PREP FOOTBALL : Mater Dei Defeats St. Paul, 25-15 : Defense, O’Neil Spark Monarchs to Tie for First Place

St. Paul High School came into Thursday night’s game in first place in the Angelus League, but Mater Dei brought the defense and the emotion to defeat the Swordsmen, 25-15, in front of 6,500 at Orange Coast College.

St. Paul’s drives in the first half stalled because of penalties and Mater Dei defensive lineman Jason Uhl and the Monarch defense. Uhl had 2 sacks for minus-23 yards, and Rob Nicholl added a third sack in the third quarter for minus-11 yards.

“It’s tough to play guys like Uhl, (Lua) Pola and (Tracy) Hirchag,” said St. Paul Coach Miguel Olmedo. “They are the 3 best down linemen in Division I. They put pressure on us all night. Defensively, we just couldn’t adjust to their emotion.”

St. Paul, Mater Dei and Servite are tied for first in league play with 2-1 records.

Mater Dei’s offense was in high gear in the first half as the Monarchs scored on 3 of 5 possessions. The only times the Monarchs did not score was when quarterback Danny O’Neil threw his only interception and when the Monarchs took possession with only 6 seconds to play in the half.

On its first drive, Mater Dei used 6 plays, including a 20-yard touchdown pass from O’Neil to Tony Pena, to move from the Servite 48 to the end zone. On the night, O’Neil threw to 5 players, including running back Kealii Clifford (3 receptions for 50 yards), and completed 12 of 17 passes for 172 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception.

After a 15-yard penalty and a big Mater Dei pass rush stopped St. Paul’s second drive, Mater Dei took over on its 34 and went 66 yards in 10 plays. O’Neil completed a 23-yard pass to David Barry, a 19-yard pass to Mike Finn and 8-yard passes to Barry and Tony Pena.

Then, on second and 1, O’Neil ran it in for the touchdown to give Mater Dei a 13-0 lead. The Monarchs then opted for the 2-point conversion. O’Neil handed off to John Williams, who threw to Pena in the end zone.

St. Paul’s next drive stalled when, on third and 7, Uhl sacked Greg Willig for a 13-yard loss. St. Paul’s short punt gave Mater Dei possession at the 50 and set up Mike Ammann’s 37-yard field goal.

St. Paul had a 38-yard completion from Willig to Ralph Sanchez negated by a penalty and the Swordsman punted again. But 3 plays later, Sam Valero hit O’Neil, knocking the ball loose. Richard Olea recovered for the Swordsmen, setting up St. Paul’s only first-half score. Eugene Valdez ran it in from the 1 for the touchdown. Mater Dei led, 18-7, at halftime.

Mater Dei scored in the third quarter on a 10-yard run by Barry. St. Paul added a touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 63-yard punt return by Anthony Munoz.