Football: JSerra gets historic win over Mater Dei, 17-10
The folks who run JSerra have been very patient. When Jim Hartigan was hired as football coach in 2007, his task was to get the Lions to become competitive in the Trinity League.
Seven consecutive years of not making the Pac-5 Division playoffs would get you fired at most Catholic schools. But JSerra, which opened in 2003, always had confidence in Hartigan.
That loyalty paid off on Friday night when JSerra knocked off Santa Ana Mater Dei, 17-10, in perhaps its biggest victory in school history.
Quarterback Nick Robinson had a 97-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Diego-Williams and a 49-yard touchdown pass to Sam Philippi.
For the Lions, who gave a scare to St. John Bosco the previous week in losing, 49-44, the victory over Mater Dei validates what has been brewing for weeks: That they are not just one of the best teams in Orange County but one of the best in Southern California.
An improved offensive and defensive line, mostly mistake-free quarterback play from Robinson, strong running from Edward Vander and solid play in the secondary have allowed the Lions to start 7-1 overall and 2-1 in league.
Of course, in a league where eight of the nine games have resulted in wins by seven points or less, there’s no guarantee of making the playoffs until you get to the magical three-win total. JSerra still has to play Servite and Orange Lutheran.
The standings show St. John Bosco (7-1, 3-0) in first place, followed by JSerra (7-1, 2-1), Santa Margarita (6-2, 2-1), Mater Dei (6-2, 1-2), Servite (4-4, 1-2) and Orange Lutheran (4-4, 0-3).
It’s the SEC of Southern California, and JSerra, at least for one week, has a right to celebrate.
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