PREP FOOTBALL : Angelus League : Mater Dei Clinches Tie for Third With 16-6 Win

The sky was definitely the thing to watch at Santa Ana Stadium Thursday night, where Mater Dei beat Pius X, 16-6, to clinch at least a tie for third place in the Angelus League.

The evening began with parachutist Chris Wentzel of the Wings skydiving team floating down from hundreds of feet above the stadium, holding a rocket that lit a trail through the night sky.

That’s the style in which the Monarchs (6-3, 3-1) like to kick off their homecoming games. They had just two regrets with the display: that Wentzel couldn’t find a Monarch-red parachute (he had to make do with a green-and-white one) and that it took so long for him to finally land.

“Let’s go, buddy,” hollered one impatient Mater Dei student from the stands. “I want to get this game started!”

Wentzel touched down and dramatically produced the game ball from inside his jump suit. He handed it to the officials, and the game was under way.

The ball was the next object to occupy the sky, as a result of the frequent passing of Mater Dei quarterback Todd Marinovich and Pius X’s Eddie Nevarez. Nevarez completed 15 of 29 passes for 166 yards, with no touchdowns and two interceptions.

Marinovich threw 24 times, although he completed only nine for 121 yards. He also threw no touchdowns and two interceptions, for a total of 13 this season.

But with a quarterback of the 6-foot 4-inch sophomore’s potential, Monarch Coach Chuck Gallo can remain unruffled in the face of most of the interceptions. They’re no cardinal sin around Mater Dei this season, while Marinovich matures at the helm.

“Oh, no. Absolutely not,” Gallo said. “He’s just a sophomore and people treat him like a senior because he’s played to that level. But he’s still young and he’s developing all the time and getting better.”

Mater Dei has passed an inordinate number of times since the loss of running back Charles Anton, who suffered a knee injury against Huntington Beach in the final nonleague game.

His replacement, sophomore Matt Spence, scored the Monarchs’ only touchdown on a 3-yard run in the first quarter. He went on to gain 90 yards on 21 carries, and except for one carry by Paul Cardenas, Spence’s rushing provided the only respite for Marinovich.

Really, all Spence, Marinovich & Co. had to do was move anywhere within 35 yards of the end zone. Then, when the offense stalled on fourth down, the Monarchs were able to rely on Gary Coston’s kicking.

The senior, whose kicks earlier in the season won two games, warmed up with an extra point on Spence’s touchdown, then kicked it into high gear with a 52-yard field goal in the second quarter for a 10-0 Monarch lead.

That kick tied Orange County’s longest field goal of the season by Dana Hills’ J.B. Hollis. Coston later unwound with a 25-yarder with 3:27 to go in the third quarter and a 49-yarder in the opening minute of the fourth quarter.

Gallo coached Washington State University kicker John Traut during his prep career at Laguna Hills, and he says Coston compares favorably.

“I believe John will someday kick in the pros and Gary has also got that potential,” Gallo said.

The Warriors (4-5, 0-4) kept the game close with good defense, as linemen David Box, Ruben Duron and Ricardo DeLeon combined to sack Marinovich four times for losses of 32 yards, and David Huertas and Rory Ewing made first-half interceptions.

The Warriors scored their touchdown on Andre Pitts’ 4-yard run in the second quarter. But Mater Dei’s Mike O’Conner and John Stephens picked off Nevarez passes late in the first half, as the Monarch defense grew more effective.

Gallo said he was relieved to have this game behind him so he and the team can devote its full attention to the biggest game of the year, against rival Servite.

“We’ve got our two toughest games behind us, Bishop Montgomery and Pius X,” he said. “We’ve been tearing our hair the last two weeks because the kids don’t want to concentrate on those teams, they just want to play Servite.”

MD--Spence 3 run (Coston kick)

MD--FG Coston 52

Pius--Pitts 4 run (kick failed)

MD--FG Coston 25

MD--FG Coston 49

Attendance--5,800