Mater Dei Scores With 1:06 Left to Defeat St. Paul : DIVISION I

John Flynn threw them and Michael-John Rzeznik caught them. Together they brought Mater Dei from behind Friday night.

Flynn, a junior quarterback, hit Rzeznik on two fourth-down plays in the final three minutes. The last was a eight-yard touchdown pass with 1 minute 6 seconds left that gave the Monarchs a 17-14 victory over Santa Fe Springs St. Paul at Santa Ana Stadium in the first round of the Southern Section Division I playoffs.

The Monarchs will play Long Beach Poly next week.

“I didn’t even know it was fourth down,” Rzeznik said. “I just concentrated on the ball. I didn’t even know I was in the end zone.”

Pardon Rzeznik for his confusion. It was consistent with almost the entire game-winning drive.

Flynn, who was 10 of 17 for 137 yards, put together a 76-yard drive, but it was hardly a picture-perfect affair. Flynn was partly to blame, as he was called for passing beyond the line of scrimmage on a play at mid-field. The Monarchs were penalized again before the next play, leaving them with a fourth and 15.

Flynn looked right, then heaved a long pass down the middle of the field. Rzeznik leaped and grabbed it with his finger tips for a 43-yard gain to the St. Paul 13.

Until then, Rzeznik, the Monarchs’ leading receiver, had caught only two passes for 19 yards.

“He wasn’t even the primary receiver,” Flynn said. “All of a sudden, I saw MJ waving his hands. I let it go and said, ‘Hail Mary.’ ”

Three plays later, Rzeznik out-jumped St. Paul’s Charlie Gandara for the winning touchdown pass.

“We had two chances on fourth down and didn’t do what was needed,” St. Paul Coach Marijon Ancich said.

Jason Lundstrom’s interception with 25 seconds left clinched Mater Dei’s victory.

“To tell you the truth, I knew we were going to win this game,” Mater Dei Coach Bruce Rollinson said. “Of course, I was getting a little nervous toward the end.”

He had a right to be. This was, after all, an Ancich-coached team. Mater Dei hadn’t beaten one of those since 1966.

Ancich had won 17 consecutive games over the Monarchs, 15 while at St. Paul from 1966-81, and two as the coach at Tustin. He returned to St. Paul this season and the Swordsmen returned to prominence.

“Up until Thursday, we talked about the Ancich mystique,” Rollinson said. “Starting Friday we talked about the game. We told the kids that Ancich was going to be playing.”

But his team did play and played well. The mystique continued.

The Swordsmen (7-4) were content to pound the ball at the Monarchs, taking time off the clock. The strategy worked.

Running backs Rich Avina and Morris Luevano took turns slamming into the Monarch defensive front. St. Paul had 185 yards rushing. Avina gained 133 yards and scored on runs of 41 and 29 yards.

St. Paul led, 7-3, at halftime. The Monarchs had only 51 yards at that point.

Flynn put the Monarchs ahead with a six-yard touchdown pass to Peter Silvey with 8:19 left in the third quarter.