There are some great high school football teams across the country, but the most dominant, most talented, and most feared program is in Santa Ana, California. That is your 2-time USA Today National Champion and back-to-back California State Champion, Mater Dei Monarchs. The Monarchs earned these prestigious honors after knocking off St.John Bosco 17-13 in the CIF Southern Section Finals and beating DeLaSalle 35-21 in the Open Division Bowl State Championship game.
Mater Dei finished the 2018 season with a 13-2 overall record after running the table in 2017 with a 15-0 record. One loss was to St.John Bosco during the regular season and their other was a forfeit loss in week one to Bishop Amat for self-reporting using an ineligible player. The Monarchs had impressive victories over 7 USAToday Top 100 teams including, IMG Academy and Bishop Gorman.
Head coach Bruce Rollinson has 297 career victories since 1989 and is 26 wins shy of being the all-time winningest coach in the CIF Southern Section. He has his team in position again in 2019 to contend for the state and national championship. He will be without Bru McCoy (Texas), Keyon Ware-Hudson (Oregon), Sean Dollars (Oregon), Mase Funa (Oregon), Jeremiah Cridell (Oklahoma), William Nimmo (UCLA), and Mike Martinez (UCLA) to name a few.
The two unexpected losses for this season are Elias Ricks (LSU commit) and Darion Green-Warren. Both have transferred because they would not be able to graduate in December and enroll early into college due to Mater Dei’s academic requirements. Green-Warren went to Narbonne and Ricks went to the IMG Academy in Florida.
Offense
The Monarchs are still loaded with top tier players on both sides of the ball. Offensively, the Monarchs averaged 42 points per game in 2018 and will have one of the most dangerous weapons in the country with Bryce Young. Young is a 5’11 170-pound dual-threat quarterback that is committed to USC. Young completed 231-of-331 passes for 3,846 yards and 48 TDs. He stepped up big for Mater Dei last season and he should be even better in 2019.
They have a talented group of offensive linemen returning that will help pave the way for the Monarchs offense. Myles Murao (6’3 280) is the leader and anchor inside. He has offers from some of the best in the country including USC, Oregon, Washington, and Alabama. He is also our #1 ranked offensive lineman in California. Tai Marks (6’3 313), George Miki-Han (6’1 300), and Kamuta Levasa (6’2 310) all started last season. They have experience and are all out to prove they can dominate in the trenches.
The Monarchs lost a lot of production in the passing game between McCoy, Dollars, and Martinez. Those three accounted for 154 catches for 2,569 receiving yards and 27 touchdowns. That will be tough to replace, but great teams always reload. The Monarchs have depth returning at this position group and a nice balance of size and speed. There are some explosive receivers ready for the opportunity and challenge.
The two receivers that will take the lead are Kodi Epps (6’0 175) and Josiah Zamora (5’10 175). Epps caught 12 passes for 212 yards and has an EFN rating of 88. Zamora averaged almost 18 yards per catch last year and scored 2 touchdowns. Kyron Ware-Hudson (6’2 198) and CJ Williams (6’2 175) are two more talented receivers ready to increase their role this season and shine on Friday nights.
Andre McDonald will step in as the new starting running back for the Monarchs after getting some quality time as a sophomore. McDonald made his touches count last year, averaging 10.3 yards per carry and had 226 total rushing yards. He was also the Trinity League 110M high hurdles champion in track and field. He is ready for the increased workload.
Defense
The Monarchs defense was outstanding last season only giving up 11.9 points per game and had 4 shutouts. St. John Bosco and the IMG Academy were the only two teams that scored over 20 points on the Monarchs in 2018. Mater Dei is known for having a fast swarming defense and 2019 should be no different.
The strength of the defense will start with defensive tackle Sefita Tupe (6’1 287), hybrid Moses Sepulona (5’11 200), and linebackers Jacobah Fuamatu (6’1 215) and Raesjon Davis (6’1 220). All four have an EFN rating of 85 or higher and all of them have multiple Division 1 scholarship offers. Sepulona racked up 75 tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss. Davis had 20.5 tackles for loss and 7 sacks. Fuamatu had 40 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks. Martin Salazar (6’0 270) is another interior defensive lineman that will provide strength upfront.
The secondary is young and may lack some depth, but they are loaded with talent and will play at a high level. Jaylin Davies (6’0 165), Domani Jackson (6’1 180), and Josh Hunter (5’8 165) will be asked to produce and lead a little earlier than expected with the departure of Ricks and Green-Warren. All three hold early Division 1 offers from Power 5 colleges.
Transfers
California has more transfers in an offseason than any other state in the country. The three most notable transfers coming in are Andrew Ueli-Fa’Atoalia (6’3 300), Cristian Dixon (6’3 195), and Donovan Ford (6’3 305). Dixon is the most decorated with 15+ Power 5 offers. He played for Diamond Ranch last year as a sophomore. He caught 42 passes for 862 yards and 9 touchdowns. He could come in and be that go-to receiver for Young. Ueli-Faatoalia played on the offensive line for La Habra in 2018, has an EFN rating of 85, and has 3 Power 5 offers. Ford is a smash-mouth run blocker from Allen High School in Texas. Ueli-Faatoalia and Ford will give the Monarchs some more firepower upfront.
The Rivalry Game
One of the best high school football rivalries in the country is Mater Dei squaring off against St. John Bosco. Both teams were rated in the Top 5 nationally by the USAToday last year. Bosco won the regular-season matchup and really made a huge statement, but then Mater Dei came back and got revenge when it mattered most in the CIF Southern Section Open Division Finals. This year it will be heated again and the anticipation will be boiling over when the two meet up midway through the regular season.
2019 Outlook
In football, whether you are an NFL, college, or high school team, if you have an elite quarterback running the show, your team will probably have a shot to contend for a championship. Bryce Young is that guy for Mater Dei. As a dual-threat, he keeps defenses off balance, he is poised, and he craves the spotlight late in the game when his team needs a big play. They have the bigs upfront to protect Young and create holes in the run game. Their offensive skilled position players are young, talented, and ready to show the state they are great. The 3 transfers coming in will help ignite the team. On defense, they have a nice core group back, mixed with some rising stars. They will be fast, explosive, and are committed to 3-peat as CIF Southern Section Champions, State Champions, and the mythical National Champions.
