CERRITOS – Last week, Mater Dei lost three turnovers and lost to St. John Bosco.
This week, three more lost turnovers but a different outcome against Servite.
Mater Dei, thanks in large part to a vigorous running game, survived its mistakes to beat Servite, 20-17, Friday in a Trinity League game – and for the third consecutive year – before a large and boisterous crowd at Cerritos College that watched Orange County’s top-ranked teams square off.
Brandon LaMarche rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns, including the winning score with 1:29 left, and senior running back Noah Delgadillo added 117 yards for top-ranked Mater Dei (6-1, 1-1).
Second-ranked Servite (4-3, 1-1) played without All-County quarterback Travis Waller for much of the game. Waller, a senior committed to Oregon, injured his left ankle in the first quarter. He played intermittently in the second and third quarters, then took every Servite snap in the fourth quarter.
Mater Dei, ranked No. 3 in the state top 25, plays JSerra next Friday in a league game at Santa Ana Stadium. Servite, ranked No. 7 in the state, also lost to Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas and St. John Bosco, both nationally ranked. Servite plays Santa Margarita next Friday at Saddleback College.
The third and what could have been the most damaging Mater Dei turnover came with the Monarchs leading, 13-10, in the fourth quarter. With the Monarchs in punt formation in Servite territory, the snap went over punter Elias Deeb’s head. He retrieved the ball, but was swallowed by a group of black-shirted Friars at the Mater Dei 11-yard line.
Three plays later, Holy Cross-commit running back Tate Beachley of Servite scored on a 4-yard run and the Friars had a 17-13 lead with seven minutes remaining.
Mater Dei started at its 43 on its following possession. The Monarchs went on the march, converting on fourth-and-2 on a LaMarche 3-yard run, converting on third-and-6 on a 9-yard completion from Jack Lowary to Jacob Welch and getting some help on a Servite pass interference penalty. On second-and-2 at the Servite 8, LaMarche took a handoff and twisted his way into the end zone for a touchdown and a 20-17 Mater Dei lead with 1:22 to go.
Waller, limping around, completed two passes to Equanimeous St. Brown, the usually productive St. Brown’s only two catches of the game, to get Servite moving. But the Friars advanced no further than the Mater Dei 43. With time expiring, Waller’s heave into the end zone fell incomplete.
Monarchs coach Bruce Rollinson hoped his team could run the ball this week.
“We hadn’t had the run game going like this in a while,” Rollinson said. “I was concerned about that. We were able to start grounding and pounding on them.”
Rollinson and Servite coach AJ Gass praised Waller for trying to play through the pain.
“That shows his heart,” Gass said. “This team showed grit in how we came back like we did. I love the fact we fought right down to the end.”
Servite took a 10-6 lead into the second half. Mater Dei got the ball to start the half and went on an 81-yard drive of eight plays, seven of them runs, with Malik McMorris scoring on a 1-yard run for a 13-10 Monarchs lead.
Mater Dei had taken its first lead in the first quarter, with LaMarche taking an 8-yard run into the end zone. Deeb’s kick for the extra point struck the right upright and caromed back into the end zone to leave the Monarchs with a 6-0 lead.
All-County defensive back Maurice Davison became the first player to intercept Lowary this season, and he returned it 35 yards to the Mater Dei 33-yard line, setting up the Friars’ go-ahead touchdown. Beachley scored on a 1-yard run and Andrew Acosta’s extra-point kick gave Servite a 7-6 lead.
Servite got another turnover when defensive lineman Jalen Motley knocked the ball out of Lowary’s hands and linebacker Jack Savage made the recovery. The Friars got three points out of that when Acosta kicked a 36-yard field goal with 2:59 left in the second quarter to make it 10-6, Servite.
Mater Dei leads the series, 35-17-2.
Contact the writer: sfryer@ocregister.com
