Fryer's analysis: Mater Dei shaky but worthy of No. 1
September 3rd, 2008, 10:42 pm · 9 Comments · posted by STEVE FRYER, ocvarsity.com
A fan wearing Carson gear looked at the Mater Dei celebration and said, “They look like they just won the championship.” Hey, Mater Dei was ecstatic, and relieved, just to have won.The Monarchs had to battle back from a two-touchdown deficit to beat Carson, 46-43, on Wednesday at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach.
It was the first game in Southern California involving an Orange County team, which just happened to be the No. 1 team in the OCVarsity preseason county rankings, and a team with the No. 1 quarterback in the nation.
You can count on some weirdness in any high school team’s first game. These are kids who don’t get four preseason games to work out the kinks, like NFL teams do.
You hit the ground running and hope for the best. Mater Dei won’t be the best if it can’t actually hit the ground running.
Jaron Hytche, last season’s leading rusher for the Monarchs, had 7 yards on six carries. Fullback Jordan Allen had 56 yards on six carries. A big reason for that was the absence of standout junior tackle Chris Ward, who was on the All-California sophomore team last year. Ward sat out because of a sprained knee, although he would have played had this been a big Trinity League game.
“When we get him back,” Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson said, “We’ll be able to turn it up a notch.”
So the Monarchs looked like the San Diego Chargers, circa 1981. They threw the ball a lot.
Matt Barkley threw 31 times, but completed only 15. A below-50 percent night has been a rarity for the fourth-year starter.
He threw for six touchdowns and was picked off four times, once for a touchdown.
Ario Winston looked sharp at receiver. He had six catches for 143 yards and three touchdowns.
The Monarchs are OCVarsity's No. 1 team in the preseason rankings, but that was not a No. 1 defense out there. The Monarchs could not figure out angles on the speedy Carson ball carriers and receivers. And when they did get the angle, they couldn’t finish the job.
“We’re trying to lay they hat,” Rollinson said, “and we didn’t wrap up.”
That means, of course, the Monarchs were trying to bump Carson guys off of their feet instead of tackling them.
Rollinson said that’s an issue easily remedied in game-film study and practice.
So the Monarchs will get some lessons from this one, and we all learned something about overtime rules.
In CIF-Southern Section games that go into overtime, Team A gets the ball 25 yards from the end zone and can accumulate first downs as it tries to score a touchdown or field goal. Whatever Team A does on that possession, Team B can match or surpass until somebody comes out ahead.
This was a home game for Carson, a CIF-L.A. City Section school. L.A. City rules give Team A the ball at the 10, and whatever Team A does then Team B gets the chance to match or surpass that.
But on the next time around, Team B gets the ball first and Team A then has to match or surpass Team B. The back-and-forth, who-gets-the-ball-first continues until somebody comes out ahead.
During a long pre-OT meeting at midfield, game officials said there would no extra-points or two-point conversions after touchdowns. But that was changed after Carson scored first. It’s possible that in the California State Bowl Games, in December, this L.A. City style of OT will be in place. And that might be how it is done, anyways, among nine of the CIF’s 10 sections, with the Southern Section being the rebel.
We’ll find out.
We’ll also find out soon what the 10 voters who select the Orange County media poll’s top 10 thought of Mater Dei’s performance and how that influences where the Monarchs fit when the first top 10 voting happens Monday.
I don’t see Wednesday’s result removing Mater Dei from the top of this ballot. That was a spirited and skillful Carson team that challenged the Monarchs in a wild opening night.
9 Comments
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Are we talking about the same game that Mater Dei was up by two touchdowns and than lost the lead? Barkley might be the number 1 recruit, but he is not playing on a number 1 team. If this is Orange Counties best then it's an insult to all the other programs in the county. To be a number 1 ranked team you need both offense and DEFENSE.
I have been a MD fan for a long time and I was not to thrilled about Barkley's 4 INT and the lack of tackling on the defense. I agree to be #1 in OC you need defense. The way I see it, it's a win for Carson to still be able to almost pull off the upset.
It's only a matter of time for Matre Dei until they play Centennial then it is over they will get beaten and I am assuming pretty handly lets say by 10 points...Definitely not the best team in the county.
Folks, that was not the best team in OC that was not even a top 5 team at this point in the season. It is how ever Mater Dei and Rollo will get them ready for league and if they get thru that then they will be ok. Not the same team as last year. There are many good teams this year and the old paradigms are gone. These days you had better scout your teams before you make bold predictions. Surprises aplenty this season. Carson is a one and done Pac 5 play off team. Good but not great and to say that game was indicative of the Best in OC. No.
Folks, I agree with Mr. Fryer. This was opening night, and an early one at that. Unfortunately high schools do not get pre-season games to get their timing down, work on fundamentals, and get the kinks and rust out of their systems. Yes, I graduated from MDHS so I do have some bias towards the school. But what I saw last night was a team worthy of being the No. 1 team in the O.C. I also saw a good L.A. City team that is worthy of being a contender for that section's championship. Remember, Carson was runner-up in that section last year! They are a good team who played hard on opening night and on national television. Mater Dei will get better, folks, especially when they get their top offensive tackle back, Barkley makes better decsions and gets the timing down with his receivers, and the defense does a better job tackling. As for that Centennial comment, Barkley shredded Centennial's so-called awesome defense last year and he will do it again this year. And let's not forget that Centennial lost some very key skill players on offense. MDHS wins that game as it did last year - a high scoring game.
MD is over Hyped and one again favortism by Steve Fryer is given. The #1 team is OLU, and they will beat the Fresno Team easily and show why they are #1, of course Steve Fryer will have some negative things to say about that so he can justify putting MD at #1 again.
First, let me say I did not see the Mater Dei-Carson game last night. But based on the score, either both teams have prolific offenses or horrible defenses! If you want to see defense, watch the tape of the OLu-Long Beach Poly game last year. Two awesome defenses. Second, is it just me, or do I hear Mater Dei fans referring to their team as BARKLEY? So what if he is another Dan Marino, Dan never won a championship! Mater Dei will have to improve on defense to have a chance.
Good thing Matt has a good support group in his family and friends becaused if he listened to all of us his head would explode. Bottom line is Rollison will do a better job with the players he has, but it's obvious that this is a rebuilding year. Matt doesn't have the running game, experianced revievers or dominate defense this year. By the end of the season if they are in the top 10 I would be surprised. And as far as IE teams go, watch out OC they R A COMIN. How about traveling to their home fields and let's see outcome?
Why is it all I see is MD this MD that . They just about lost to a team no one want to give any credit. They missed 3 F.G's and 3 extra pt's and still put the # what team into 3 over times. Carson played well!!!!