Mater Dei capitalizes on turnovers in 27-7 victory over Edison

Perhaps Santa Ana Mater Dei will be a factor in the Pac-5 Division playoffs after all.

Even after his team started the season with back-to-back losses to Carson and Corona Centennial, Coach Bruce Rollinson insisted his Monarchs were all right. They were more than just all right Friday night, turning two early turnovers into touchdowns on their way to a 27-7 upset of Huntington Beach Edison at Orange Coast College.

Senior quarterback Max Wittek completed his first seven passes and connected on 17 of 28 attempts overall for 175 yards and two touchdowns for Mater Dei (2-2).

Mater Dei wide receiver Victor Blackwell had seven receptions for 95 yards and thought he had a 43-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter, but officials ruled he did not get a foot down inbounds at the back of the end zone. It hardly mattered. Wittek threw an 11-yard touchdown to Glen Raphael four plays later to put the game out of reach.

Nicholas Masaniai gained 84 yards in 18 carries for the Chargers (3-2), ranked No. 16 in the Southland by The Times. Mater Dei’s defense set the tone from the outset.

On Edison’s third play from scrimmage, defensive back Freddie Mora intercepted a pass in the flat at the Chargers’ 39-yard line and returned it to the seven, setting up a two-yard run by Josh Valdivia that gave Mater Dei a 6-0 lead 1:55 into the game.

On the second play of Edison’s second drive, junior quarterback Chase Favreau fumbled on a quarterback keeper and Mater Dei linebacker Richard Ortiz recovered at the Chargers’ 25-yard line. Wittek threw over the middle to Joshua Cook for an 11-yard touchdown that put the Monarchs ahead 13-0 with 7:45 left in the first quarter.

Favreau, who had injured his ankle in Edison’s 16-9 loss to Anaheim Servite the week before, was sacked twice and tackled for losses five times. He did not complete a pass until the final minute of the second quarter and finished four of 12 for 56 yards.

Favreau lobbed a seven-yard touchdown to wide receiver Dejean King, who made a juggling catch in the corner of the end zone to pull the Chargers within 20-7 with 27 seconds left in the first half. Masaniai set up the score with a 31-yard run.

Wittek scrambled for a 9-yard touchdown to cap an 11-play, 55-yard drive that extended Mater Dei’s lead to 20-0 with 4:21 left in the second quarter.

— Steve Galluzzo

Quick hits

Encino Crespi’s Kenny Stenhouse tied a school record with five touchdown passes to lead the Celts (4-1) to a 45-31 victory over No. 8 Vista Murrieta (3-1)… No. 4 Corona Centennial (5-0, 1-0) crushed Riverside King (2-2, 0-1), 66-14.