No. 1 Mater Dei pulls away in second half to beat No. 2 Corona Centennial

What became clear on Thursday night after No. 1-ranked Mater Dei opened the football season with a 42-25 win over No. 2 Corona Centennial is that few schools in California, if not the nation, have a better linebacker group than the Monarchs.

“They’re scary,” first-year Monarchs coach Raul Lara said.

It’s starts with Oregon commit Nasir Wyatt, who’s like a rocket taking off as he chases quarterbacks. Then there’s Alabama commit Abduall Sanders, who can do anything. Finally, there’s junior Shaun Scott, who put together a sequence of plays near the end of the third quarter to turn the game into a rout.

Scott recorded a sack, then blocked a punt on the next play, enabling Tomuhini Topui to pick up the ball and run seven yards for a touchdown and a 32-17 lead.

Mater Dei’s defense shut out the Huskies in the second half except for a touchdown in the final seconds. The Monarchs finished with two interceptions and two blocked punts.

Topui was another defensive standout. The 6-foot-3, 315-pound junior plays with great energy. He had two sacks and was a true disruptor.

Oregon commit Jordon Davison was Mater Dei’s workhorse, rushing for 121 yards in 20 carries and scoring on a 44-yard run in the first quarter when Mater Dei took a 15-0 lead. The Monarchs outscored Centennial 20-7 in the second half.

With the best quarterback in the state, Texas A&M commit Husan Longstreet, staying on the sideline because of a toe injury, Centennial did what it usually does — turns to the next man up. Junior Dominick Catalano had some impressive moments running the ball and completed 17 of 32 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns while also running for a touchdown. He had two interceptions and a lost fumble that were costly.

“We’ll be all right,” Centennial coach Matt Logan said. “We’ll get better. That’s why we play these games. We played with a backup quarterback who played his butt off.”

Centennial fought back from the 15-0 early deficit to trail 22-17 at halftime despite giving up touchdowns after an interception, fumble and roughing-the-kicker penalty. The Huskies were able to run the ball effectively with the help of their offensive line and Catalano’s toughness. He had to leave the game for one play after taking a hit to the head. He ran six times for 52 yards in the first half and had a 76-yard touchdown pass to Cory Butler.

Mater Dei quarterback Dash Beierly, a transfer from Chaparral, missed twice on deep balls to open receivers in the first half. He also had touchdown passes of seven yards to Mark Bowman and four yards to Chris Henry Jr. and showed that he has some running ability out of the pocket.

Jordon Davison of Mater Dei runs for a 44-yard touchdown against Corona Centennial.

(Craig Weston)

Then Scott took control in the second half.

“I was doing what I do,” Scott said. “I’m the young guy. I’m the next guy up.”

Lara is well prepared to take on the scrutiny and expectations of being head coach at Mater Dei. He had a similar experience during his days at Long Beach Poly, where his teams won five Southern Section Division 1 titles over 13 seasons. Even then, some fans grumbled that he didn’t win a title every season. He’d go on to coach at Warren before coaching at St. Anthony. Mater Dei president Michael Brennan hired him to bring organizational and leadership skills to the players after dismissing former coach Frank McManus.

A lot of players from both teams know one another from Inland Empire youth football days and some from Mater Dei still live near Corona.

“They’re all my brothers,” Scott said. “I live in the IE.”

Don’t be surprised if Mater Dei and Centennial have a rematch in the Division 1 playoffs.