SANTA ANA – By the looks of things, the Mater Dei football team appears ready for the CIF-SS football playoffs.
The second-ranked Monarchs scored on four of their first five possessions in the first half, added a defensive touchdown and never looked back, cruising to a 49-13 home victory over Orange Lutheran on Friday night at Santa Ana Stadium.
The Monarchs (8-2, 3-2) will enter the playoffs as the third-place team from the Trinity League. They have the makings of one of more dangerous third-place teams around.
“If it is not a Trinity League team, they don’t know the power we have in this league,” senior Malik McMorris said. “So you’re right, we’re definitely a dangerous third-place team.”
One reason for that is the performance of McMorris and his defensive teammates. Garrett Estrada got things rolling with a 52-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the first quarter. The Monarchs forced three turnovers by the Lancers (4-6, 0-5).
“You can’t say enough about our defense,” Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson said. “They open it up with a score and then they just start rocking people.”
Gerran Brown was one of standouts on defense against the Lancers. The senior linebacker had 6½ tackles, 1 ½ sacks and a fumble recovery.
Mater Dei has allowed only two teams (Westlake and St. John Bosco) to score 20 or more points. The key, according to McMorris is the familiarity the group has with each other.
“We have a lot of experience on the front line and linebackers,” McMorris said. “We trust each other on defense, we get our assignments down and we understand the reads and we like to go out there and hit.
“Mater Dei has a tradition of having a strong defense and we like to go out there and prove that we still have it here.”
Offensively, the Monarchs rushed for six touchdowns, including a pair from Morris. Quarterback Jack Lowary completed 11 of 13 passes for 168 yards. The offense didn’t commit a turnover.
“I’m pleased with the offensive line tonight,” Rollinson said. “I thought Jack (Lowary) checked us into the right play in key situations and it was a solid performance.
“This is part of the plan. We gave ourselves some adversity (with the two early losses) and the kids regrouped. As I told them, it is all about your attitude from this point in. You can only control the next week. We focused on Orange Lutheran and had great week of preparation.
Rollinson also credited the “service” team for their role in preparing the defense for the Lancers’ wing offense.
The Lancers struggled to maintain any offensive consistency. J.D. PicKell scored the first touchdown on a 45-yard run in the second quarter. Keisean Lucier-South had a 71-yard fumble return for a touchdown later in the game.
Contact the writer: dcalhoun@ocregister.com
