Mater Dei Pushes Past Capistrano Valley

You won’t find the word in the dictionary, but Capistrano Valley Coach Eric Patton certainly had the right idea Friday night.

“They completely out-physicaled us,” Patton said after Mater Dei defeated Capistrano Valley, 18-10, in the South Coast League opener before 3,500 at Capistrano Valley.

“There was not one guy on our team that could stand up to them.”

Indeed, Mater Dei won its South Coast League debut in the trenches, out-muscling Capistrano Valley throughout. The direct payoff of the Monarchs’ superior size and strength was 199 rushing yards and six sacks of Capistrano Valley quarterback Sam Gaines.

Mater Dei also yielded only 30 yards on the ground and 48 in the air.

“(Running backs) Nicky Sualua and Brian Hall just did a great job, but it all starts up front with the line,” Mater Dei Coach Bruce Rollinson said.

Sualua, a 6-foot-1, 245-pound senior, rushed for 81 yards and a one-yard touchdown run in 11 carries and Hall, a 5-6, 172 senior, had 63 yards and a 15-yard scoring run in 15 carries.

By contrast, all Capistrano Valley running back Dan Geiss could manage was a 76-yard, 15-carry effort. Geiss, a 5-8, 175-pound junior, came into the game averaging 111 yards.

“Except for that one long run, we really put some plastic on (Geiss),” Rollinson said of Mater Dei’s hard hitting. “And we put a lot of pressure on that quarterback (Gaines).”

Capistrano Valley’s only touchdown came gift-wrapped on an interception in the final minute of the first half.

Linebacker Levi Roquemore picked off a pass from Mater Dei quarterback Derek Uhl and returned it 33 yards to the Monarch two-yard line. Two plays later, Gaines dove into the end zone for a touchdown.

Capistrano Valley added a 31-yard field goal by Jeff Cellini with 3 minutes 16 seconds left in the game to cut Mater Dei’s lead to 18-10.

Mater Dei (5-0-1 overall, 1-0 in league) broke open a 7-7 halftime score with a 31-yard field goal by Brandon Smallwood with 8:28 left in the third quarter.

A little more than a minute later, Monarch lineman Derrick Ford sacked Gaines in the end zone for a safety.

Then, Sualua seemed to clinch things with a one-yard run that gave Mater Dei an 18-7 lead with 47 seconds left in the third quarter.

Cellini’s field goal was all the scoring the Cougars (3-3, 0-1) could produce as Mater Dei’s defense tightened in the fourth quarter.

“I’m really surprised the score was that close,” Patton said. “I have a lot of respect for (Irvine running back) Scott Seal, but that kid (Sualua) is bigger and stronger.

“He is their offense. The only offense they needed.”