Neither Team Looks Right for a Second, but Servite Prevails

The Big Game became The Big Goof Thursday, as Servite and Mater Dei high schools played at times with all the precision and efficiency of a Marx Brothers movie.

In front of a Santa Ana Stadium crowd of 8,000, Servite came away with a 27-13 Angelus League victory, overcoming 132 yards in penalties and taking advantage of six Mater Dei turnovers.

The victory means that Servite (7-2-1, 3-2) and Mater Dei (7-3, 3-2) are tied for second place. If St. Paul upsets Bishop Amat tonight, St. Paul will be 3-2 in league, creating a three-way tie for two playoff spots. That tie would be broken by a coin flip.

However, if St. Paul loses, Servite would enter the playoffs as the league’s No. 2 entry because it defeated Mater Dei.

Servite defeated Mater Dei with running back Derek Brown, who rushed for 116 yards in 27 carries; quarterback Jason Frank, who completed 8 of 9 passes for 70 yards, and a defense that held Mater Dei’s offense, averaging 31 points in four previous league games, to two field goals through the first three quarters.

Servite started the game impressively, driving 78 yards in 14 plays and scoring on Brown’s five-yard run. The drive took nearly seven minutes. Pat Blottiaux’s conversion kick put the Friars ahead, 7-0.

In the second quarter, Servite linebacker Dirk Larson recovered a Mater Dei fumble on the Monarch 34-yard line. Brown rushed for 25 yards on two carries, setting up Frank’s nine-yard run for a touchdown run. With Blottiaux’s kick, Servite led, 14-0, with 9:31 left in the second quarter.

A 31-yard field goal by Mater Dei’s Mike Ammann made the score 14-3 with 2:36 left in the first half. But Ammann’s kickoff was returned 78 yards by Oscar Ford to the Mater Dei 16.

Servite’s offense sputtered, a sign of things to come in the second half, and looked as if it would settle for a field goal.

But an over-eager Greg Shockey leap-frogged the Servite line before the ball was snapped and did a swan dive into the Servite backfield. Shockey was called for a personal foul and Servite was given a first down at the five.

On the next play, Frank rushed for four yards, fumbling the ball in the end zone, where it was recovered by guard Dave Jacobs.

The play was indicative of Servite’s offense, and the Mater Dei defense, in the second half.

Servite started its first five possessions in the second half in Mater Dei territory, thanks to five straight Mater Dei turnovers. Yet Servite could score only once on those five possessions, a 12-yard run by Brown.

Linebacker Mike Petko started the fun by intercepting a pass at the Mater Dei 31. Seven plays later, Blottiaux attempted a 63-yard field goal that was short. Petko recovered a fumble on Mater Dei’s 22 in the next series, but the Friars were stopped on a fourth and one on the Mater Dei three.

Two more interceptions, by Brad Williams and Jason Rees, put Servite deep in Mater Dei territory, but the offense seemed in terminal freeze. Nothing came of the possessions, as far as points were concerned.

The problem was, the Friars’ offense just kept going backward, thanks to the 100 yards-plus worth of penalties and a Mater Dei defense that sacked Frank four times.

Mater Dei eventually scored a touchdown with 2:42 left in the game when quarterback Mark Ramstack scored on a two-yard run.

Ramstack completed 10 of 20 passes for 155 yards, but had three passes intercepted. Mater Dei running back Byron Quiros, filling in for Robert Clifford who is out with a sprained ankle, gained 96 yards in 16 carries.