Mater Dei Rises to Top Again : Prep football: Monarchs defeat No. 1 Bishop Amat to win their second title in four years.

Mater Dei went back to the mountaintop Saturday, packing a little more talent and determination, and ended up with a whole lot more.

When Pete Campbell cradled Bishop Amat’s last, desperate heave, the Monarchs had a 28-21 victory and the Southern Section Division I championship, their second title in four years.

“And more and more,” running back Steve Bodnar said.

Oh, yes, much more.

Bodnar, crying and hugging fullback Joey Trampush, knew all too well the weight that was lifted. The victory, before 26,294 at Anaheim Stadium, removed the foul taste of last season’s debacle.

The Monarchs (14-0) were crushed, 56-3, by Rialto Eisenhower a year ago, a memory that lingered every day. It was the same place, the same stakes on Saturday, but not the same story.

Bishop Amat came into the game ranked No. 1 in the nation by some polls and featuring standout running back Daylon McCutcheon. The Monarchs built a 28-10 lead, then outlasted McCutcheon’s multiple skills.

Their reward was a title, and a memory that was better instead of bitter.

“We can do anything,” Trampush said.

Even survive McCutcheon?

“That was tough,” Trampush said. “I was a little scared that something bad was going to happen.”

The Lancers (13-1) rallied in the fourth quarter. McCutcheon finished with 182 yards rushing and scored two touchdowns, one on a 37-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. He caught a 55-yard pass on the Lancers’ next possession, to set up Ariel Castro’s 32-yard field goal that trimmed the Monarch lead to 28-21 with 1 minute 54 seconds left.

Bishop Amat got one more shot after Patrick Shinnefield’s 44-yard field goal attempt was deflected. Quarterback James Free took the Lancers to the Monarch 38, where he put his all into one throw to McCutcheon. Campbell out-jumped the Lancer back on the five and the Monarchs and their fans exhaled.

“I wasn’t going to doubt,” Bodnar said. “I had confidence in our defense.”

But it was the offense, as a unit, that put them in position to win. The Lancers may have had McCutcheon, an all-everything prospect, but the Monarchs had more pieces.

Bodnar slammed his face into the line for 68 yards and scored two touchdowns, one on a I-will-not-be-denied pass play. Trampush muscled for 50 yards rushing and 31 more on two receptions. Rod Perry, whose all-in-one-play speed was a missing ingredient last season. He had three receptions for 32 yards, but one was a 23-yard touchdown catch where he came out of nowhere.

But the key was quarterback John Flynn. He was a woeful 10 of 22 with two interceptions against Eisenhower. He had two passes picked off Saturday, but also completed 10 of 17 passes and threw two touchdowns.

“Last year, our goal was to get here,” Flynn said. “This year the goal was to win it. We’ve accomplished both goals.”

And were doing so in style through three quarters.

Bodnar’s one-yard touchdown run put the Monarchs ahead 28-10 with 5:20 left in the third quarter. They had dominated up to that point.

Flynn threw two touchdown passes and had two passes intercepted in last week’s 28-24 victory over Los Alamitos. He had the same numbers by halftime Saturday, but the touchdowns hurt the Lancers more than the interceptions helped.

With the score tied, 7-7, Flynn found Bodnar in a crowd over the middle. Bodnar bounced off Abel Montanez at the 35, then leaped out of Ramogi Huma’s arms at the six to complete a 56-yard touchdown play.

The Monarchs led, 14-10, in the second quarter when Flynn struck again. On a second-and-seven play, Flynn appeared to throw into the end zone to Pete Campbell. The pass went over Campbell’s head and into the arms of Perry for a 23-yard touchdown.

“I swear on a reporter’s grave that I was throwing to Perry,” Flynn said.

By design or not, the Monarchs had a 21-10 lead.

Flynn was six of 10 for 129 yards in the first half. Free, meanwhile, was one of four for minus-one yard.

Free’s most glaring miss came in the second quarter, when he over-threw a wide open Randy Guanko in the end zone. The Lancers settled for Ariel Castro’s 31-yard field goal.

The Lancers only touchdown in the first half came on an 84-yard run by McCutcheon on Bishop Amat’s third play from scrimmage. Then the Monarchs’ defense handled the standout tailback the rest of the half.

They then survived him in the second half and the title, after a year’s wait, was theirs.

Said Rollinson: “I told the kids we’re not out for revenge, but we’re out for redemption.

* McCUTCHEON NOT ENOUGH: Mater Dei hangs on despite 182 yards rushing from Bishop Amat running back. C12