It’s usually hard for Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) to find opponents to play outside of the Trinity League. Last year, the Monarchs could only put together a nine-game regular season, but this year, the defending national champs have a full 10-game slate.
On Monday, Mater Dei, winners of three national titles in the last five years, announced its 2022 schedule. Aside from its usual Trinity League gauntlet, the Monarchs will play teams from Hawaii, Nevada and Utah.
Six of the opponents finished 2021 ranked in the High School Football America 100 national rankings, powered by NFL Play Football. Last year, ten of the Monarchs’ twelve wins came against teams in our Top 200.
Related: Mater Dei wins third national title in five years
Mater Dei opens against West High School from Salt Lake City, Utah. The Panthers are coming-off an 8-2 season, losing in the second round of the Class 6A playoffs.
The following week, Mater Dei will travel to Nevada to take-on defending 4A champ Bishop Gorman. The Gaels finished No. 15 in the HSFA 100 in 2021.
Week 3 finds the Monarchs butting-heads with Corona Centennial. The Huskies, who finished No. 20 in the nation last year, played MD tough in the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 semifinals before losing 21-16.
The two were supposed to play during the regular season in 2021, but the game was cancelled to COVID-19 protocols in the Corona Centennial program. Instead, the two ended-up scrimmaging.
La Mirada, a program that isn’t afraid to play anyone in SoCal, will travel to Santa Ana in Week 4.
The non-league part of Mater Dei’s schedule will close on September 16 when it plays Hawaii’s Mililani in the Trinity League vs. The USA in Bellflower, California.
While no game in the Trinity League is a cakewalk, everyone has the October 7 battle against St. John Bosco circled. One of these two have won every Trinity League title since 2012. Bosco has won five, while Mater Dei has won four, including the last two.
Then there’s the regular season finale (October 28) against Servite. Last year, these long-time arch-rivals played two very entertaining games on the way to Mater Dei’s 12-0 season.
Last year, Servite finished No. 6 in the nation, while St. John Bosco finished No. 8.
Only JSerra didn’t finish in our Top 300 last year. Orange Lutheran finished No. 91 in America, while Santa Margarita was ranked No. 144.
2022 Mater Dei schedule
August 19 – vs. West (Utah)
August 26 – at Bishop Gorman (Nevada)
September 2 – Corona Centennial
September 9 – La Mirada
September 16 – vs. Mililani (Hawaii) at St. John Bosco HS
September 30 – at JSerra
October 7 – vs. St. John Bosco
October 14 – vs. Orange Lutheran
October 21 – at Santa Margarita
October 28 – at Servite
