PERFECT TIMING : Grootegoed Is Always in Right Spot for Mater Dei

You can spend hours recounting his greatest hits or while away half the night telling stories about his remarkable ability to run the football.

Those are the things, 25 years from now, fans will remember most about Mater Dei’s Matt Grootegoed.

Those are, however, only part of the reason Grootegoed is being labeled the greatest player in Mater Dei history and one of the best players ever in Orange County. “Every time Mater Dei needed something to happen--an interception, a big run or a defensive stop--Matt rose to the challenge,” Monarch Coach Bruce Rollinson said of The Times’ Orange County Player of the Year. “With him out there, half the time it seemed like we were playing with 12 or 13 guys.

“I think he is the greatest player in Mater Dei history. I base that statement on the fact that he has the accolades as a junior [when he was The Times’ Orange County Back of the Year] and a senior.

“I’m not trying to slight any previous player, but the things that Matt did were something special. And a lot of people who have watched Mater Dei, even in the ‘50s, unanimously agree with me. What do you say about a kid like that?”

Well, John Huarte might have a thing or two to say. Huarte, Mater Dei’s quarterback for three seasons during the late 1950s and early ‘60s, was selected CIF Player of the Year his senior year. He went on to play at Notre Dame and, as a senior in 1964, became the only county player to win a Heisman Trophy.

But even Huarte would concede that he wasn’t a two-way threat like the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Grootegoed, a free safety and running back who gave coaches pause at the question of whether they’d rather face him on offense or defense.

“That’s like asking me if I want the bullet from the right side or the left side,” Servite Coach Larry Toner said.

Still, despite a season in which he rushed for 891 yards, scored 14 touchdowns, made 138 tackles (seven for losses) and intercepted six passes, Grootegoed didn’t please his harshest critic: himself.

“It was pretty hard to meet my goal, which was to surpass what I did last year,” Grootegoed said. “I didn’t have as many tackles [this year] but I had twice as many interceptions and more pass deflections. I didn’t gain as many yards on offense.”

Said Rollinson: “I feel Matt had an equal to if not slightly better year because the ’99 team, probably position in and position out, wasn’t as strong as the ’98 team. Matt had to make up at times for some of the players that surrounded him.”

Grootegoed’s value to his team was never more evident than in Mater Dei’s Southern Section Division I championship game against Long Beach Poly, when he sprained his right ankle on his second carry and had to sit out the remainder of the contest.

“When he went down, a majority of our defensive scheme went out the window and about half of our offensive scheme went out the window,” said Rollinson, whose Monarchs battled the Jackrabbits to a 21-21 tie.

“It was a hard thing because I didn’t want to end my career at Mater Dei getting hurt,” said Grootegoed, who competed in four title games. “Who wanted to do that?”

Fortunately for Grootegoed, he can now focus on his future, which should include a starring role as a defensive back or outside linebacker for one of the nation’s top college football powers. He has narrowed his choices to UCLA, USC, Michigan, Washington and Notre Dame but has yet to take a campus visit.

“I think Matt’s going to play a lot of football on Saturdays,” Rollinson said, “and I really believe we will see him play football on Sundays.”

Indeed, Grootegoed most likely isn’t through forging memories. He’s only beginning.

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The First Team

OFFENSE

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Pos Player School Hgt Wgt Yr. QB Jason Whieldon Orange Lutheran 6-1 180 Sr. RB Ray Mietkiewicz Marina 6-2 235 Sr. RB Andre Stewart Newport Harbor 5-9 170 Sr. TE Mark Ahlberg Troy 6-6 240 Sr. WR Ryan Murray Esperanza 6-1 170 Sr. WR Steve Yaden Kennedy 6-0 195 Sr. OL Joe McGuire Servite 6-6 290 Sr. OL Blair Jones Newport Harbor 6-8 262 Sr. OL Dan Owens Mater Dei 6-2 270 Sr. OL M.J. Ansel Marina 6-3 260 Sr. OL Scott Paffrath Mission Viejo 6-6 240 Sr. PK Chris Kluwe Los Alamitos 6-4 210 Sr.

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DEFENSE

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Pos Player School Hgt Wgt Yr. DL Steve Casciotti El Toro 5-11 205 Sr. DL Travis Pendleton Esperanza 6-5 260 Sr. DL Steven Fifita Fountain Valley 6-0 240 Sr. LB Eliu Fatu Santa Ana Valley 6-3 233 Sr. LB Paul Publico Los Alamitos 5-11 195 Sr. LB Tyler Kruse Mater Dei 6-1 225 Sr. LB Mike Patterson Irvine 6-0 180 Sr. DB Matt Grootegoed Mater Dei 6-0 195 Sr. DB Nick Stagnaro Brea Olinda 6-0 170 Sr. DB Rudy Acosta Loara 6-0 155 Jr. DB Junior Palacios Mater Dei 5-11 185 Sr. P Shane Harris Woodbridge 5-10 190 Sr.

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