High school sports

Orange, Mater Dei lose in finals

ORANGE and Mater Dei high schools each lost in their CIF-SS football finals Friday night (Shutterstock).

Orange High’s quest for a CIF-SS Division 6 football title fell short in the championship game Friday night at Fred Kelly Stadium.

The Panthers led San Jacinto High 15-13 at halftime, but were shut out  after intermission and lost 42-15.

That loss snapped a nine-game winning streak for the Orange Coast League champions, who finished the season 11-3. The Tigers finished with a 12-2 record.

In another game of interest to Orange County, St. John Bosco, the nation’s second ranked-team, defeated top-seeded Mater Dei 24-22 in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

The Monarchs scored first on a 28-yard pass from Elijah Brown to Marcus Harris, but that was matched by a Braves score which sent the game into halftime deadlocked at 7-all. 

In the second half, SJB took its first lead on a 21-yard scoring pass from Pierce Clarkson to Matayo Uiagalelei to make the score 14-7 after the PAT. Mater Dei answered with a 76-yard scoring strike from Brown to Marcus Brown, but missed the kick to trail 14-13.

The Braves extended their lead to 24-13 with a touchdown and a field goal but the Monarchs responded with a field goal of their own. With three minutes to play, MDHS closed to within two on a 1-yard scoring plunge by Jordon Davison, but the two-point conversion try failed.

The ensuing onside kick failed and Bosco got the ball back and started a drive that advanced to the Monarch 25, running out the clock to seal the win.

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