Mater Dei keeps playoff hopes alive with victory

SANTA ANA - Following three consecutive losses, including their first two Trinity league games, Mater Dei had been knocked to the canvas.

“Those were three emotional football games (against Edison, Orange Lutheran, and Servite),” said Monarchs coach Bruce Rollinson. “But we got up off the mat and still have some fight left in us.”

Mater Dei kept its playoff hopes alive Friday night with a decisive victory over Trinity league foe Santa Margarita, 41-24, at Santa Ana Stadium.

The Monarchs (5-4, 2-2) will travel to St. John Bosco of Bellflower next week, in a game that will decide which teams claims the Trinity league’s third bid into the Pac-5 playoffs.

“We got ourselves back into it tonight,” Rollinson said. “There is one tiny door open that leads to the playoffs, and next week is going to be a fight to see who goes into it.”

Mater Dei was without the services of starting running back Jordan Allen for a second consecutive week, but Corbin Anderson did much more than just fill in.

The junior running back rushed for 90 yards on 14 carries, and scored three touchdowns, all coming in the first half, helping the Monarchs take a 28-10 halftime lead.

 Allen and quarterback Max Wittek engineered a balanced Mater Dei offensive attack in the first half, that totaled 238 yards (104 rushing and 134 passing).

Witteck came out firing in the second half, going 4 of 5 in the third quarter for 70 of his 198 passing yards.

The Eagles (3-6, 0-4) scored twice late in the fourth quarter on TD passes of 78 and 21 yards from Bobby Crane to Reiley Higgins.