Whicker: Mater Dei satisfies its hunger for consuming quarterbacks in Division 1 win over Servite

LONG BEACH — It was similar the aged gag astir the 2 walk rushers who played a Thanksgiving crippled against an outmatched line.

“Let’s conscionable astatine the quarterback,” they told each other. “And marque a wish.”

Mater Dei’s Tanner Williams and David Bailey kept gathering Servite’s Noah Fifita astir arsenic soon arsenic the snapped shot reached his hand. They brought a batch of postulation with them.

When the Division 1 Southern Section last was over, Servite had 1 28-yard touchdown thrust and not overmuch else. Mater Dei was capable to win, 27-7, without a passing touchdown until Elijah Brown recovered C.J. Williams successful the country of the extremity zone, precocious successful the 4th quarter.

It was the Monarchs’ archetypal CIF rubric since 2018 which, for them, constitutes the breaking of a famine.

But it besides preserved their chances of winning a tangible authorities title and a mythical nationalist title. It was besides a monolithic opposition to their erstwhile gathering successful the fall, a breathless 46-37 triumph connected Oct. 23.

“I emotion our walk rush,” said cornerback Cameron Sidney. “Our D-line ever steps up, our wrong linebackers ever instrumentality over. I deliberation each phases of our defence are connected the aforesaid platform. And the discourtesy helped america a small bit, hanging connected to the shot similar they did.”

Servite choky extremity Keyan Burnett, right, can’t scope an overthrown walk arsenic Mater Dei antiaircraft backmost Zabien Brown covers successful the CIF-SS Division 1 shot title successful Long Beach connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)

Williams, a sophomore, had 2 sacks, and Bailey, a elder playing with a bandaged-up wrist, had one-and-a-half. They had 4 solo tackles each. Fifita, truthful effectual arsenic a runner successful Servite’s semifinal triumph astatine St. John Bosco, gained 25 yards but mislaid 44 portion helium was sacked 4 times, and helium threw for lone 86 yards.

Although Tetairoa McMillan had an interception for Servite and caught a 4-yard touchdown successful the archetypal quarter, helium had to settee for 8 catches and 68 yards. “Our occupation was to bounds him to nary catches,” Sidney said. “He got some, but we did a beauteous bully occupation limiting him, and that’s 1 of the reasons we won.”

In the Oct. 23 crippled that was truthful electrical it concisely knocked retired the lights astatine Santa Ana Stadium, McMillan snagged 15 balls for 163 yards, and Fifita deed 26 of 41 passes for 306 yards.

The Friars tried to plug the mediate of the tract against Brown and played “off” sum to bounds agelong strikes. The Monarchs were agreeable to that. Raleek Brown chugged 164 yards connected 23 carries against the airy antiaircraft boxes, and Ajon Bryant clicked disconnected a 27-yard touchdown run. Elijah Brown lone passed 14 times and his lone 20-yard completion was the 27-yarder to Williams astatine the end.

In the 3rd quarter, Servite moved the shot 7 yards — backwards. Fifita did deed a singular walk to Michael Welsh successful the 3rd quarter, but the officials’ flags indicated however they did it. Welsh was retired of bounds and came backmost successful for the catch, an amerciable touching penalty.

“We enactment successful a fewer caller stunts for this game,” Williams said, “and from that constituent it conscionable was a substance of execution.”

“We did alteration immoderate things, truly tried to treble T-Mac more, but chiefly the kids conscionable got aft it,” said Eric Johnson, Mater Dei’s antiaircraft coordinator. “I thought we truly made it hard for them to drive.”

Still, Fifita’s bottomless tone was not broken. In the 4th fourth helium was getting body-slammed connected each snap, and yet converted a third-and-10 and past a third-and-19. A touchdown would person chopped Mater Dei’s pb to a touchdown with much than four-and-a-half minutes remaining. Instead, Jeilani Davis picked disconnected Fifita’s walk connected fourth-and-10.

Mater Dei past played successful this crippled 2 years ago, led St. John Bosco 28-5 and mislaid 39-34. There was nary accidental for payback successful 2020, with COVID-19. The 2 did play during the five-game outpouring docket and the Monarchs won that. Still, their hands were itchy for trophies.

“I don’t adjacent cognize however to explicate however it feels,” Sidney said. “This is each we were reasoning about, aft 2019, my sophomore year. We did our happening during the 5 games, but we each felt similar we needed to travel backmost and get this.”

If the extremity was to marque this crippled arsenic one-sided arsenic the stadium they played it in, they did that, too.