Full House, Empty Scoreboard : Football: Mater Dei and Servite offenses sputter in 0-0 tie before 10,000 at Cal State Fullerton.

Seldom have so many come to see so little.

Servite and Mater Dei high schools staged their annual football game as the season opener this year after the Angelus League disbanded.

Judging by Friday night’s performance at Cal State Fullerton, the teams’ offenses could have used a few more weeks of practice.

Neither team could find the end zone, as defense dominated in a 0-0 tie before a capacity crowd of 10,000. Most of the crowd arrived an hour before kickoff, as tailgate parties dotted the surrounding parking lots.

But there was little to cheer about once the game began. It was a far cry from the Mater Dei team that was last seen defeating the nation’s top-ranked team, Rialto Eisenhower, 35-14, at Anaheim Stadium.

Junior quarterback Derek Uhl has been asked to replace last year’s star quarterback, Billy Blanton, who is now at San Diego State after establishing county marks for yardage (3,545) and touchdowns (36) in a season.

Uhl struggled all evening, completing 10 of 21 pass attempts for 103 yards. He didn’t get much help, as fullback Nicky Sualua had only one carry for four yards in the second half after spraining his ankle in the first quarter. Sualua spent most of the second half on the sideline with an ice pack on his right ankle.

Servite, which hasn’t defeated Mater Dei in five years, came closest to scoring on the first play of the fourth quarter. The Friars drove to Mater Dei’s two-yard line behind the running of tailback Elphamous Malbrue.

When the Friars stalled, Steve Rullo attempted a 19-yard field goal with 11:10 remaining, but his kick was wide to the right. The Friars also drove to Mater Dei’s 26-yard line in the last quarter but turned the ball over when quarterback Eric Hannah fumbled on a fourth-down play.

“It was a great, great defensive game,” Mater Dei Coach Bruce Rollinson said. “Our defense had two goal-line stands. They did everything asked of them.

“Offensively, we stopped ourselves. We’re going to have to improve offensively or it’s going to be a long, long year. But you have to give a lot of credit to Servite. They did a great job defensively.”

Although the game was a tie, it was a moral victory for Malbrue. Last year, he fumbled three times as Servite suffered its worst loss since 1981. Mater Dei beat the Friars, 44-0. This time, Malbrue had 114 yards in 29 carries and added two receptions for 21 yards.

Mater Dei wasted three scoring opportunities in the first half. The Monarchs took the opening kickoff and drove for a first down at Servite’s 28-yard line.

But three plays netted only eight yards, as the Monarchs stalled and elected to go for a 39-yard field goal. Brandon Smallwood’s attempt was wide right, however.

Mater Dei took advantage of a 15-yard punt to get good field position at its own 46-yard line. Uhl threw a 23-yard pass to Ray Jackson for a first down at the Servite 31. But Uhl fumbled on the next play, and Servite’s Joseph Vargas recovered to end the threat.