It’s a Power Meeting

Mater Dei faces Los Alamitos Friday in the second round of the Southern Section Division I football playoffs, and whenever these high school powers meet, there’s plenty to talk about.

But they don’t meet that often.

Friday’s game, set for 7:30 p.m. at Santa Ana Stadium, will be only the fifth meeting between the Monarchs (11-0) and Griffins (9-2) dating to 1979.

“That was my first year here,” Los Alamitos Coach John Barnes said. “They beat us, 21-0. The next year they were ranked No. 1 and we played to a scoreless tie. We missed a field goal with 10 seconds left that would have won it.”

That’s nothing compared to the drama both teams have provided this decade.

In 1994, Los Alamitos brought a county-record 47-game unbeaten streak (with 27 consecutive victories) into the section semifinals against Mater Dei. The Griffins had a 24-14 lead with 4 minutes 22 seconds to play, but the Monarchs scored two touchdowns--the second after recovering an onside kick--to clinch a 28-24 victory before more than 30,000 at Anaheim Stadium.

Mater Dei then beat La Puente Bishop Amat for the Division I title.

The next year the Griffins, hungry for revenge and led by Ryan Gragnano’s three touchdowns, beat Mater Dei, 23-14, in the playoff’s second round.

Mater Dei hasn’t lost since. The top-ranked Monarchs won the Division I title in 1996 and have a 25-game winning streak (the county’s fourth-longest behind Edison’s 32 in a row and both Los Alamitos and Esperanza at 27).

Both teams expect another classic confrontation.

“I believe we’re going to have a great football game because we have already seen some great ones in the series,” Mater Dei Coach Bruce Rollinson said.

“The 1994 semifinal game could have been the game of the decade in Orange County. Time and time again, people who went to the game tell me it was one of the finest games they saw, not just the finest high school game. And 1995 was interesting; they had a little better talent, but they still had to earn the win.

“We have a lot of respect for their program. John Barnes is a tremendous competitor. Both staffs will try to scheme and maneuver and do whatever it takes to win. The winner this week will know he was in a physical, pressure-packed game.”

Barnes’ team has endured an injury-filled season, the latest casualties being running back Ryan Godfrey (knee) and defensive back Trevor Hartley (collar bone). Both were hurt in last week’s 30-22 victory over Fontana.

But that doesn’t curtail the excitement and energy the Griffins feel about this game.

“One reason the game is exciting and big is because it doesn’t happen all the time,” Barnes said. “There’s a little mystery to the game. If we played every year there would be some ho-hum games that no one cared about. But lately we’ve met in the playoffs, where the games are very important.”

During the 1990s, Mater Dei and Los Alamitos have succeeded on a grand scale.

Along with the unbeaten streak, the Griffins won a Division III title in 1991 and Division II titles in ’92 (shared with Esperanza) and ’93. They moved up to Division I when they moved into the Sunset League in ’94.

Mater Dei has won three Division I titles since 1991 and was runner-up in ’93. This season the Monarchs are looking to become the first county team to win consecutive major division championships since Servite won back-to-back Big Five titles in 1982-83.

Los Alamitos and Mater Dei usually field teams with high-powered offenses, and the 1997 versions are no different.

The Monarchs average 38.5 points and 418 yards. They balance the sturdy running of tailback Mike McNair (2,111 yards, 27 touchdowns) with the passing of John Leonard (2,051 yards, 18 touchdowns).

Los Alamitos averages 35.4 points and 382 yards. Most of the damage has come through the air, with quarterback Zach Blazek (2,645 yards, 22 touchdowns) throwing primarily to receivers Keenan Howry (1,024 yards, six touchdowns) and Blair Havens (919 yards, 10 touchdowns). But the loss of Godfrey (341 yards rushing, 624 yards receiving, 14 touchdowns) is a key one.

What should not be part of the game is the revenge factor. Los Alamitos has no players on its team who played in the 1995 game, and Mater Dei has only a few.

Joey Boese, a Monarch receiver and defensive back, is one of them.

“Revenge is not proper emotion,” Boese said. “If we had played them the next year, the memories would have been fresher. But any Los Alamitos game is a big deal. We know we have to play mistake-free football. The team that makes the least number of mistakes will win.”

Blazek had a similar notion. “I don’t expect either team to dominate,” he said. “I can see it coming down to the fourth quarter and it could be a game decided by big plays. And that is the kind of game you want to play in.”

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LOS ALAMITOS VS. MATER DEI

Featured Game

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Santa Ana Stadium

Records: Los Alamitos 9-2, Mater Dei 11-0

Noteworthy: The teams have split two meetings this decade, Mater Dei winning in 1994, and Los Alamitos winning in 1995. Friday’s winner will be the team that can neutralize the other’s strength. Los Alamitos must contain Mater Dei’s running attack, and the Monarchs must ground the Griffins’ passing game.