SANTA ANA – Mater Dei football coach Bruce Rollinson stared at the gaping hole that simply wouldn’t go away.
“Mater Dei was looking at nine games,” he recalled this week about the construction of his team’s 2018 schedule. “I couldn’t find anybody to play. There was nobody.
“Schools think we have a bank in the center of campus and I go make withdrawals. One school said, ‘Yeah, we’d love to (play). We’re on our way … if you can send us $30,000, we’ll play you.’ ”
Rollinson knew there was one school that would play his reigning national champion Monarchs: IMG Academy of Bradenton, Fla.
The coach, in his 30th season, was indeed correct, and after months of controversy and national anticipation, the teams will collide Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Santa Ana Stadium.
The Monarchs got their 10th game, and much more.
Mater Dei (3-1 with a forfeit), ranked third in the nation by MaxPreps, plays an IMG Academy team (3-0) ranked No. 1 by MaxPreps and USA Today and loaded with about two dozen seniors who have either committed to a college or hold a scholarship offer.
The Monarchs’ defense has collected three consecutive shutouts. IMG Academy’s defense, led by Georgia-committed end Nolan Smith (6-3, 235), has two shutouts.
But there’s the emotional baggage that the schools carry toward kickoff for a contest that will be shown live by Prime Ticket.
Mater Dei High’s top 5 football players in Santa Ana on Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018. Pictured, from left, are Myles Murao, Bru McCoy, Bryce Young, Shakobe Harper, and Elias Ricks. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mater Dei linebacker/wide receiver Bru McCoy in Santa Ana on Thursday, July 12, 2018. McCoy is one of the top recruits in the nation and he is expected to be a key player for Mater Dei as it tries to repeat as CIF-SS Division 1 champs (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mater Dei running back Sean Dollars in Santa Ana on Tuesday, September 18, 2018. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mater Dei running backs Shakobe Harper, left, and Sean Dollars in Santa Ana on Tuesday, September 18, 2018. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mater Dei junior quarterback Bryce Young in Santa Ana on Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018 is one of Mater Dei’s top five players. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mater Dei quarterback Bryce Young gets ready to fire a pass against Bishop Amat in Santa Ana on Friday, August 17, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Mater Dei’s Myles Murao in Santa Ana on Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018 is one of the top five players at Mater Dei. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mater Dei’s Elias Ricks in Santa Ana on Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018 is one of the top five players at Mater Dei. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mater Dei running back Shakobe Harper, left, high steps it over Bishop Amat strong safety Matthew Hoskins and into the end zone for the touchdown in the second quarter in Santa Ana on Friday, August 17, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Mater Dei running back Shakobe Harper, center, powers his way through the Bishop Amat defense for a big gain in Santa Ana on Friday, August 17, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Mater Dei quarterback Bryce Young, left, runs around Bishop Amat defenders on his way to score a touchdown in Santa Ana on Friday, August 17, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Mater Dei linebacker/wide receiver Bru McCoy in Santa Ana on Thursday, July 12, 2018. McCoy is one of the top recruits in the nation and he is expected to be a key player for Mater Dei as it tries to repeat as CIF-SS Division 1 champs (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mater Dei running back Sean Dollars in Santa Ana on Tuesday, September 18, 2018. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mater Dei’s Shakobe Harper in Santa Ana on Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018 is one of the top five players at Mater Dei. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mater Dei running back Sean Dollars, center, celebrates his first quarter touchdown against Bishop Amat with offensive lineman Myles Murao, left, in Santa Ana on Friday, August 17, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Mater Dei running back Shakobe Harper in Santa Ana on Tuesday, September 18, 2018. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mater Dei running back Andre Mcdonald, right, sprints away from the grasp of Bishop Amat cornerback Eligh Hidalgo late in the fourth quarter for a big gain in Santa Ana on Friday, August 17, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Mater Dei’s Bru McCoy in Santa Ana on Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018 is one of the top five players at Mater Dei. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Bishop Amat running back Damien Moore, left, sprints around Mater Dei defensive back William Nimmo Jr. in Santa Ana on Friday, August 17, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Mater Dei linebacker/wide receiver Bru McCoy in Santa Ana on Thursday, July 12, 2018. McCoy is one of the top recruits in the nation and he is expected to be a key player for Mater Dei as it tries to repeat as CIF-SS Division 1 champs (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Both teams have been disparaged for their transfers or focus on athletics, and their one-year pairing only turned up the heat on Mater Dei.
Serra of Gardena football coach Scott Altenberg called Mater Dei “IMG West” during the offseason.
There is also the recently approved stance by the CIF State about games such as this one. After this school year, California teams will be prohibited from playing out-of-state teams that don’t compete in their own state’s championships.
IMG Academy, primarily a boarding school whose players practice first and study in the afternoon, chose to opt out of the Florida high school championships because of their schedule as an independent, a school spokesperson said.
Yes, Mater Dei got more than a filled-out schedule.
“I’m getting blasted for it,” Rollinson said before a laugh. “I’m trying to find the guy who thought that this was a good idea.”
There is upside to the matchup. Coming off its bye, Mater Dei will be able to measure itself against a powerhouse before beginning the Trinity League on Sept. 28 against rival Servite.
“I’ll get a really, really good perspective of what kind of football team I have going into the Trinity League,” said Rollinson, whose team takes on nationally ranked St. John Bosco on Oct. 12.
The Monarchs, led by USC-committed quarterback Bryce Young and two-way standout Bru McCoy, also will play for national bragging rights Friday. It’s West Coast vs. East Coast with a new matchup. Mater Dei has been playing football since 1951. IMG Academy started in 2010.
“Talk of the town,” Mater Dei running back Sean Dollars said of the duel. “It’s more than high school football. It’s college, NFL. You have NFL guys trying to watch this game. … You got East Coast NFL guys and West Coast NFL guys. They want to see who’s the best.”
Dollars, an Oregon commit, said he has chatted on social media with NFL players such as Todd Gurley of the Rams and DeShon Elliott of the Ravens about the showdown, which will also stream on the Fox Sports Go app.
“But what excites me,” Rollinson said, “is not so much all the hoopla. It’s, ‘Alright, you guys (at IMG) have been talking the talk, let’s see what you got’ … and it gives me a great read (of our team).”
