Wikipedia

Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, California)

Mater Dei High Schoolis a private,Catholic,co-educationalsecondary school inSanta Ana, California,located in and administered by theDiocese of Orange.

Mater Dei High School
Mater Dei High School, Santa Ana, California
Address
Map
1202 West Edinger Avenue

Santa Ana
,
California
92707

United States
Coordinates33°43′36″N117°52′59″W/ 33.72667°N 117.88306°W/33.72667; -117.88306
Information
TypePrivate,College-prep
MottoHonor, Glory, Love
Religious affiliation(s)Catholic
Established1950
SuperintendentErin Barisano
CEEB code053-240
PrincipalFrances Clare
Teaching staff105.1 (on anFTEbasis)[1]
Grades9–12
GenderCoeducational
Enrollment2,152[1](2015–2016)
Student to teacher ratio20.5[1]
Color(s)Red and grey
Athletics conferenceCIF Southern Section
Trinity League
NicknameMonarchs
RivalServite[5]
AccreditationWASC,[3]WCEA[4]
NewspaperThe Scarlet Scroll
YearbookCrown
TuitionCatholic: $19,150
Non Catholic: $20,600[2]
Websitematerdei.org

Mater Dei is nationally known for its strong sports programs, especially infootball.[6]It is ranked first in the United States for "best high schools for athletes" by school review companyNiche.[7]In 2014,Bleacher Reportranked it in the top five high schools in the U.S. for producingprofessional athletes.[8]Over 68 percent of the student body participates in some role with a team, in one of the 25 different sports sponsored by the school. Altogether they have won 90 CIF, state, and national championships.[9]

History

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TheArchdiocese of Los Angelesopened Mater Dei in 1950, the first Catholic high school inOrange County.The school had 111 students and a faculty of seven, includingSisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary,plus principal Fr. Joseph Eyraud.[10]In 1953 they were joined by thePatrician Brothers,who taught until 2005.[11]

Enrollment grew rapidly. The school was originally designed for 800 students, but by 1964 was serving 1,800.[12]In the 1970s it became the largest Catholic high school west of Chicago. Overcrowding persisted until 1987, whenSanta Margarita Catholic High Schoolopened in South Orange County.

In 2000, Mater Dei embarked on a major capital campaign to fund a new parking lot, chapel, library, and service buildings, as well as a spate of athletic facilities and, in 2019, a much-needed parking garage.[10]

Controversy

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The school has received mixed attention in local media, due in part to scouting athletes from public high schools and offering scholarships, in order to reinforce their acclaimed football program.[13][14][15]

In 2021, a lawsuit was filed alleging that systemic hazing pervaded the football program resulting in a "brutal locker room altercation."[6][16]This lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice in 2023.[17]Another 2021 lawsuit alleged that two Mater Dei football players severely injured a classmate in an orchestrated attack.[18]Orange County bishopKevin Vannresponded with a public statement supporting the school's leadership and criticizing the "media frenzy".[19]The school announced it would commission an independent investigation into the allegations.[20]

In January 2022, a female alumna of Mater Dei filed a lawsuit following the surfacing accusations of hazing, alleging that she was sexually assaulted by a former football coach during the late 1980s.[21]

Athletics

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Mater Dei High School's teams are named the Monarchs, and their colors are red and grey. As of 2023, the school sponsors boys' and girls' teams at multiple levels in 25 sports in theTrinity League,part of CIF Southern Section:

  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Beach Volleyball
  • Cheerleading
  • Cross-Country
  • Football
  • Golf
  • Lacrosse
  • Soccer
  • Sailing
  • Softball
  • Swimming & Diving
  • Tennis
  • Track & Field
  • Volleyball
  • Water Polo
  • Wrestling

In addition, boys' beach volleyball, e-sports, equestrian, ice hockey, and surfing are offered on a club level.[22]

Known for their football and basketball programs, Mater Dei has also graduated professional athletesRobbie Rogers(soccer),Tiki Ghosn(mixed martial arts), andGreg Woepse(pole vault), as well as ten Olympians.[23]A total of 15 players have been named Gatorade California State Players of the Year.[24]

Football

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The Mater Dei football team plays inCIF Southern SectionDivision 1. They most recently won the CIF State Championship during the 2024 season, and won national championships in 1994, 1996, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2023.[25]As of 2022, three graduates have won theHeisman Trophy,John Huarte,Matt Leinart,andBryce Young.[16]

In 2021The New York Timescited Mater Dei's football program and that of rivalSt. John Boscofor making high school football look likeNCAA Division Icompetition in terms of recruiting, training, and facilities.[26]

