Rivals Recap: Mater Dei vs. Serra
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GARDENA, Calif. -- It was a thriller. Santa Ana Mater Dei scored a late
touchdown on a botched punt and then converted a two-point conversion for the
game-winner in a 28-27 victory over Gardena Serra Friday in the playoffs. Here
is a look at the standouts from one of the best games in California in recent
memory.
I was impressed with...
Stanford is getting a fantastic outside linebacker in
Curtis Robinson, who covered so much ground to make tackles and then wrapped up
and brought down the slipper Serra players. Robinson has nice size, he runs so
smoothly, the four-star can go sideline-to-sideline and he's so smart that
nothing fools him. He also caught the two-point conversion to win it. There's a
good chance he could have a special career with the Cardinal.
Khalil Tate is still a work-in-progress as a complete quarterback but
there are few players at any position in the 2016 class that are so exciting to
watch. Pocket collapses, there goes Tate finding that inch to slide through and
when he's off to the races nobody is catching him. The four-star
Arizona commit scored on designed runs of 85 and 79 yards and he also
threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to 2018 wide receiver Kobe Smith. Tate
is not a polished passer and he does take some wild risks (one led to a pick
against Mater Dei) but he's thrilling to watch and a nightmare to contain.
Top players on both sides came to play. Four-star Brandon Burton is a
legitimate two-way threat who had some fingertip grabs at receiver and proved he
can be a threat in a spread offense. On defense, Burton closes with so much
speed. Four-star defensive end Wole Betiku got better late and had at
least two sacks and another tackle for loss. Nursing a tender shoulder, Betiku
muscled his way through Mater Dei's stout offensive line to make plays.
Four-star USC commit Frank Martin blocked well playing left
tackle and he could easily move inside in college if needed. Another standout
especially later in the game was 2017 four-star wide receiver
Osiris St. Brown, who made big catches and kept the chains moving for
Mater Dei's offense. It was one of those games that was a slugfest,
back-and-forth and top players stepped up.
I was surprised by...
The poise 2019 quarterback JT Daniels showed especially late for Mater Dei was
incredibly impressive and there's little doubt he could be a great one.
Tremendous arm strength, zips the ball right to receivers and he's perfectly
comfortable with the speed of the game even though he's just a freshman. Daniels
had some bumps, too, but to be that young and in that position and to come
through in the end was huge. He hit Robinson, who was wide open, for the
game-winning two-point conversion.
So many underclassmen delivered for both teams. Tysyn Parker, a 2017
linebacker for Serra, had a sack and a fumble recovery early. The three-star had
a bunch of other tackles and pass deflections. Mater Dei 2017 cornerback
Jalen Cole is undersized, there's no getting around it, but he's crafty and
intelligent and reads the quarterback so well to come up and make plays. Serra
2018 linebacker Merlin Robertson is a star in the making who's so
athletic, gets in the backfield and tracks plays down all the time and plays
with that passion and fire coaches love. For Mater Dei, 2018 offensive lineman
Tommy Brown is a 6-foot-7, 320-pounder who has tremendous potential and
held his own at right tackle. And on Mater Dei's defense, 2017
Quentin Lake, Carnell's son, is one to watch and so is linebacker
Other notes...
Martin
is taking official visits since USC is in the midst of a coaching search but he
wore USC gloves in Friday's game and it still looks like the Trojans are in good
shape with him. The four-star OL recently took a visit to Texas A&M,
this weekend he's heading to Utah and he will visit
Arizona State (along with another possible trip) but once USC hires a coach Martin
should have a better feel for where the program is headed. At this point, it
would be a surprise to see him anywhere else.
Burton
is expected to visit Ohio State this weekend and Betiku is looking at
Florida for next weekend but sources keep saying that both Serra
standouts will probably stay local. UCLA still looks good for Burton
although he is taking trips all across the country and USC might be a top choice
for Betiku but both still remain open to all options.
