Mater Dei Puts a Stop to Los Alamitos : Division I: Late touchdown propels Monarchs into showdown with No. 1 Bishop Amat. Griffins’ streak ends at 47 games.

All the gaffes Mater Dei’s John Flynn made Friday night, and there were many, didn’t seem to matter in the end.

All the errant throws, all the intercepted passes and all those bonehead plays were washed clean with one little dump pass to Casey Rouintree. The play went for 11 yards--the final three of which were airborne--and a touchdown.

It finished a remarkable comeback, giving the Monarchs 28-24 victory over Los Alamitos. It ended the Griffins’ Southern Section record 47-game unbeaten streak. And, most importantly, it put Mater Dei in the Division I championship game.

The Monarchs (13-0) next play La Puente Bishop Amat, ranked No. 1 in the nation by some publications, for the title at 7:40 p.m. next Saturday at Anaheim Stadium.

Flynn will be there and will hope for a better night. But he’ll take Friday’s performance. Sure the fifth-largest crowd in section history, 30,065, watched him stumble around Anaheim Stadium, but they also saw him come up big in the final minutes.

Rouintree hurdled three Los Alamitos defenders to put the Monarchs ahead. David Castleton intercepted a Kevin Feterik pass to clinch the victory. But it was Flynn who rallied the Monarchs from a 24-14 deficit in the final five minutes.

Flynn completed seven of 15 passes, and two were intercepted more because of bad judgment than great defensive efforts.

“I kind of put it all on my shoulders after those two picks,” Flynn said. “But it made that touchdown pass all that much sweeter.”

It didn’t look as if he would get the chance to taste it.

Mater Dei turned the ball over four times, three times inside the Los Alamitos 10, and looked beaten after Joey Trampush fumbled at the end of a 72-yard run with 6 minutes 41 seconds left.

The Monarchs got the ball back at the Los Alamitos 49 with 4:43 left, and Flynn immediately scrambled for 28 yards. After an off-side penalty, he scrambled for 12 yards to the two. One play later, Steve Bodnar scored on a two-yard run.

Elliot Richardson recovered the on-side kick with 3:42 left, and the Monarchs went back to work. Bodnar, who gained 178 yards, and Trampush, who gained 126, worked the ball to the 11 with 50 seconds left. Then Flynn dropped and dumped the ball over the onrushing Dax Houston. Rouintree snagged it and scored.

It brought to a close a unbeaten streak that began in 1991 and covered three championships. The Griffins in the final minutes twice this season to preserve the streak, but had no miracle finishes left.

“We have a bunch young guys, we have a lot to look forward to,” Los Alamitos Coach John Barnes said. “We feel real good about ourselves.”

They would have felt a whole lot better had they held that 10-point lead.

All seemed right with the Griffins in the third quarter. Feterik, who was 16 of 25 for 328 yards, directed two scoring drives. The first was set up when Flynn tried to dump a pass while on the run. It was deflected and intercepted by Ife Ohalefe.

Feterik completed seven passes for 25 or more yards. His passing game set up short touchdown runs by himself and Ryan Gragnano.

“We executed, but we didn’t execute enough,” wide receiver Brad Melsby said.

Mater Dei led, 14-10, at halftime, but both teams made mistakes that cost them points.

Flynn had a pass intercepted in the end zone on the Monarchs’ first possession. But Los Alamitos failed in a sure-to-score situation late in the half.

The Griffins had the ball on the four with four seconds left in the half. Barnes elected to go for the touchdown, but Feterik’s pass was short. Tony Hartley made a diving catch, but referees ruled the ball had not broken the goal line.

Both teams showed their offensive intentions early.

The Monarchs were content to run behind a big offensive line. They finished 379 yards rushing.

The Griffins (12-1) stuck to their fly-and-fling offense. Feterik, who threw for 232 yards in the first half, spread the ball around to receivers Hartley, Melsby and Stan Guyness.

“‘Did we put on a show?” Barnes said. “We did everything right.”

Everything but win.