Top-ranked Mater Dei strikes early, often against Liberty

Liberty knew what it was getting into Friday nighttime successful facing the nation’s top-ranked precocious schoolhouse shot team.

Mater Dei didn’t disappoint, astatine slightest not the contingent of fans that followed the Monarchs from Southern California.

By halftime, the lone question was the margin, with Raleek Brown and Elijah Brown taking implicit successful what became a 49-7 triumph successful the Polynesian Football Classic astatine Bishop Gorman.

Mater Dei (2-0), ranked No. 1 by USA Today, led the Patriots 42-7 astatine halftime.

“They kicked our butt each night,” Liberty manager Rich Muraco said. “We had plentifulness of mistakes, for sure, but they were the amended squad tonight, clearly. We’ve got to hole things. It’s a bully happening it’s not playoffs close now, truthful we’ve got clip to hole the things we request to fix.”

Senior Raleek Brown, who has committed to Oklahoma, rushed for 3 touchdowns and had 60 yards connected 5 carries successful the archetypal half. Sophomore backmost Elijah Brown was conscionable arsenic efficient, completing 14 of 15 passes for 199 yards and 2 touchdowns and rushing for a TD successful the half.

Both Browns played the 3rd 4th earlier calling it a night, with Raleek Brown adding his 4th touchdown. He finished with 87 yards connected 9 carries, and Elijah Brown was 15 of 16 for 213 yards.

Liberty (3-1) wasn’t expected to win, but the information that the Patriots were truthful dismantled is simply a astonishment fixed they won the Class 4A authorities championship successful 2019.

Their show against Mater Dei looked thing similar a rubric team. The Patriots couldn’t artifact the Monarchs’ antiaircraft beforehand that helped grounds six sacks, were befuddled connected defence by Mater Dei’s balanced onslaught and severely mislaid the peculiar teams battle, with abbreviated punts making beingness excessively casual for the visitors.

The insult of insults: The 2nd fractional was played with a moving clock.

“That’s the hope,” Muraco said erstwhile asked if his squad tin larn from the lopsided loss. “I deliberation sometimes you larn much from a nonaccomplishment than you bash from beating teams adjacent though you bushed a squad and you play bad. I’d alternatively sometimes aftermath them up and spot that erstwhile you play a bully squad and you don’t execute, past this is the benignant of happening that tin hap to you.”

Liberty did amusement immoderate aboriginal fight. After allowing a 27-yard touchdown tally midway done the archetypal 4th to Raleek Brown, Liberty answered immediately. Jayden Maiava completed a 34-yard walk to Landon Bell to acceptable up Champ Kapanui’s 5-yard touchdown tally 2 plays aboriginal disconnected a transportation near to adjacent the score.

Mater Dei came close back. Elijah Brown acceptable up a touchdown with a 32-yard onslaught to C.J. Williams to the 9. Raleek Brown scored connected the adjacent play, diving for the near pylon for a 14-7 pb with 1:10 near successful the archetypal quarter.

It was a pb the Monarchs would not relinquish.

They took power with 7:47 near successful the 2nd 4th erstwhile Elijah Brown recovered an unfastened Williams successful the extremity portion for a 21-7 lead.

That turned retired to beryllium conscionable the opening of the onslaught. Mater Dei scored 3 touchdowns successful the last 4:29 of the half, mostly due to the fact that of a shanked punt that gave the Monarchs possession astatine the Liberty 3-yard enactment and a failed effort by the Patriots to person a fourth-and-1 astatine their 30.

Mater Dei surely didn’t request assistance but got it anyway.

The effect was a last people that Liberty volition person to rapidly forget.

Contact newsman Mark Anderson astatine manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 connected Twitter.