ORANGE COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL : Angelus League : Brown (334) Shatters Rushing Mark in Servite Win

Well, so much for tradition and drama and tension and all the other perks that come with the annual Mater Dei-Servite High School football package.

Servite’s Derek Brown put a firm cleat mark in all that stuff as he rushed for 334 yards on 26 carries and 4 touchdowns, to help his team to a 44-12 Angelus League victory over Mater Dei Thursday in Santa Ana Stadium in front of 8,500.

Brown, a sophomore in name only, set a school single-game rushing record with his performance, shattering the 21-year mark of Wes Morgan who rushed for 228 yards against St. John Bosco in 1965.

Brown has rushed for 1,134 yards and 11 touchdowns this season.

The four touchdowns Thursday night, on runs of 55, 46, 46 and 2 yards, were another school record.

Easily lost in Brown’s shuffle is the fact that the win gave Servite third-place in the Angelus League and a berth in the Big Five playoffs.

Another thing, Servite would have probably won the game had Brown rushed for 50 yards. The Servite defense, which came into the game allowing an average of 28 points per league game, dominated Mater Dei.

The Monarchs were held to less than 100 yards rushing, and quarterbacks Mark Ramstack and Mike Curtius were intercepted a total of four times. Servite defensive back Mike Hirou returned one interception of Curtius 37 yards for a touchdown.

But it was Brown who got the Friars going. It was Brown who nullified 133 yards in Servite penalties. It was Brown who walked the sidelines late in the fourth quarter, a sort of dazed look in his eyes, and a smile almost as long as the yards he had gained.

Asked if he expected anything like 334 yards, Brown assured everyone he hadn’t. Three hundred yards in a game, a rivalry, a tradition like this? Get serious.

Now 200 yards, that’s a different matter.

“You know, I kind of thought I might be able to get 200,” Brown said. “I just felt good coming in. I thought I might have a big game. Not this big, but I thought I might be able to do something.”

Brown’s first touchdown came on Servite’s second possession. Taking the handoff from quarterback Jason Messersmith, Brown cut to his left and into a hole created by tackle Mike McCarty. He then ducked out to the sideline where it was just a matter of who was faster, Brown or the entire Mater Dei secondary.

Brown trotted the last 10 yards of his 55-yard touchdown run.

The touchdown came with 6:37 left in the first quarter and was only Brown’s second carry of the game. On his third carry of the game, Brown took the handoff, cut to his left into a hole created by McCarty . . . Brown trotted the last 10 yards of his 46-yard touchdown run with 4:59 left in the first quarter.

Brown trotted the last 10 of his 46-yard touchdown run with 7:58 left in the second quarter.

By halftime he had rushed 14 times for 208 yards, and Servite had a 20-6 lead.

COUNTY’S TOP SINGLE-GAME RUSHERS 1. 418 yards, Jim Gleed, Dana Hills vs. Laguna Hills, 1979

2. 348 yards, Mike Miscione, Esperanza vs. El Dorado, 1986

3. 334 yards, Derek Brown, Servite vs. Mater Dei, 1986

4. 326 yards, Rick Curry, La Quinta vs. Baldwin Park, 1971

5. 308 yards, Roger Brown, Mission Viejo vs. Laguna Hills, 1982

6. 305 yards, Mike Charles, Cypress vs. Orange, 1975

7. 301 yards, Bob Dapper, Western vs. Santa Ana, 1972

Source: Orange County Sports Hall of Fame