The Mater Dei Monarchs of Santa Ana, CA, ranked as the preseason #1 team in the country by MaxPreps, will travel to Duncanville, TX to take on the Panthers. The game is set for Friday, August 27 with a 7:30 pm kickoff.
Mater Dei
The Monarchs are ranked #1 to start the season for the third time in the last five years. They were the High School National Champions in 2018.
They are 45-3 over the last five years.
Here are some of their accomplishments on the gridiron since their first varsity season way back in 1951:
- 562 wins
- 202 losses
- Only 5 losing seasons in program history
- 4 USA Today National Championships
- 6 undefeated seasons
- Produced 2 Heisman Trophy winners: QB John Huarte (1964-Notre Dame) and QB Matt Leinart (2004-USC).
Mater Dei Returning Starters
The Monarchs are led by veteran Head Coach Bruce Rollinson, who is going into his 31st year with the school and has a 300-85-2 coaching record.
Mater Dei returns several starters on both sides of the ball, including three of the Top Ten players in California. The offense will be led by sophomore QB Elijah Brown, who passed for 973 yards and 15 touchdowns and only one interception as a freshman. He completed 70% of his passes.
RB Raleek Brown: 5-8, 185, the #2 player in California rushed for 367 yards and scored a touchdown in all five of the Monarchs games in 2020.
WR C.J. Williams: 6-2, 190, will serve as a dependable target for Brown. Williams is the #7 player in California. He caught 16 passes for 239 yards and five touchdowns in 2020.
LB David Bailey: 6-5, 226, is a force to be reckoned with on defense. He made 13 total tackles, forced a fumble, and recorded six tackles for loss in 2020. In one game against Servite, Bailey made 10 tackles, recorded four sacks, and made five tackles for loss.
CB Domani Jackson: 6-1, 170, the #1 player in California, is a 5-star recruit.
Duncanville
61-8 over the last five years
The Duncanville Panthers have won 60 of 69 games over the last five years under Head Coach Reginald Samples.
The Panthers went 10-2 in 2020. They averaged 45 points per game on offense, while allowing 14 points per game on defense. Last season, the Panthers lost in the 6A-Division 1 semifinals to Southlake Carroll 34-27.
Duncanville has made five consecutive trips to the 6A playoffs since 2016.
Duncanville Returning Starters
Duncanville returns starters as well, including SDE Omari Abor. At 6-4, 240, he is ranked as the #2 SDE in the country and the #25 overall prospect, according to 247sports.
The Panthers also return LB Jordan Crook, 6-0, 225, a 3-star prospect. He was a 6A All-State selection by the Texas Sports Writers Association (TSWA).
In 2020, Crook racked up 93 tackles, seven tackles for loss, six sacks, and three interceptions. Two of those INTs were returned for touchdowns.
Duncanville also returns OL Jaylen Early, DB Deldrick Madison, DB Ka’Davion Dotson, WR Lontrell Turner, and WR Dakorien Moore.
Matchups to Watch
The Mater Dei offensive line vs. Duncanville’s Omari Abor and Jordan Crook.
Can the Monarch’s O-line stop the aggressive Abor and Crook from being a disruption to their offensive game plan?
The Panthers defense vs the Monarch’s veteran offensive skill players?
Can Duncanville’s Abor, Crook, Dotson, and Madison stop the Monarch’s offensive skill players? We shall see.
What a great game to start the 2021 season.
Does Duncanville upset the #1 team in the country to start the season? Comment below.
