Mater Dei football rebounds by defeating Servite but still hungry for more

Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now

SANTA ANA  — An intriguing question hung in the air Saturday as Mater Dei and Servite prepared to renew their storied football rivalry with a Trinity League clash.

Would deja vu strike with another one of Mater Dei’s longtime opponents snapping an extended losing streak against the Orange County powerhouse?

The Monarchs made sure it didn’t happen.

Defensive backs CJ Lavender Jr. and Troy Bishop intercepted passes that led to touchdowns and Kennie Leggett rushed for two scores as Mater Dei defeated Servite 29-19 at Santa Ana Stadium for their 15th consecutive victory in the series.

Mater Dei (5-2, 2-1), ranked No. 3 in Orange County and 10th in the nation by HSratings, bounced back after falling to Santa Margarita 7-6 last week for its first loss against the Eagles since 2013.

“I love that we were able to get in the end zone more but again, we have our moments that we get flat, and that’s what concerns me,” Mater Dei coach Raul Lara said. “We need to continue to be consistent and press on that gas pedal and finish strong — offensively and defense.”

“But overall, we got the victory, and that’s what we wanted to do,” the coach added. “We just have to continue to get better.”

Mater Dei opened a 29-7 lead on a 2-yard touchdown run by Leggett with 7:16 left in the third quarter. The junior running back found the end zone after an interception by Bishop but the Monarchs didn’t score again.

Servite’s defense forced three consecutive punts at one stretch and Mater Dei struggled with penalties (15 for 127 yards).

Servite (5-3, 1-2), ranked No. 5 in the county and ninth in the state by HSrating, pushed to the end. Kale Murphy tossed touchdowns in the fourth quarter to freshman Mataua Niumata and senior Judah Clark.

Murphy, a junior, completed 25 of 51 passes — both season highs — for 236 yards and three TDs in his dual with Mater Dei senior Ryan Hopkins (16 of 27 for 240 yards).

“We didn’t play particularly well but we at least fought for 48 minutes,” Servite coach Chris Reinert said.

Mater Dei led 22-7 lead at intermission.

Lavender sparked the Monarchs in late in the first quarter with an interception and 26-yard return to the Servite 25.

Leggett followed with a 5-yard touchdown run for a 6-0 lead with 2:26 left in the period.

Lavender’s interception came after Servite’s defense forced and recovered a fumble at its 15 to prevent a touchdown.

Mater Dei’s defense later made a fourth-down stop at its 37 to set up another scoring drive. The Monarchs responded by driving for a 26-yard field goal by Nathan Enriquez early in the second quarter.

Freshman running back Asir Nembhard ignited the drive with runs of 20 and 37 yards.

Later in the second quarter, Mater Dei capitalized on a short punt by Servite. The Monarchs drove 45 yards for an 8-yard touchdown run by running back Justin Lewis.

Ohio State committed wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt aided the drive with a 26-yard reception that featured a cutback across the field.

Mater Dei engineered a long drive to open a 22-0 advantage. The Monarchs marched 75 yards on six plays for a 2-yard TD run by USC commit Mark Bowman from the Wildcat from 1:00 left in the half.

Bowman left in the second half with an injury.

Servite answered with its own long drive behind Murphy. On the final play of the first half, Murphy lofted a 4-yard TD to Clark in the back corner of the end zone to cap an 80-yard march.

Next week, Mater Dei plays host to JSerra (3-5, 0-3) on Friday, Oct. 24 at Santa Ana Stadium. Servite plays at St. John Bosco (8-0, 3-0) the same day.