SOUTH COAST LEAGUE : San Clemente Regresses, Loses to Mater Dei

There were moments Thursday night when Mater Dei didn’t seem to need an offense. Nor did it seem to have much of one.

But defense, that long-touted route to championships, rang true once again.

The Monarchs bullied San Clemente, taking the football away nine times. The result was a 35-0 victory at Santa Ana Stadium that gave Mater Dei at least a share of the South Coast League championship.

It’s a trophy earned by the defense, which has allowed only 64 points this season.

“I said it all year, the defense has carried us,” Coach Bruce Rollinson said.

It certainly shouldered most of the burden against the Tritons.

San Clemente (4-5-1, 2-2-1 in league) came into the game one victory away from its first Southern Section playoff berth since 1979. The Tritons left in a daze after looking much like the program that once lost 26 consecutive league games.

The Monarchs (8-1-1, 4-1) intercepted seven passes. Ray Jackson and Michelangelo Barragan each had two. Brian Barajas returned another one 44 yards for a touchdown.

San Clemente fumbled four times, losing two. Mater Dei’s Derrick Ford recovered one and also had two sacks.

“If they put the ball up tonight, we were going to intercept it,” Jackson said.

It seemed that way. On several plays, the Monarch defensive backs ran better patterns than the Triton receivers.

“That’s a credit to the kids,” Rollinson said. “They have to stay light and give up their lunch hours to watch film.”

Thus, the defense was able to spoon feed the offense, leaving it little to do except finish off short drives. The Monarch offense scored three touchdowns in the first half, but the longest drive was 30 yards.

Jackson intercepted a Brett Hall pass on the second play of the game, returning it to the 19-yard line. Nickey Sualua, who gained 83 yards rushing, later scored on a four-yard run.

On San Clemente’s next play, Hall was stripped of the ball and Ford recovered on the San Clemente 30. Barajas scored two plays later on a 15-yard run.

The tone was set.

“If the offense can get two touchdowns, we feel we can win the game,” Ford said.

That might be asking a lot of sophomore quarterback John Flynn, who replaced junior Derrek Uhl.

Flynn had a competent first game, a 38-3 victory over El Toro. But Thursday he looked every bit the sophomore, completing only seven of 16 passes for 112 yards.

He did throw two touchdown passes, but both were set up by the defense.

San Clemente actually gained more yards, 285-262, Thursday.

But capable or not, Flynn is apparently all the Monarchs have left, as Uhl did not suit up for Thursday’s game.

“John did some things well tonight and other things that need some work,” Rollinson said.

Translation:

“We have a lot of defense and a pretty good running back in Nickey Sualua,” Rollinson said.