Sparks Flies in Debut: 281 Yards, 3 Scores

OK, so now we know why Mater Dei High School was so keen about getting Derek Sparks enrolled and eligible to play football.

On his first carry in a Mater Dei uniform, Sparks sprinted through a mammoth hole in the offensive line, cut to his right and raced 80 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown.

The second time he touched the ball, there was a bad exchange as quarterback Billy Blanton fumbled.

His second carry was much like the first, but to the left side of the line. Again, he broke through a big hole and cut right, and into the open. Again, he scored on an 80-yard touchdown.

His third carry went for a 62-yard touchdown.

And Santa Ana was finished. With Sparks playing his first game for Mater Dei since transferring from Montclair Prep, Mater Dei beat Santa Ana, 38-21, in front of 5,000 at Orange Coast College.

Sparks’ final totals were staggering, even to the most hopeful Mater Dei fans. He rushed for 281 yards and three touchdowns in 13 carries. By halftime, he had 229 yards in four carries. Yes, four .

“It’s been kind of hard waiting around to play,” Sparks said. “Whenever you’re headed for a new place, there’s people trying to knock you off track. I just want to go to school and play football.”

Mater Dei is Sparks’ third school in as many years. He played at Wilmington Banning as a sophomore and Montclair Prep of Van Nuys as a junior and played one game for the Mounties before transferring to Mater Dei.

He only became eligible to play last Friday.

“It’s been two or three weeks since I last played,” said Sparks, who rushed for 63 yards in 16 carries in Montclair Prep’s opening game against Farrington High of Honolulu. “I came out and did what I could do. We did what we had to do.”

It was an impressive show.

Mater Dei had not rushed for 100 yards as a team in either of its first two games--a 27-3 loss to Tustin and a 18-15 loss to Capistrano Valley.

With Sparks, Mater Dei rushed for 366 yards.

Santa Ana’s defense wasn’t quick enough to stop Sparks on his early carries, but Mater Dei’s offensive line blew open giant holes.

In the second half, Santa Ana (0-3) made some adjustments and hemmed Sparks in to a degree. His biggest gain was 14 yards.

After Sparks’ first touchdown, Santa Ana took advantage of Blanton’s fumble, scoring on Uvaldo Macias’ 25-yard run around left end.

By the end of the first quarter, Mater Dei led, 21-6, and was coasting. Sparks sat out most of the second quarter, but the Monarchs’ offense hardly slowed.

David Gonzales’ one-yard run, a 21-yard touchdown pass from Blanton to Rick Ellis, and a 42-yard field goal by Brian Broadbent helped Mater Dei to a 38-14 halftime lead.

With the game in hand, Sparks carried nine times in the second half.

Santa Ana could manage only a 15-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Michael Estrada to Robert Tabile. Estrada alternated downs with Marc Contreras, but neither could move the team with any consistency.