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Mater Dei’s home football game against Bishop Montgomery on Friday has been canceled because the Knights have forfeited, Bishop Montgomery principal Michele Starkey confirmed Monday.
The nonleague game was scheduled for Santa Ana Stadium.
“Bishop Montgomery unfortunately does not have enough healthy and eligible players to safely field a team against Mater Dei at this time,” Starkey said in an email.
Mater Dei (1-0), ranked No. 1 in the nation by several polls, was scheduled to play its home opener after defeating St. Thomas Aquinas 26-23 in Florida on Saturday.
The Monarchs are scheduled return to action Sept. 5 against visiting Kahuku of Hawaii.
They will play nine regular-season games — one shy of the maximum allowed — for the second consecutive campaign.
“While we share in the disappointment of our players, families, and fans, we are proud of the hard work and preparation our Monarchs have put into this season thus far,” Mater Dei said in a statement.
Bishop Montgomery (0-1) has been in the news recently with five players being ruled ineligible by the CIF Southern Section. The Torrance school also has several other transfers reportedly seeking eligibility.
On Saturday, Bishop Montgomery lost at Saint Louis of Hawaii 34-27 in a season-opening game that ended in the final minute of the fourth quarter after a confrontation between the teams. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported that players from both teams left their benches during the incident.
Starkey said the bench-clearing incident Saturday didn’t play a role in the forfeit.
“We had already discussed forfeiting before we played St. Louis,” she said.