Mater Dei loses thriller with Carson

CARSON - A second-half comeback wasn’t enough for Mater Dei in its opener as the Monarchs fell at Carson, 26-22, on Friday night.

The Colts drove 80 yards in just over 3 1/2 minutes for the winning touchdown with six seconds left, a 12-yard pass from Kevin McMahon to Darreus Rogers.

Mater Dei, which lost quarterback Max Wittek and receiver Victor Blackwell to graduation and receiver Sedric Hill transferred to Edison, broke in a number of new players in high-profile positions, led by junior quarterback Ryan McMahon.

Ryan McMahon finished the game 9-for-25 passing for 112 yards and a score and receiver Thomas Duarte had four catches for 82 yards, but the duo couldn’t match Carson’s playmaker, USC-bound Rogers.

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Rogers caught 11 passes from Kevin McMahon for 219 yards and three scores. It’s the third year in a row Carson has defeated Mater Dei.

Carson moved the ball for three scoring drives in the first half, not including the first drive of the game which ended on the 1-yard line.

The Colts went 79 yards to start the game, pushing Mater Dei back to its own goal line.

On fourth down, the Monarchs stuffed Carson running back Roger Jones just before he could reach the ball into the end zone.

The Monarchs couldn’t get the ball out of their territory, and on Carson’s next possession, Jones ran through the heart of the defense for a 29-yard touchdown. The 2-point attempt failed.

Mater Dei responded on the first play of the second quarter, with McMahon and Duarte hooking up for a 26-yard score.

Duarte reached out behind him with his right hand to tip the ball back into his body before turning up field for the touchdown.

The rest of the first half belonged to Carson and Rogers. Rogers scored on a pair of touchdown receptions, using his athleticism to out-jump and out-run the Mater Dei defense.

Mater Dei looked like a team headed for a long night, with Carson moving the ball, primed for a third-consecutive scoring drive until a Ricky Ortiz sack set the tone for the rest of the game.

On the next play, cornerback Jonathan Lockett intercepted Carson’s Kevin McMahon, swinging momentum to the Monarchs’ side of the field.

Six plays later, Mater Dei running back Freddie Mora scored on a 13-yard run, and after another stop, the Monarchs took a 22-18 lead on another Mora touchdown run, this time from six yards out.

The drive was keyed by McMahon finding Duarte down the field again, hitting him with a perfect pass to the outside shoulder to set up the touchdown run.

Still the Mater Dei defense couldn’t hold, as Carson put together the winning drive, moving methodically down the field in small chunks before the deciding touchdown to Rogers.