California high school football supremacy comes down to a massive Super 25 matchup between No. 3 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) and No. 17 Serra (San Mateo) on Saturday.
The CIF State Open Division championship game at Saddleback College (Mission Viejo, Calif.) will be a final chance for both teams to showcase their top-tier talent synonymous with California high school football while significantly impacting the final Super 25 in the weeks ahead.
For Mater Dei, it’s a chance to close out the year on top in the Golden State, a playoff finale that included a big-time win over No. 9 St. John Bosco in the CIF-SS championship.
Stanford commit Elijah Brown leads the offensive attack at QB, with key talents like 4-star running back Jordon Davison and two-way threat Marcus Harris helping the Monarchs put up 42 points on average in 2023.
The defense under first-year head coach Frank McManus has continued to provide a nearly impossible scenario for offensive coordinators, a staked group from the line to the secondary that has only surrendered an average of just over 10 points per game.
In short, keeping the Monarchs from winning state title No. 4 will be a tall task.
But don’t count out/overlook/dismiss Serra.
The Padres haven been rolling in 2023, including a big win over perennial power De La Salle (Concord, Calf.).
Oklahoma State commit Maealiuaki Smith is an impressive pro-style QB who has the arm talent (and at 6-4, the height) to handle the torment from the other side of the line. Three-star tight end Cole Harrison provides options within the Padres’ offense, while sophomore running back Nano Latu can add elements of a balanced attack.
However, for Serra to complete the upset and secure state title No. 2, it’ll take an outstanding performance by the defense, with some of that focus on taking machine and San Jose State commit Jabari Mann.
Can the Padres flip the script on the 2021 meeting that ended in a 44-7 Monarchs win?
High school football fans around the nation who are looking to watch the Super 25 matchup can live stream the game on the NFHS Network.
Open Division State Championship: Watch Mater Dei vs. Serra
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