Mike Sciacca, Independent
There's little doubt as to who the No. 1 prep football team is in
Orange County.
It's the Mater Dei Monarchs.
Showing no side effects from last week's heartbreaking loss to Concord
De La Salle, Mater Dei rolled from the start of Friday night's nonleague
showdown with Edison, and the top-rated Monarchs went on to post a 42-10
victory over the third-ranked Chargers before 8,000 at Orange Coast
College's LeBard Stadium.
Led by the early pinpoint passing of Matt Leinart, who operated behind
a big, talented offensive line, carried by a new found running game
featuring speedy running backs Darious Williams and Camron Carmona, and
powered by a relentless defense, Mater Dei flexed its collective muscle
and successfully bounced back from last Saturday's 31-28 defeat to De La
Salle, the nation's top-rated team.
"We showed what type of team we are tonight," Leinart said.
The statement was simple, but so was Mater Dei's domination.
The Monarchs (3-1) jumped out to a 14-0 first quarter lead and forced
Edison (3-1) into a game of catch-up, but the Chargers weren't up to the
task.
Leinart, who threw for 401 yards against De La Salle, hit his first
six passes Friday for 106 yards and a touchdown, went through a second
quarter slump, but went on to finish 9 of 20 for 159 yards.
Although he trailed off after his hot start, much of it due to an
improved Edison pass rush in the second half, Leinart effectively used
his running backs to produce Mater Dei's top rushing effort of the
season.
Williams, a 6-foot senior, was the steady workhorse Friday, and blazed
his way for 106 yards on 15 carries. Yet it was Carmona, a junior, who
stole the show, rushing for 180 yards on 11 carries.
He punctuated a 461 yard night by the Mater Dei offense with an 81
yard touchdown run off right end in the game's final 1:12.
Mater Dei Coach Bruce Rollinson wanted to establish a running game
Friday - a part of the Monarchs' game plan that had been missing the
first three weeks, and Williams and Carmona broke through in a big way.
"We finally found our legs," he said. "I thought Darious and Camron
both did an excellent job," he said. "Camron has really been coming on
lately."
The first meeting in 13 years between two schools boasting illustrious
programs began with a turnover, as Richard Schwartz's pass was
intercepted by Mater Dei's Nathan Coash on the game's first play. Mater
Dei took over at the Edison 23 yard line, but the Charger defense
