Mater Dei 7 - Eagles 6
MISSION VIEJO, CA., October 15, 2004 – Mater Dei, behind a solid offensive line and the strong two-way of senior running backs/defensive linemen Ricky Russell and James Brunt used a ball control game plan to control the clock and post a 7-6 win over the Eagles before an overflow crowd of 7,000 at Saddleback College. The win allowed the Monarchs (5-1, 1-0) to even their series with the Eagles at three wins apiece while the hosts fell to 3-3, 0-1 in Serra League play.
The Eagle defense went toe-to-toe with their rivals and forced punts on the first two Monarch possessions. After a 46-yard punt pinned the Eagles back on their own six the Eagles promptly struck first blood as they went 77 yards on only six plays to take a 3-0 lead. The key plays were a 40-yard run by Omar Villamar (16 carries for 76 yards) and a 38-yard completion on the following play from Jon Daniels to senior wideout Kyle Bryant to set up a first down at the Monarch 14. The drive stalled and three plays later Mike Fowle hit a 33-yard field goal at the 2:06 mark to put the hosts on top. After another exchange of punts Mater Dei went on their best drive of the night as they marched 93 yards on 15 consecutive running plays to take the lead when fullback Anthony McLawyer scored from a yard out to make it 7-0 with 3:23 left in the half. A botched kickoff return put the Eagles in a hole at their own five, but they managed to effective use runs and passes to set up a first and goal on the Monarch nine with 0:17 left. The key plays were 20- and 10-yard runs by Russell Hoeflich (seven for 48) and a beautiful 26-yard pass from Daniels to Bryant (four receptions for 91 yards). Unfortunately a grounding call led to 11 seconds being burned off the clock and a pass into the endzone on second and goal from the 19 fell incomplete as time expired.
In the third quarter the Eagles punted on their first series, but capitalized on the only turnover of the game as Matt Steinbach returned a Kyle Woody pass 35 yards to the Monarch 45 at the 8:52 mark. A 10-yard run by Villamar, and a spectacular 25-yard diving reception by Bryant gave the Eagles another first and goal. On third down Daniels’ (five of 11 for 98 yards) pass was deflected and Bryan Redsun’s apparent catch in the endzone was ruled incomplete forcing Fowle to kick a field goal, this one from 22 yards out, to make it 7-6 with 6:06 left in the third quarter. The Eagles and Monarchs both punted on their next two possessions and the hosts had one more chance and all three timeouts.
With 3:24 left in the game Ryan Maxwell returned a Monarch punt 28 yards to the Eagle 38. After a pair of runs netted only four yards the Eagles tried two consecutive passes. However, the speed of Russell and Brunt was too much to overcome as the more experienced players recorded sacks on third and fourth down to seal the Monarch victory with 1:42 left.
Senior captain Sean Aldridge enjoyed another strong game as the linebacker collected five tackles, a sack and broke up two passes to earn Defensive Skill Player of the Game Honors. Tom Roby earned Offensive and Defensive Lineman of the Game for his efforts, which included three tackles. Senior linebackers Colby Rodgers and Mike Rusert also made major contributions as they added 15 and 14 tackles apiece. Bryant for his part collected his third Offensive Skill Player of the Game in five weeks.
| Mater Dei | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Santa Margarita | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
SM – Fowle 33 FG
MD – McLawyer 1 run (Sutter kick)
SM – Fowle 22 FG
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: MD - Russell 17-101, Brunt 20-70; SM - Maxwell 4-14
Passing: MD - Woody 4-13-1-63; SM - Daniels 5-11-0-98
Receiving: MD - Dubrish 3-48; SM - Bryant 1-25
By Adrian Peters
Sports Information Director
Mater Dei survives
MISSION VIEJO – Mater Dei struggled on offense, but its defense came up with a huge performance to help the No. 2 Monarchs escape with a 7-6 victory over Santa Margarita in the Serra League opener for both schools on Friday night at Saddleback College.
"That's Serra League football," Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson said. "It was great, physical football."
The Monarchs, whose only loss was against top-ranked Mission Viejo, improved to 5-1 overall and 1-0 in league. The Eagles dropped to 3-3 and 0-1, but they made a statement to the rest of the league.
"It was a tough game," second-year Eagles coach Mike Jacot said. "I'm proud of our kids. We played real hard. Nobody gave us a chance in this game. I think we opened some eyes."
Both teams struggled to find their rhythm in the early going.
Santa Margarita struck first when it drove from its 6-yard line to the Monarchs 17 to set up Mike Fowle's 33-yard field goal with 2:06 left in the opening quarter.
Mater Dei's receivers dropped the first three passes by quarterback Kyle Woody, so Rollinson ditched the passing game and went with the running game.
The move worked when the Monarchs put together a 15-play, 93-yard scoring drive. Mater Dei alternated between running backs Ricky Russell and James Brunt.
The Eagles couldn't stop the Monarchs on the drive, which consumed 7 minutes, 51 seconds of the second quarter.
Mater Dei fullback Anthony McLawyer finally punched it in the end zone on a 1-yard draw play up the middle to make it 7-3 with 3:23 left in the first half.
Santa Margarita missed an opportunity to score because of poor clock management on its final possession of the half.
The Eagles drove from their 5-yard line to the Monarchs 8. The big play on the drive was a pass play from Jon Daniels to Kyle Bryant, who stretched out to make a diving grab for a 27-yard gain.
With 17 seconds left in the half, Daniels was penalized for intentional grounding to push the Eagles back to the 19-yard line. They only had time for a quick pass to the end zone but came up empty.
Fowle made a 21-yard field goal midway through the third quarter to close the gap to 7-6.
The Eagles were unable to threaten on offense for the remainder of the game. Mater Dei had seven sacks, including two apiece from Brunt and Derreck Mackie. Jarrid Johnston sacked Daniels on a fourth-down play with less than two minutes remaining to seal the victory for the Monarchs.
By Carlos Arias
Saturday, October 16, 2004
The Orange County Register
