It might still be early in the season, but Mater Dei and Las Vegas Bishop Gorman, the top two ranked teams in the nation by multiple ratings services, meeting in front of more than 8,000 fans could have marked a de facto national championship game.
And if Friday night at Santa Ana Stadium was for all the marbles, then the Monarchs (2-0) better get fitted for rings after their comfortable 31-15 victory over the Gaels (2-1).
“I told them in the beginning that there is so much talent,” said Mater Dei coach Raul Lara. “When we understand the brotherhood, and we stay together, and we understand our assignments and execute, nobody’s going to beat us.”
Washington commit Dash Beierly bounced back from his debut and completed 13 of 15 passes for 99 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 49 yards, showcasing the short-yardage, multi-facet game he displayed before transferring from Chaparral. Lara said Beierly needed to get used to the environment shift to playing at Mater Dei.
“The first game [I was] shaking some rust off,” Beierly said. “I came out confident [today]. The whole team came out confident.”
Beierly connected with junior wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt for 49 yards across the middle in the first quarter, helping drive downfield to set up a one-yard rushing touchdown from Jordon Davison and a 12-yard touchdown grab by 6-foot-6 wideout Chris Henry Jr. to jump out to a 14-0 lead.
Following up his first-quarter score on the ground, Davison added another to start the scoring in the third, skipping down the right sideline for a 23-yard touchdown. The 6-foot senior ended the contest with 99 yards in 19 carries. Mater Dei had 171 rushing yards overall.
But it wasn’t just the offense working for the Monarchs.
Sacks from Abduall Sanders and Dailon Clanton on the Gaels’ first possession set the tone for Bishop Gorman’s offensive struggles. In the second quarter, Oregon commit Nasir Wyatt sacked Gaels’ quarterback Melvin Spicer IV in Monarchs’ territory. The stop led to a missed field-goal attempt.
Mater Dei sacked Spicer six times, with Sanders and Clanton tallying two a piece.
“When I got here, that was one thing that was very daunting,” Lara said. “It’s not even four guys. It’s like eight guys. They’re tenacious coming after the quarterback.”
Bishop Gorman scored a second-quarter touchdown — aided by Mater Dei’s eight first-half penalties for 71 yards. With less than two minutes left in regulation, the Gaels added a touchdown and a two-point conversion. The Gaels tallied just 152 yards of offense.
Mater Dei remains undefeated against teams other than Trinity League rival St. John Bosco since the start of the 2016 season. Potentially two games between the programs still await in 2024.
