One of the top football coaches in California is on his way to one of the nation’s premier prep coaching job. On Thursday, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) announced the hiring of Raul Lara as their next head football coach.
Lara is an accomplished head coach in California, who is perhaps best known for his 13 years spent at Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, California) where he won five Southern Section championships while compiling a record of 142-30.
Last fall, Mater Dei finished third in the nation in the final USA TODAY Sports Super 25. Mater Dei went 13-1 under head coach Frank McManus.
The school has produced three winners of the Heisman Trophy.
There is a connection to Mater Dei for Lara through the school’s president, Michael Brennan. As noted by the Ocean County Register, beginning in 2014, Lara spent five years as head coach at St. Anthony (Long Beach, California) where Brennan was then the president.
The California football powerhouse is on the coaching search after the surprise move.
Frank McManus’ run as the head coach of the Mater Dei Monarchs (Santa Ana, Calif.) football program has ended after one year at the helm.
According to LA Times’ Eric Sondheimer, Randall Wright, who serves as the coordinator of football operations, has been appointed the interim coach, and associate head coach Khaled Holmes will assist.
Sondheimer shared the full release from Mater Dei via X:
It’s a shocking turn of events for the man who had the tall task of taking over for legendary Bruce Rollinson, a coaching icon who racked up 341 wins over 34 years that included state titles as well as five USA TODAY Super 25 national champion crowns.
McCanus was part of Rollinson’s staff for 16 seasons, and was very much considered the right hire when the Hall of Fame coach ended his run after the 2022 season — one that had plenty of shadowed controversy leading up to it, including accusations of overlooking hazing incidents.
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 25: Head coach Bruce Rollinson of the Mater Dei Monarchs looks on as the team during warm ups ahead of the game against the St. John Bosco Braves during the 2022 CIF-SS-Ford Division 1 Football Championship at Rose Bowl Stadium on November 25, 2022 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
The former assistant lived up to the challenge in 2023, though, finishing with a 13-1 record, the Southern Section title, an Open Division state championship, and the No. 3 spot in the final Super 25.
Why the sudden ousting?
According to Sondehimer, who has covered the Monarch’s meteoric rise over the years, McManus was taking heat because of “not playing backups enough in games.”
Whether that type of cause becomes clearer or substantiated remains to be seen— very much in the same line of who the next coach will be …
The Mater Dei officials didn’t add much insight in the above statement, noting that “We are saddened to announce Coach McManus’ departure from Mater Dei. We wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
Confusion reigns on the Pat McAfee Show over how to pronounce Mater Dei.
Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones and Pat McAfee couldn’t figure out how to pronounce Mater Dei, a football powerhouse program in California. The confusion happened on a recent episode of the Pat McAfee Show on ESPN.
Insert a joke here about the value of a West Virginia education (McAfee and Jones are former stars at West Virginia).
(All joking aside, West Virginia is a very good university and is among the best in offering graduate degrees online as well as having renowned programs in engineering and nursing)
The moment on the Pat McAfee Show was a modern day ‘Who’s on first?’ You’ll get the pun in a moment.
But Jones and McAfee’s discussion about Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) led to more confusion than answers. The confusion centered on how to pronounce the prep football program’s name.
Mater Dei put together an impressive win on Saturday.
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) put forward a convincing performance to be the top team in the nation, following a comprehensive win on Saturday night in the CIF State Open Division championship game.
In last week’s USA TODAY HSS Super 25, Mater Dei was ranked third in the nation. Their opponent on Saturday was No. 17 Serra (San Mateo, Calif.).
And Mater Dei simply rolled over Serra with a 35-0 win. Quarterback Elijah Brown, a Stanford football commit, threw for four touchdowns.
It was the most impressive win of the weekend for any of the nationally ranked teams. But the argument could certainly be made that Mater Dei’s win, considering the quality of the opponent, might be the most thorough and complete win in any championship game in the country this fall.
Could Mater Dei be the top team in the nation when it is all said and done? That would be a difficult mountain to climb. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) hasn’t faltered all season and Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Florida) seemed to get better every week.
Mater Dei, at 13-1, has an interesting argument to make now following Saturday’s win. Few thought they would be as dominant as they were against a team as good as Serra.
A top finish in the Super 25 would break a tie for most all-time, which the Monarchs currently share with perennial power De La Salle (Concord, Calif.)
USA TODAY High School Sports Super 25 turns 40 with a history-making champ in 2021.
The 40th USA TODAY Super 25 champion added a historical footnote to the overall results that began in 1982. The Mater Dei Monarchs’ 2021 nod was the program’s fifth Super 25 crown, tying them with football powerhouse De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) for the most all-time.
It’s a remarkable achievement, especially when considering the massive amount of programs and competitive nature of the high school football landscape.
