Mater Dei football delivers lights-out performance to beat Servite in enthralling battle

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SANTA ANA — Mater Dei’s top-ranked shot squad took the champion changeable from rival Servite connected Saturday nighttime but had conscionable capable firepower near to prehend power of the Trinity League race.

Santa Ana Stadium besides had conscionable capable power, too.

Quincy Craig rushed for 4 touchdowns connected 4 carries and Raleek Brown added 162 yards connected the crushed arsenic the Monarchs defeated No. 2 Servite 46-37 to instrumentality sole possession of archetypal spot successful the league and a large measurement toward the No. 1 effect for the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs.

Mater Dei, ranked No. 1 successful the nation, bushed the Friars for the 10th consecutive twelvemonth and improved to 7-0 overall, 4-0 successful league with JSerra remaining connected its schedule.

Servite, ranked eighth successful the nation, fell to 8-1 wide and 3-1 successful league with a showdown astatine St. John Bosco remaining adjacent week.

The crippled was concisely stopped precocious successful the 4th erstwhile the lights went retired astatine Santa Ana Stadium, which attracted a sellout crowd.

The crippled lived up to expectations. Brown helped seal the triumph with a 22-yard TD tally with 7:49 near successful the 4th fourth arsenic the Monarchs took a 46-37 lead.

The 2nd fractional featured aggregate ties.

Servite tied the people for the 3rd clip with an 11-play, 80-yard scoring thrust to unfastened the 2nd half. Houston Thomas scored from 2 yards arsenic the Friars knotted the people 24-24.

Mater Dei responded with its ain 80-yard scoring thrust to retake the lead. Craig ran successful from 6 yards tally for his 3rd people connected arsenic galore carries, giving Mater Dei a 31-24 lead. Elijah Brown sparked the possession with a 38-yard onslaught to CJ Williams.

But Servite hung interaction by tying the people for the 4th time. Fifita capped an 89-yard march with a 23-yard TD walk to a leaping Tetairoa McMillan astatine the broadside of the extremity portion with 3:15 near successful the third. The extra-point by David Lugo tied the people astatine 31-31..

Mater Dei, however, ne'er blinked. Craig returned the ensuing kickoff 54 yards to the Servite 45-yard line. The elder past scored connected a 5-yard TD tally for his 4th people connected a galore carries. The Monarchs’ added the 2-point conversion connected a busted play arsenic holder Ryan DiDodo — besides the punter– avoided the unreserved of McMillan to flip a walk to Malaki Te’o for a 39-31 lead.

Servite kept the unit connected aboriginal successful the fourth. The Friars forced a abbreviated punt and capitalized with a 17-yard TD onslaught from Fifita to McMillan. The 2-point conversion walk failed, leaving the Monarchs with a 39-37 lead.

Mater Dei answered backmost with an 80-yard scoring thrust that Raleek Brown closed with a 22-yard touchdown tally arsenic the Monarchs opened a two-score pb astatine 46-37.

Mater Dei opened the crippled with an eight-play, 64-yard scoring thrust capped by a leaping 23-yard touchdown drawback by CJ Williams connected a well-placed walk by Elijah Brown.

Servite responded with a 37-yard tract extremity by David Lugo and a large play from its peculiar teams. Newly-returned Emmett Mosley blocked a punt that Jacob Manu returned 33 yards for a touchdown to springiness the Friars a 10-7 pb with 3:47 near successful the archetypal quarter.

But Mater Dei kept its composure, driving for its ain a tract goal, a 22-yard footwear by Chase Meyer precocious successful the archetypal quarter.

The teams past traded touchdowns. Servite moving backmost Houston Thomas broke a 23-yard touchdown to headdress an 80-yard thrust aboriginal successful the 2nd quarter.

Craig past punctuated a agelong thrust with a 2-yard TD run. Raleek Brown sparked the march by breaking a 46-yard tally to the Servite 15-yard line.

After the Monarchs defence made a fourth-down halt astatine its 35, Mater Dei drove for different 2-yard TD tally by Craig to instrumentality a 24-17 pb with 2:08 near successful the opening half. Elijah Brown acceptable up the people with a 36-yard transportation to Williams connected third-and-9 that moved the shot to the Servite 2-yard-line.

Next week, Mater Dei closes retired the regular play by playing big to JSerra (3-6, 0-4) astatine Santa Ana Stadium portion Servite travels to St. John Bosco (8-1, 3-1).