Servite vs. Mater Dei Preview

Two of the nation’s top 10 teams will play each other on Saturday at the Santa Ana Bowl. Mater Dei and Servite is one of the biggest and oldest rivalries in Orange County. The game sold out the 10,000 seat stadium in five minutes. I will be there covering the game for the OC Register and Prep Redzone. Let’s take a look at the top players from each team and the key matchups. https://twitter.com/prepzone/status/1450559892830375941?s=20 Servite is undefeated and has beaten tough opponents like Mission Viejo, Sierra Canyon and Santa Margarita. I saw them last week against JSerra and the Friars looked good and healthy. The Friars have not trailed this season and have outscored their opponents 399-90. [player_tooltip player_id="25286" first="Noah" last="Fifita"] is the senior quarterback for Servite. He is committed to Arizona and is one of the most accurate passers in the state. He is one of my favorite quarterbacks to watch but he struggled in the spring matchup between the two teams. He completed 11 of 24 passes for 131 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Oregon commit [player_tooltip player_id="25227" first="Tetairoa" last="McMillan"] is the best receiver in the state in my opinion. He caught six passes for 93 yards with a touchdown against Mater Dei in the spring and was covered by lockdown defender [player_tooltip player_id="25223" first="Domani" last="Jackson"]. Defensively, the player of the game for Servite was <strong>Aden "Ace" Eckenwiler</strong>. He had six tackles and two sacks for the Friars. Arizona commit [player_tooltip player_id="143131" first="Jacob" last="Manu"] also had a big game in the spring. [player_tooltip player_id="145257" first="Vaka" last="Hansen"] and [player_tooltip player_id="141891" first="Mason" last="Graham"] anchor the interior of the defensive line and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="115437" first="Gage" last="Burnett"] is becoming a very good edge rusher. https://twitter.com/MDFootball/status/1450668188530724873?s=20 Mater Dei quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="147708" first="Elijah" last="Brown"] was held pretty dormant in the spring matchup but the Monarchs were able to run the ball with their speed. [player_tooltip player_id="25225" first="Raleek" last="Brown"] had 53 yards on just 13 carries with a touchdown. Brown has been less active the past two weeks but I think Mater Dei was just trying to keep him healthy for this matchup. [player_tooltip player_id="115462" first="Ajon" last="Bryant"] has gotten quality reps at running back since and will likely get some touches on Saturday. [player_tooltip player_id="25224" first="CJ" last="Williams"] is Mater Dei’s top receiver and is one of the top two in the state along with McMillan. He had a big 39-yard reception in the spring matchup and is always a big play threat. [player_tooltip player_id="115472" first="Jack" last="Ressler"] has emerged as a quality sophomore receiver for the Monarchs and [player_tooltip player_id="25278" first="Cooper" last="Barkate"] has been on fire during Trinity League play. Barkate can make big plays after the catch which is something to keep an eye on. The defensive player of the game for the Monarchs was edge rusher [player_tooltip player_id="25234" first="David" last="Bailey"]. He had 10 tackles with four sacks in what was his first game of the season coming off a leg injury. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="142003" first="Sione" last="Moa"]</strong> led the Monarchs with tackles and is back this season. [player_tooltip player_id="141893" first="Jacob" last="Kongaika"] did a good job on the interior of the defensive line and [player_tooltip player_id="25447" first="Levi" last="Sua"] was the best returning linebacker for Mater Dei. [player_tooltip player_id="25274" first="Cam" last="Sidney"] had an interception in the game. He will be instrumental for Mater Dei on Saturday with Jackson missing the game with a knee injury. Mater Dei doesn’t run a lot of man coverage but when they do, I expect Sidney to cover McMillan. [player_tooltip player_id="147715" first="Zabien" last="Brown"] and [player_tooltip player_id="25264" first="Josh" last="Hunter"] are quality defensive backs for the Monarchs who close to the ball quickly. They will be crucial because Servite likes to throw underneath routes to <strong>Wes Taylor</strong> and <strong>Mikey Welsh</strong>. <strong>JJ Davis</strong> is an emerging sophomore in the secondary for the Monarchs too. Servite will try to establish the run to lengthen drives and keep the Mater Dei offense off of the field. [player_tooltip player_id="187307" first="Houston" last="Thomas"] is a good running back for the Friars and Graham is one of the best offensive linemen in this game. https://twitter.com/ServiteFootball/status/1450130312738979844?s=20 Mater Dei’s linebackers will be tasked with stopping Thomas. [player_tooltip player_id="25279" first="Eoghan" last="Kerry"], [player_tooltip player_id="141993" first="Lyrik" last="Fata"], [player_tooltip player_id="25282" first="Malaki" last="Te’o"] and <strong>Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei</strong> are the backers who will have to stop Thomas. The Monarch’s offensive line is great led by [player_tooltip player_id="25453" first="BJ" last="Tolo"] and [player_tooltip player_id="147719" first="DeAndre" last="Carter"]. <strong>Sione Tohi</strong> is a freshman left guard and one of my favorite freshmen in the state. This is one of the best games in the state this season and will be televised on Bally Sports West Saturday night at 8 p.m.