High school football: Mater Dei 2023 schedule features games against Corona Centennial, St. Frances Academy, St. John Bosco

Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) released its 2023 football schedule Friday and it will be among the toughest in the country. The Monarchs' slate is headlined by matchups against Centennial (Corona, Calif.), St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) and St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.).

Mater Dei opens the season on Aug. 18 at Centennial (Corona) in a matchup of two of the best teams in Southern California. This will be the fifth meeting between the two SoCal powers since 2018 with Mater Dei winning all four previous matchups. Elijah Brown is 2-0 against the Huskies, leading the Monarchs to a 21-16 win in the 2021 CIF Southern Section Division 1 semifinals and a 43-20 victory in last year's regular-season meeting.

Mater Dei's other four non-league games are all out-of-state matchups. The Monarchs play at Bingham (South Jordan, Utah) on Aug. 26 then host Creekside (Fairburn, Ga.) on Sept. 2 and Kahuku (Hawaii) on Sept. 9. After a bye week, they travel to Baltimore to face St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) on Sept. 22 in one of the biggest games of the year.

This will be the second meeting between the two national powers. Bryce Young led Mater Dei to a 34-18 win in 2019. The No. 1 overall selection of the 2023 NFL Draft threw for 247 yards but did most his damage rushing for 105 yards and four scores. Blake Corum accounted for nearly 200 total yards and a touchdown in the loss.

The Monarchs open Trinity League action with two home games starting with Servite (Anaheim, Calif.) on Sept. 29 followed by JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano) on Oct. 6.

Mark your calendars for Oct. 13 for the annual showdown against St. John Bosco (Bellflower), the reigning MaxPreps National Champion. This has turned into the best rivalry in high school football over the last seven years and expect more fireworks whether the game is at St. John Bosco or SoFi Stadium. The Monarchs have won eight of the previous 12 meetings. Both teams have finished ranked No. 1 in the final MaxPreps Top 25 twice since 2017. Mater Dei did in 2017 and 2021 while St. John Bosco accomplished that feat in 2019 and last season.

An Oct. 20 road matchup at Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) and home contest against Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita) a week later closes the regular season.

Mater Dei returns a lot of talent from last year's 12-1 team that finished ranked at No. 3 in the final MaxPreps Top 25, headlined by starting quarterback Elijah Brown. He's gone 29-1 during his career and will have a great offensive line protecting him led by Brandon Baker and DeAndre Carter. They are loaded with skill position players that includes Marcus Brown, Jordon Davison, Nate Frazier, Marcus Harris and Jack Ressler.

They return 10 of 11 starters on defense, led by five-star edge rusher Nasir Wyatt, five-star defensive lineman Aydin Breland and four-star cornerback Zabien Brown.

Aug. 18 — at Centennial (Corona)

Aug. 26 — at Bingham (South Jordan, Utah)

Sept. 2 — vs. Creekside (Fairburn, Ga.)

Sept. 9 — vs. Kahuku (Hawaii)

Sept. 22 — at St. Frances Academy (Baltimore)

Sept. 29 — vs. Servite (Anaheim)

Oct. 6 — vs. JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano)

Oct. 13 — at St. John Bosco (Bellflower)

Oct. 20 — at Orange Lutheran (Orange)

Oct. 27 — vs. Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita)