Mater Dei Falls to De La Salle

Santa Ana Mater Dei High had experienced a lot of disheartening moments in three previous losses to Concord De La Salle, but nothing as dismal as this.

After holding the Spartans early in the second quarter, Mater Dei was set to receive the ball when De La Salle punter James Bloomsburgh kicked the ball into teammate Anthony Salvador. The ball squirted around behind the line of scrimmage before Spartan defensive back Damon Jenkins picked it up and ran 73 yards for a touchdown and a 21-point lead.

It only got worse for the Monarchs--much worse--in a 34-6 defeat that saw De La Salle stretch its national-record winning streak to 115 games before an announced crowd of 8,525 at University of the Pacific in the fourth and final meeting between the schools.

The Spartans (2-0), top-ranked in the nation by several publications, outscored Mater Dei, 135-55, in the series, including a 76-6 margin in the two games in Stockton.

De La Salle running back Alijah Bradley gained 206 yards in 15 carries and scored a touchdown. The Spartans outgained the Monarchs, 380 yards to 162, and were in control by midway through the second quarter.

Yet, Mater Dei Coach Bruce Rollinson said the lopsided nature of the game did not concern him.

“My concern is that we continue to fight, continue to improve, and I thought we did that,” he said. “We’re not a bad ballclub.”

On offense Mater Dei looks pretty average. Tailback Rafael Rice, who managed only 53 yards in 15 carries, was bottled up for the second consecutive game. Colt Brennan completed seven of 15 passes for 70 yards and was sacked five times before being replaced by freshman Jason Forcier in the fourth quarter.

The Monarchs played well enough to stay in the game for much of the first half. Their special teams did not help the cause, though.

Mater Dei held De La Salle on its second possession after giving up Nate Kenion’s five-yard touchdown run on the Spartans’ opening series, but a roughing-the-kicker penalty allowed the drive to continue. De La Salle capitalized nine plays later when quarterback Matt Gutierrez found Ryan Eidson cutting toward the corner of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown connection and a 14-0 lead.

Mater Dei’s defense held De La Salle again on its next two possessions before the zany punt play, which broke open the game.

“We had stopped them and our defense was getting hot ... and all of a sudden a fluke like that,” Mater Dei defensive back Kenny Chicoine said. “It happens to good teams, and they were the better team tonight.”

Rollinson, who said he thought that punts that hit players on the same team behind the line of scrimmage could not be advanced, engaged in a heated argument with the referee.

Mater Dei (1-2) has lost two games in a row for the first time since late in the 1990 regular season. If it’s any consolation, the Monarchs did reach the Southern Section Division I semifinals that year.

Mater Dei also started the 1999 season by losing two of its first three games before rebounding to tie Long Beach Poly for a share of the Division I title. But with dangerous Huntington Beach Edison on the schedule next week, the Monarchs could be in for an extended tumble.

De La Salle faces Mountain View St. Francis (1-3) before its highly anticipated matchup Oct. 6 against power Long Beach Poly at Veterans Stadium.

“They’re a heck of a ballclub,” Rollinson said of the Spartans. “We could not simulate their speed in practice, but Poly can.”