SOUTHERN SECTION FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS : Monarchs Reign Over No. 1 Eisenhower : Division I: Mater Dei wins first football title since ’65. Blanton sets county passing record.

Mater Dei took a quantum leap back to the 1960s, when kids were true to their schools and big crowds got excited about football games.

Well, not quite. But the Monarchs did turn back the clock to a time when they ruled prep football in Southern California and beat Eisenhower, 35-14, in the Southern Section Division I championship game Friday night.

A crowd of 33,204, the third-largest playoff crowd in the section’s 77-year history, flocked to Anaheim Stadium to see if quarterback Billy Blanton’s passing magic was enough to upset Eisenhower, the nation’s top-ranked team according to USA Today.

Blanton was more than up to the task, completing 15 of 25 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns as Mater Dei (13-1) won its first title since 1965. Eisenhower, which had averaged 30 points per game, finished 13-1.

Blanton teamed with wide receiver Roger Morante for two touchdown passes and tight end David Knuff for one. Blanton capped a brilliant season with 36 touchdown passes.

“It made things a lot easier for us playing against the No. 1-ranked team,” Blanton said. “We had nothing to lose. Usually, we’re favored. But tonight we got to be the underdog.”

The underdog role seemed to fit the architect of the Mater Dei resurrection project, Coach Bruce Rollinson. Rollinson who played on Mater Dei’s 1965 championship team as a junior running back.

Mater Dei took advantage of two Eisenhower turnovers to seal the victory in the second half. Defensive back Brian Barajas intercepted quarterback Jevon Hicks’ pass in the third quarter and returned it 63 yards for a touchdown.

Mater Dei lineman Jose Gonzalez recovered a fumble by Eisenhower reserve quarterback Glenn Thompkins to set up a four-yard run by running back Brian Solis for another score.

The start of the game was delayed 30 minutes to accommodate the big crowd. Southern Section administrator Bill Clark said fans were still lined up to buy tickets at the end of the first quarter.

Blanton broke the county’s single-season passing record in the first half. He completed nine of 15 attempts for 167 yards and two touchdowns as Mater Dei took a 14-6 lead.

Blanton’s fourth pass completion--a 49-yard touchdown pass to Knuff--set the county mark with 5 minutes 44 seconds remaining in the first quarter. The pass came on a double-reverse flea flicker that Mater Dei had used to score against Fontana two weeks ago.

Running back Chris Ruperto took a handoff from Blanton, swept to his right, handed off to Morante, and then Morante flipped the ball back to Blanton.

But there was a difference Friday night: Knuff, who was wide open against Fontana, was double covered by Eisenhower. He managed to elude two defenders, catch the ball at three-yard line and step into the end zone.

Knuff’s ball-catching skills helped Blanton pass former Trabuco Hills quarterback David Lowery on the county’s all-time single-season passing list. Lowery, now at San Diego State, passed for 3,325 yards in 1988.

Eisenhower, which had averaged only 11 passes in 13 previous games, attempted 16 passes in the first half. Hicks completed eight for 63 yards.

Hicks scored Eisenhower’s only touchdown in the first half on a one-yard keeper and drove the Eagles close to another score before time expired. Eisenhower drove for a first and goal at Mater Dei’s five-yard line with 27 seconds and one timeout remaining.

The Eagles, moving to Mater Dei’s two-yard line, used their final timeout with 19 seconds left in the half.

Then Monarch defensive back Jimmy Nolan made the biggest play of the half. He tackled Eisenhower wide receiver Quincy Adams on the two after Adams had caught a short pass from Hicks and headed for the end zone.

Afterward, Eisenhower couldn’t line up for another play as time expired.

Eisenhower, which came into the game averaging 200 yards rushing, had 132 yards in the first half, but its star back, Omar Love, had only one carry in the second quarter.