To honor the historical feat—and all the football teams that have made their mark as a past USA TODAY Super 25 champ—we’re looking back at the winners throughout the four decades of gridiron glory.
We begin in Cincinnati, Ohio…
(Editor’s note: Not all images will match the exact season.)
The Georgia Bulldogs are among the top schools for four-star wide receiver Marcus Harris
The Georgia Bulldogs are in the top schools for elite wide receiver recruit Marcus Harris. Harris, who is a member of the class of 2025, is considered a four-star wide receiver recruit according to 247Sports.
Harris plays high school football for Mater Dei in Santa Ana, California. Mater Dei is a powerhouse high school football program. The 6-foot, 180-pound receiver is the No. 41 recruit in the nation and the No. 5 player in California. Harris is the sixth-ranked wide receiver in the 2025 recruiting cycle.
Georgia is off to a superb start with the class of 2025. The Dawgs hold commitments from multiple five-star recruits in the 2025 cycle and are looking to add more elite talent.
As a sophomore, Harris scored 12 touchdowns. He is ready to have a big junior season. The talented wide receiver has scholarship offers from schools like Pittsburgh, Texas, and Utah.
The four-star has taken recent visits to Oklahoma and Texas. Harris’ top schools are Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Penn State, Oregon, Washington, Texas A&M, Florida, Ole Miss, Miami, and Auburn.
Marcus Harris announced his top schools via social media:
A lot goes into fielding a high-quality team from year to year, but the easiest step is finding great athletes.
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) is one of the most dominant teams in high school football, winners of several national championships over the last few years. It’s one of the best programs in the sport and should be near the top of our first Super 25 rankings – which will be coming soon.
The Monarchs are already turning heads in 2023, too, and in only the first padded practice of the season.
Georgia football offers four-star running back recruit Nate Frazier of Mater Dei High School in California.
Four-star class of 2024 running back recruit Nate Frazier plays at one of the top high school football programs in the country. Frazier now has a scholarship offer from the Georgia Bulldogs.
The 2024 running back also runs track, where he posted a 10.76 second 100-meter dash. Nate Frazier is ranked as the No. 102 recruit in the junior class. He is the No. 15 player in California and the eighth-ranked running back.
The 5-foot-11, 195-pound running back plays high school football for Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. Frazier holds recent scholarship offers from Ole Miss, Auburn, San Jose State, and Texas A&M. The Mater Dei standout visited Colorado in January.
Nate Frazier averaged 11.4 yards per carry last season. He only received 61 total carries, but he made the most of his touches. Frazier scored nine rushing touchdowns and racked up 791 rushing yards.
Kirby Smart and the Georgia football program are off to a strong start with the class of 2024. The Bulldogs have commitments from 10 recruits. One of Georgia’s commitments is four-star running back Dwight Phillips. However, Georgia is likely looking to sign a pair of backs in the 2024 cycle.
Who will be the next great running back at the University of Georgia?
The four-star running back announced his scholarship offer from Georgia football running backs coach Dell McGee via Twitter:
The Georgia Bulldogs have offered a scholarship to Mater Dei wide receiver recruit Jack Ressler
The Georgia Bulldogs have offered a scholarship to another talented class of 2024 wide receiver, three-star Jack Ressler.
Ressler plays high school football for Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, California), which is one of the top high school football programs in the country. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound receiver is the No. 563 recruit in the class of 2024 and the No. 77 wide receiver.
Georgia football offered Ressler a scholarship after he attended the Georgia-Tennessee game in Athens. The three-star receiver has scholarship offers from Colorado, Wisconsin, UNLV, Penn State, Boise State and Michigan State among other top college programs.
Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs have the third-ranked class of 2024 in the country. Georgia already has commitments from a pair of wide receivers.
Ressler announced his scholarship offer from Georgia via Twitter:
The Georgia Bulldogs have offered elite linebacker recruit Nasir Wyatt. Wyatt plays for Mater Dei High School.
The Georgia Bulldogs have extended a scholarship to elite linebacker prospect Nasir Wyatt. Georgia football is the latest program to offer the Mater Dei High School standout.
Wyatt is a member of the class of 2025 and is ranked as a four-star recruit. The 6-foot-2, 210-poiund linebacker already has scholarship offers from USC, California, Arizona, Oregon, Utah, Michigan State, and more.
Wyatt is utilized as both a linebacker and edge rusher in Mater Dei’s defensive scheme. The sophomore linebacker is the No. 49 recruit in the class of 2025 and the No. 4 edge rusher. Wyatt is the No. 9 recruit in California.
The four-star prospect played varsity football as a freshman. That’s an impressive accomplishment at Mater Dei, which is one of the top high school football programs in the country.
