Rollinson notches career win No. 250
With some top Southern California football powers either out of state, idle, or not facing tough opponents, the spotlight shone on the Santa Ana Stadium where Cal-Hi Sports No. 8 Mater Dei beat No. 4 Bishop Amat-La Puente, 24-21 in a back and forth battle that delighted the big home crowd.
Mater Dei (1-0) now has a foothold on what could be a banner season for Coach Bruce Rollinson and his boys. The win was No. 250 in the very successful career of Rollinson. He’s never had another head coaching job and for 29-years he’s been at the Monarchs helm.
Host Mater Dei bolted to a 14-0 lead before a very solid Bishop Amat team ran off three scores to take a 21-14 halftime advantage.
It was in the second half however that both the offensive and defensive lines of the Monarchs took over. The offense went to the ground behind USC-committed senior 6-6, 302-pound tackle Frank Martin II, and the defense was led by senior lineman Kapono Laguisan.
The Monarchs' punishing ground game allowed them to control the ball for over 21 of the 24 minutes in the second half.
Of the 228 yards the Monarchs gained on the ground, 133 of them and all three touchdowns belonged to senior running back Brandon LaMarch.
Despite this being a good start for Mater Dei the real tests will begin in the ultra-tough Trinity League, but that is still five weeks away. Next up is a visit by Tesoro-Rancho Santa Margarita.
Oaks Christian comes from behind to down Notre Dame
Out in the far reaches of the San Fernando Valley host Oaks Christian-Westlake Village (1-0) overcame a 14-point fourth quarter deficit with late game heroics, in a 41-34 victory over Notre Dame-Sherman Oak.
To pull it out took several amazing plays by Oaks Christian in the final moments of the contest.
After senior wide receiver Michael Pittman caught a 26-yard TD pass from sophomore quarterback Matt Corral with 1:06 remaining, all Oaks Christian needed was a PAT to take a 35-34 lead, but the kick failed leaving overtime looming.
Defensive end Colby Parkinson changed that when he intercepted a pass with 27.2 seconds remaining. On the very next play Corral found Pittman on a 13-yard pass for the score that decided the game.
Recent USC commit Pittman finished with 178 yards receiving and three touchdowns. Corral was 17-of-28 for 262 yards passing with three touchdowns, and he ran for 71 yards and two more scores. Running back Gil’Scott Jackson rambled for 109 yards and one touchdown.
Rancho Santa Margarita rolls
In an inter-sectional match-up between Cal-Hi Sports preseason Top 50 ranked teams it was No. 11 Santa Margarita-Rancho Santa Margarita taking a 40-14 victory over No. 33 Cathedral Catholic-San Diego at the Brothers in Arms at San Diego.
Stanford-bound quarterback KJ Costello led Santa Margarita by accounting for four scores. The 6-4, 216-pound senior was 20-of-31 for 350 yards passing with three touchdowns, and he ran for 38 yards and a score.
Santa Margarita was one of all six teams in the league and four in the pre-season Top 25 from the Trinity League to win their season-opening games.
Preseason No. 3 St. John Bosco-Bellflower trailed La Mirada 8-6 early and ended up winning 76-8. JSerra-San Juan Capistrano was a 48-13 winner over Cabrillo-Long Beach.
Other Trinity League winners were Lutheran-Orange, 21-13 over Dominguez-Compton, and Servite-Anaheim posted a 45-7 victory over visiting Fountain Valley.
Mission Viejo conquers road
Preseason No. 13 Mission Viejo (2-0) opened its season two weeks ago with a Hawaiian vacation and a 63-7 trouncing of host Baldwin-Wailuku.
Last week they went on the road again to face No. 14 Liberty-Bakersfield, and came home with a hard fought 27-14 victory. Liberty upset Mission Viejo last year in Orange County, 18-7.
Senior quarterback Brock Johnson tossed touchdown passes of 53 yards and 23 yards to Jason Lee and Austin Osborne, respectively, and Isaiah Miller rushed for two scores.
The 6-2, 190-pound Johnson is the the son of offensive coordinator Bret Johnson, the nephew of assistant coach and former NFL quarterback Rob Johnson and the grandson of Coach Bob Johnson.
As for Coach Johnson, the win was No. 312 in 27 years of coaching between El Toro and Mission Viejo.
The Diablos will once again be prohibitive favorites to win the South Coast League but like the Trinity League action doesn’t start until the second week of October. Next up is Oak Hills-Hesperia at home.
In other Southern California action involving top teams:
Centennial-Corona was one of two SoCal top 20 preseason teams to open out of state, but the only one to come away with a win. The No. 2 Huskies hosted East (Sal Lake City, Utah) and Coach Matt Logan’s boys dispatched the visitors in a 49-13 victory.
Senior running back JJ Taylor led the way with 136 yards rushing and three touchdowns, as Centennial totaled 395 yards of total offense in the easy win.
Helix-La Mesa was the other team that faced an out of state opponent. The Highlanders hosted Chaparral-Scottsdale and lost 23-19 to the boys from Arizona.
Chaparral lost in the AZ D2 state playoffs last year 24-0 to Centennial-Peoria, a team preseason No. 6 Long Beach Poly beat 13-12 two weeks ago. Poly was idle last weekend.
Preseason No. 7 Serra-Gardena faces an interesting situation. The Cavaliers (1-0) beat Lakewood 41-15, but the will play No. 2 Centennial this week without quarterback Kahlil Take. He will miss the game due to an ejection in the Lakewood game.
Crespi-Encino, a Mission League member along with Bishop Amat, opened with a 43-20 victory over Sylmar. Next up for the preseason No. 15 ranked Celts in Trinity League power Orange Lutheran.