Notable alumni

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Athletics

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Other

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References

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  1. ^abc"Search for Private Schools – School Detail for Mater Dei High School".nces.ed.gov.RetrievedAugust 21,2018.
  2. ^"Tuition and Fees".Mater Dei High School.RetrievedMarch 20,2023.
  3. ^WASC-ACS."WASC-Accrediting Commission for Schools".RetrievedJune 5,2009.
  4. ^"WCEA/WASC Accreditation".materdei.org.
  5. ^Terry, Mike (October 11, 1996). "Live and Learn; Servite's Volelrs Hopes to Teach Mater Dei a Lesson This Time".Los Angeles Times.p. 8.
  6. ^abSondheimer, Eric (November 26, 2021)."Mater Dei wins Division 1 football title as controversy engulfs program".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedDecember 22,2021.
  7. ^2023 Best High Schools for Athletes in America,Niche,retrievedSeptember 5,2023
  8. ^Janovitz, Scott (September 29, 2014),Powerhouse High Schools That Keep Making Pros,retrievedSeptember 5,2023
  9. ^"Welcome",Mater Dei High School Athletics,Mater Dei High School,retrievedSeptember 5,2023
  10. ^ab"History of Mater Dei High School",MaterDei.org,Mater Dei High School,retrievedSeptember 5,2023
  11. ^"Mater Dei High School",BrothersofStPatrick.com,Brothers of St. Patrick,retrievedSeptember 5,2023
  12. ^Emmons, Steve; Marcano, Tony (March 17, 1990),"O.C.'s Mater Dei High Has Big Reputation, Even Bigger Ambition",The Los Angeles Times,retrievedSeptember 5,2023
  13. ^"Ranking Top 10 high school recruits of all time".
  14. ^Fraga, Brian (August 10, 2011)."Why are Catholic Schools so good at Sports?".
  15. ^Ebenau, Vin."Fine Legal Line for HS athletes who transfer and get recruited".
  16. ^abFry, Hannah; Sheets, Connor; Nelson, Laura J. (December 22, 2021)."Football powerhouse Mater Dei confronts hazing scandal with a wall of silence".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedDecember 22,2021.
  17. ^Toohey, Grace (February 7, 2023)."Mater Dei hazing lawsuit that followed locker-room beating is dismissed".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedJanuary 29,2025.
  18. ^Nelson, Laura J.; Fry, Hannah (December 6, 2021)."Mater Dei football players broke a student athlete's jaw in a planned attack, lawsuit says".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedDecember 22,2021.
  19. ^Nelson, Laura J. (December 8, 2021)."O.C. bishop decries 'media frenzy' over alleged hazing at Mater Dei High School".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedDecember 22,2021.
  20. ^Reid, Scott (November 30, 2021)."Mater Dei to commission independent probe of its sports programs".Orange County Register.RetrievedDecember 22,2021.
  21. ^"Mater Dei sex abuse accusation comes to light following Hazing lawsuit".Los Angeles Times.January 20, 2022.
  22. ^"Mater Dei Athletics",MaterDeiAthletics.org,Mater Dei High School,retrievedSeptember 5,2023
  23. ^"Olympians",MaterDeiAthletics.org,Mater Dei High School,retrievedSeptember 5,2023
  24. ^"Gatorade California State Players of the Year",MaterDeiAthletics.org,Mater Dei High School,retrievedSeptember 5,2023
  25. ^Peter, Josh."Mater Dei High School caps championship season in shadow of serious hazing allegations".USA TODAY.RetrievedMarch 1,2022.
  26. ^Witz, Billy (November 14, 2021),"California's High School Football Powerhouses Feed the College Game",The New York Times,retrievedSeptember 5,2023
  27. ^"Devin Askew - Men's Basketball".California Golden Bears Athletics.
  28. ^Kelly, Nick (July 9, 2023)."Alabama football lands 2024 cornerback Zabien Brown over Ohio State, USC".Tuscaloosa News.RetrievedSeptember 29,2024.
  29. ^"Schea Cotton"(PDF).NBA.com.Archived(PDF)from the original on December 24, 2012.
  30. ^Fryer, Steve (December 18, 2012)."Mater Dei's Duarte is offensive player of the year".OCVarsity.com.Archivedfrom the original on February 2, 2016.
  31. ^Shaikin, Bill (October 8, 2016)."Nationals stick with Danny Espinosa, for a simple reason".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedAugust 21,2018.
  32. ^"Nathaniel Frazier Running Back Recruiting Profile - ESPN".ESPN.com.
  33. ^"Tiki Ghosn UFC Bio".RetrievedJanuary 1,2014.
  34. ^"Annie Karich - 2023 - Women's Soccer".Santa Clara University.
  35. ^Henson, Joaquin M. (August 19, 2017)."Thais a different team with Lamb".The Philippine Star.RetrievedMarch 22,2022.
  36. ^Ben Bolch,Leinart Chosen State Player of Year,Los Angeles Times,December 5, 2000. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
  37. ^"Chase McGrath - Football".University of Tennessee Athletics.RetrievedAugust 7,2024.
  38. ^"Bob Meacham Stats".Baseball Almanac.RetrievedDecember 3,2012.
  39. ^"Ricky Ortiz's High School Timeline".MaxPreps.com.RetrievedJuly 4,2020.
  40. ^"Alonzo Tredwell - Baseball - UCLA".uclabruins.com.RetrievedJuly 18,2023.
  41. ^"Michael Gallagher '02".Mater Dei High School. 2016.
  42. ^"Juan Zarate".White House.2005.
  43. ^"Juan C. Zarate".Center for Strategic and International Studies.RetrievedJanuary 6,2021.
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