Los Alamitos Gets Its Wish: Mater Dei Rematch : Prep football: Griffin receivers hope to erase memories of last year’s loss to the Monarchs.

As the scoreboard clock at Anaheim Stadium hit zero last year, Tony Hartley went numb.

The Los Alamitos receiver didn’t want to feel the celebration going on around him by the Mater Dei players, who had just beaten Los Alamitos in the Southern Section Division I semifinals, ending their season and their section record 47-game unbeaten streak.

He didn’t want to feel the pain of failing to reaching the title game. The next week, Mater Dei defeated La Puente Bishop Amat and vaulted to a national No. 1 ranking by USA Today.

A solitary thought went through Hartley’s mind.

“I wanted to play them again,” he said, recalling the moment. “And in the back of my mind, I knew we would play them again this year.”

Tonight at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach, Hartley and the rest of the Griffins (10-1) get their wish. The rematch with Mater Dei (10-1) comes sooner than expected, in the Division I quarterfinals, but it’s here nonetheless. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Hartley and fellow receiver Stan Guyness have done more than their share to bring Los Alamitos to this point. Each has spent the last three months terrorizing opponents’ secondary.

Hartley has caught 72 passes for 1,386 yards and 11 touchdowns. He is two yards shy of the county’s single-season record, set by Los Alamitos receiver Robby Katzaroff in 1985. Guyness has caught 37 passes for 882 yards and 11 touchdowns.

“By far as good a tandem as I’ve ever seen,” Mater Dei Coach Bruce Rollinson said. “What impresses me is they will catch the ball in traffic, take the hit, but make things happen after they catch the ball. A couple of quick moves, then they just explode, up sidelines, cutting back. . . .

“It’s one thing to catch the football. But what you do after that is the difference between a good possession receiver and a game-breaker. “

Mater Dei’s defensive backs--David Castleton, Anthony Avila, Joey Boese, David Gibson, Kevin Braga and Elliot Richardson--have allowed only four touchdown passes all season: one by Servite, one by San Clemente and two by Bellflower St. John Bosco in last week’s first-round victory.

“It will be the best [secondary] we’ve played so far this season,” Griffin Coach John Barnes said. “I’m real concerned; they are tough, good athletes and physical players.”

Guyness agrees. “I’ve faced individual guys who were great athletes, but as a group, and the way they’ve been coached, they are definitely the best group.”

Like Hartley, Castleton has been waiting for a rematch. He hasn’t forgotten how Los Alamitos quarterback Kevin Feterik passed for 328 yards against the Monarchs last year, or how Hartley and Guyness combined for nine receptions and 188 yards.

“They were just juniors but they were deadly,” Castleton said. “Last year, we had big-time trouble trying to stop their passing game. We pressured Kevin Feterik a lot, but as tough as he is, Kevin just kept getting up and on the next play would just throw another deep ball to them or [Brad] Melsby. It was frustrating.

“I’ve been thinking about Hartley all season,” Castleton said. “I’ve dreamed about it. I look at it and get nervous, just because of the caliber of player he is. It’s a challenge I’d like to meet.”

The winner of tonight’s matchup between receivers and defenders will probably decide which team advances to next week’s semifinals.

Though opponents know Los Alamitos tries to get the ball to Hartley or Guyness 80% of the time, the Griffins’ four-receiver set makes it difficult to align a defense specifically to take them out of the game. Feterik makes sure his other receivers, Sean Stein and Ryan Dunbar, get their share of passes to keep the secondary honest.

Hartley and Guyness can seem unstoppable with their combination of speed and strength.

“I’ve had college recruiters tell me they are the best pair of receivers on one team they have seen,” Barnes said. “We’ve gotten calls from Notre Dame, Michigan, UCLA, USC . . . and just about everywhere else. Many have said they will take them both.”

Luckily for Mater Dei, the secondary is the most experienced part of its defense. Four of the six are seniors (Castleton is a junior and Boese a sophomore), and Castleton, Gibson and Braga played last year.

“We’re fortunate,” Rollinson said. “Their experience allows them to blend well together. They look forward to the challenge of defending against a passing team. They know the pressures and all have the character to take on those challenges.”

Mater Dei has another edge, what it calls a lack of respect.

Though the Monarchs had the county’s current longest winning streak at 21 games, prior to losing to San Clemente, Gibson doesn’t believe they’ve been given enough credit for winning the title last year.

“I don’t think we’ve been treated like champions,” Gibson said. “I don’t think we’ve been given the respect for what happened last year. It is a new season, and we lost a lot of players from offense and defense, but we are the defending champions.

“I think we can get a lot of respect in people’s minds if we beat them [Los Alamitos].”

Guyness thinks along similar lines. Los Alamitos began the year ranked No. 1 nationally. A loss to Esperanza cost them the ranking and the Sunset League championship.

Beating Mater Dei would restore some of the luster, not to mention eradicate those remaining, stinging memories of last season.

“Last year, I took it more for granted we were going to win the game just because we were Los Al,” Guyness said. “I know on Friday, from play one, I’ll be fighting like I’m in a corner, like I’m the underdog.

“Last year, I sat back and watched Tony and Brad Melsby do all the work. This year, I want to do whatever I can to help Tony and the rest of the team win the game.”