Monarchs leave little doubt

Mike Sciacca, Independent

There’s little doubt as to who the No. 1 prep football team is in

Orange County.

It’s the Mater Dei Monarchs.

Showing no side effects from last week’s heartbreaking loss to Concord

De La Salle, Mater Dei rolled from the start of Friday night’s nonleague

showdown with Edison, and the top-rated Monarchs went on to post a 42-10

victory over the third-ranked Chargers before 8,000 at Orange Coast

College’s LeBard Stadium.

Led by the early pinpoint passing of Matt Leinart, who operated behind

a big, talented offensive line, carried by a new found running game

featuring speedy running backs Darious Williams and Camron Carmona, and

powered by a relentless defense, Mater Dei flexed its collective muscle

and successfully bounced back from last Saturday’s 31-28 defeat to De La

Salle, the nation’s top-rated team.

“We showed what type of team we are tonight,” Leinart said.

The statement was simple, but so was Mater Dei’s domination.

The Monarchs (3-1) jumped out to a 14-0 first quarter lead and forced

Edison (3-1) into a game of catch-up, but the Chargers weren’t up to the

task.

Leinart, who threw for 401 yards against De La Salle, hit his first

six passes Friday for 106 yards and a touchdown, went through a second

quarter slump, but went on to finish 9 of 20 for 159 yards.

Although he trailed off after his hot start, much of it due to an

improved Edison pass rush in the second half, Leinart effectively used

his running backs to produce Mater Dei’s top rushing effort of the

season.

Williams, a 6-foot senior, was the steady workhorse Friday, and blazed

his way for 106 yards on 15 carries. Yet it was Carmona, a junior, who

stole the show, rushing for 180 yards on 11 carries.

He punctuated a 461 yard night by the Mater Dei offense with an 81

yard touchdown run off right end in the game’s final 1:12.

Mater Dei Coach Bruce Rollinson wanted to establish a running game

Friday - a part of the Monarchs’ game plan that had been missing the

first three weeks, and Williams and Carmona broke through in a big way.

“We finally found our legs,” he said. “I thought Darious and Camron

both did an excellent job,” he said. “Camron has really been coming on

lately.”

The first meeting in 13 years between two schools boasting illustrious

programs began with a turnover, as Richard Schwartz’s pass was

intercepted by Mater Dei’s Nathan Coash on the game’s first play. Mater

Dei took over at the Edison 23 yard line, but the Charger defense

stiffened, and Bryan New, who missed a 34 yard attempt in the final

minute of the three-point loss to De La Salle, had his 43-yard field goal

sail wide left.

Edison, which needed to play error-free if it had hoped to score the

upset, had dodged a bullet.

Mater Dei, however, had plenty of shots left.

On the Monarchs next possession, they needed just six plays to move 60

yards for their initial score, a seven yard run by Williams. They took

their following possession and used just four downs to march 77 yards,

the final 27 coming on a nice touchdown pass from Leinart to a diving

Jeff Diulio in the end zone.

Although Edison trailed just 14-3 at the half, Mater Dei might have

led by more had New, who missed from 43 yards earlier, not misfired on a

45-yard field goal attempt with 2:29 to play in the half.

Travis Wilson put the Chargers on the scoreboard when his low, line

drive field goal just cleared the crossbar with 30 seconds left before

the break.

Edison struggled on offense the entire first half. Schwartz missed his

first four passes, was 1 of 6 for zero yards at one point, but did hook

up with Chucky Linman on a 21-yard screen pass to set up Wilson’s field

goal.

Yet for how much Mater Dei dominated play in the first half, Edison

actually had a chance to climb back into the game at the outset of the

second half, thanks to the Charger defense.

A.J. Martinez intercepted Leinart on the third play of the second

half, giving Edison new life at the Mater Dei 40. It also pumped up the

Charger crowd, but that crowd was silenced two plays later when Darryl

Poston fumbled the ball back after a four yard gain.

Although the Charger defense would hold in three plays and force the

Monarchs to punt, Edison’s offense couldn’t muster anything on its next

drive, and punted the ball back.

Then, the flood gates opened.

First, fullback Grant Melton scored on an 18 yard run for a 21-3 lead.

Then, Melton capped a 91 yard drive, which featured a 44 yard shovel pass

from Leinart to Williams, with a one yard plunge on the first play of the

fourth quarter to put Mater Dei up, 28-3.

Edison did manage to slow the Monarchs when Poston took a screen pass

from Schwartz and turned it into a 71 yard touchdown one play after

Melton’s score. But from there, Carmona scored on a 27 yard romp, before

ending the affair with his 81 yard touchdown run.

The Monarch defense harassed Schwartz all night and came up with five

sacks. However, it most came midway through the third quarter, with Mater

Dei holding a 21-3 lead, and Edison perched at the Monarch one yard line

following a flea flicker from Schwartz-to-Poston, Poston-to-Schwartz,

Schwartz-to-Christian Prelle, that went for 45 yards.

One first down, Poston, who finished with 62 yards on 20 carries, was

dropped for a two yard loss. On second and third down, Schwartz, who

completed 14 of 35 passes for 226 yards with two interceptions, was

forced out of the pocket and threw two incomplete passes in the end zone.

On fourth down, he was hit by Mater Dei defensive back Brown Faavae, then

dropped for a six yard loss by linebacker Ian Gunderman.

The Monarchs then put the game away with their crushing, six play, 91

yard scoring drive.