” Rollinson said of the gray jerseys. “It’s what young kids out there want to do. I didn’t fight with it. I just said, ‘Sure. Let’s do it.’ … Thank you, Nike.”
Mater Dei drove 82 yards in the final two minutes of the second quarter to knot the score, 14-14, before halftime. Lowary capped a swift, six-play trek with a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kyle Penniston with 28 seconds left.
The Monarchs trailed twice in the opening half as they struggled to keep up with receiver Malik Yoakum. The senior gave Upland a 14-7 lead with a 58-yard touchdown reception from fellow receiver Eric Turner on a reverse-pass with 5:20 left in the second quarter.
Yoakum also caught a 34-yard TD pass from Hilinski on Upland’s opening drive.
Mater Dei’s other score of the first half came on special teams. LaMarche returned a punt blocked by Andy Strader 5 yards to tie the score, 7-7, with 7:15 left in the first quarter.
Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com
