Football: The Mater Dei connection and USC

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With quarterback Max Wittek of Santa Ana Mater Dei committing to USC and joining ex-Mater Dei quarterback Matt Barkley, some are wondering if Monarchs Coach Bruce Rollinson, a former USC student, is pushing his players to the Trojans.

‘I can tell you this,’ Rollinson said. ‘I was barely able to get a ticket at the top row to the UCLA game with all my pull. My players have had success at [USC], but I believe my kid [offensive lineman] Chris Ward is going to have great success at UCLA.’

Rollinson said that USC doesn’t have a lot of quarterbacks, so the math works out well for Wittek, considering that Barkley, a sophomore this coming season, could end up leaving after his junior year.

But that hasn’t stopped friends from getting all over Rollinson for his USC connections.

‘Obviously, some people chuckle,’ he said. ‘People say, ‘You’re killing me. I’m a Notre Dame grad. I’m a Cal grad. I’m a UCLA grad.’ The kid looked hard at a lot of schools.’

Mater Dei’s other high-profile recruit, receiver Victor Blackwell, doesn’t have a USC offer, with UCLA and California in the running, and Rollinson said the Trojans will be sorry.

‘The ones who pass on him have made a big mistake,’ he said. ‘I’ll put him up against any receiver in the nation.’

-- Eric Sondheimer