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EPISODE #116
CATHOLIC SPORTS VIEW: GUESTS ARE DAN O’DELL AND TROY THOMAS

Each week, Bob Gibson interviews coaches and players throughout the various Catholic high schools in Orange County.

This week on CSV we visit with Dan O’Dell as he gets the Mater Dei girls volleyball program ready to navigate the stacked Division 1 playoffs. Then, we’ll check-in with Servite football coach Troy Thomas who is enduring a tough season one year after playing in the CIF championship game. Plus, we’ve got your scores and updated standings!

EPISODE #114
CATHOLIC SPORTS VIEW: GUESTS ARE ROD SHERMAN AND DAN ALBANO

Each week, Bob Gibson interviews coaches and players throughout the various Catholic high schools in Orange County.

For this episode, our first guest is Orange Lutheran football coach Rod Sherman. Next up, Bob checks in with OC Register prep reporter Dan Albano to talk all about the Mater Dei vs. St. John Bosco rivalry.

MOMENTS IN OUR JOURNEY

It was an epic Saturday night (Oct. 23) battle on the gridiron as Mater Dei faced Servite, with the Monarchs coming out on top 46-37.

ON THE RISE

Prior to saying goodbye to the Class of 2021, several senior high school athletes were recognized this spring for their commitments to play college athletics.

At Santa Margarita Catholic High School, eight athletes across six sports signed collegiate letters of intent.

From the gridiron, Roman Sergi will be playing football for Wheaton College in Illinois, and Keanu Rebuldela-Kama is headed to the United States Military Academy at West Point.

The Eagles also saw two from their baseball program make commitments. Spencer Johnson committed to George Fox University, and Matt Flaharty will be playing at the University of Utah.

McKenna Bradley signed with UC Santa Barbara for track and field. Maya Robilio will be golfing for Sacred Heart University. Miles Fujimoto committed to Chapman University for swimming, and Kai Solomon will be playing lacrosse for Tufts University.

“These student athletes have persevered through so much, remained upbeat and positive and have weathered one of the craziest storms,” said former Santa Margarita Assistant Athletic Director, Sean Zeitler. “We are just so proud of them and their families and look forward to seeing what they do in the future.”

From Mater Dei High School, Sebastian Guzman is headed to Washington University in St. Louis for baseball, and teammate Brenden Morris committed to Colorado Mesa University. Soccer players Ceanna Doria and Abigail Hampton have both signed with Southern Methodist University (SMU). Golfer Lauren Calvillo signed with Trinity College. Nick Hoffmeyer will be playing volleyball for Concordia University Irvine. Cheerleaders Kaitlyn Bujajowski and Angelique Vasquez are headed to Rutgers University and Morehead State University, respectively. Samantha Sloan committed to Chapman University for track and field, and Tait Vigeland will be running cross country for the University of Portland.

JSerra Catholic High School saw 11 of their senior athletes make college commitments. Addison Barrette will be playing rugby for the University of Arizona. Women’s lacrosse player Shelby Blanchart will be attending Western New England University, and men’s lacrosse player Jacob Bledsoe signed with Calvin University.

From the soccer pitch, Max Carvalho committed to UC San Diego, and Connor Walcott is headed to the United States Naval Academy. Ashley Craig will be playing sand volleyball for DeSales University. Tennis player Kaley Houshmand signed with Westmont College. Fencer Sarah Lacson is headed to Cornell University. Jeff Muller will be playing water polo for LMU. Alex Stein signed to play basketball for Bethesda University, and golfer Heejo Hyun is headed to Emory University.

“These student athletes have risen beyond our expectations and driven themselves to thrive, when the message heard from many directions has been to survive,” said JSerra Athletic Director, Chris Ledyard. “And thrive is what they have done.”

At Rosary Academy, five athletes signed letters of intent to play at the collegiate level. Water polo players Alexys Puche is headed to Whittier College, Mia Solorzano committed to LMU and Nicole Salerno signed with Iona College. Lacrosse player Alli Mitts is also headed to Whittier College and soccer player Kate Goggins will play for Boston College.

Servite High School recognized 12 of their senior athletes who made college commitments. From the baseball diamond, Carlos Rodriguez is headed to Northern Vermont University, and PJ Wendler will play for Claremont McKenna. Football running back Kyle Bandy signed with the University of La Verne, and defensive end Ben Florentine committed to the University of Wyoming.

Three athletes from the Friars’ soccer program made commitments including Denzel Barrientos, who will play for Hope International University, while Jesus Melgoza, is headed to LMU and Justin Nodarse signed with Concordia University Irvine.

Three of Servite’s volleyball athletes committed to continue their playing careers. Matthew Albano committed to Hiram College, Colin Ryan committed to UC Merced and Peter Selcho signed with UC San Diego.

Rounding out the Friars’ signing group is basketball player Andrew Cook who is headed to Carroll College and lacrosse player Bryton Hickok who signed with the University of Tampa.

We couldn’t be prouder of this group of young men,” said Servite Athletic Director, Alan Clinton. “In a year that brought so many twists and turns, each of these talented student athletes overcame the obstacles in front of them and achieved their dream of playing at the next level, a feat that was made even harder by the COVID-19 pandemic. The grit and determination they showed is inspiring. On behalf of the Servite Athletic department, we wish them the best of luck as they take the next steps in becoming the men God called them to be.”

 

EPISODE #110
CATHOLIC SPORTS VIEW: GUESTS ARE ERIC BORBA AND TIA MEZA

Host Bob Gibson interviews coaches and players throughout the various Catholic high schools in Orange County. His Twitter handle is: @catholicsv

Today’s guests include:

  • Eric Borba (Baseball coach at Orange Lutheran H.S.)
  • Tia Meza (Athletic Director at Mater Dei H.S.)

 

 

 

Originally broadcast on 2/29/20

TOP TALENT THROWDOWN

Mater Dei and St. John Bosco met for their annual Trinity League showdown on Oct. 25, only this year it was more than just a matchup between the top two high school football teams in the nation. 

That script had been written before. 

This season’s rendition also featured what was reportedly the first-ever matchup between the top two ranked high school quarterbacks in the country. 

Bryce Young of Mater Dei entered the game against the Braves with 31 touchdown passes and just three interceptions. He had run for another seven touchdowns on the ground. 

D.J. Uiagalelei of St. John Bosco came in with 27 touchdown passes with just one interception. He had rushed for six touchdowns. 

Interest in the showdown stretched all the way to the Deep South, where Alabama fans are looking forward to the arrival of Young next fall, and Clemson can’t wait to see what Uiagalelei brings to its program. 

Alabama and Clemson combined to win the past four national championships. 

Meeting in a national championship game later in their careers is certainly something both players dream of, but they were keenly focused on their monumental league game at St. John Bosco High. 

The Monarchs and Braves each came into the game sporting 8-0 records and ranked No. 1 and 2 in the nation by every major publication. 

Young quickly made sure the competition between Mater Dei and St. John Bosco, as well as he Uiagalelei, wasn’t close. 

Young completed 19 of 33 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Monarchs to the 38-24 victory, which allowed the Monarchs to reclaim the Trinity League title they lost to the Braves the season before. 

Uiagalelei, meanwhile, had a solid game, completing 17 of 31 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns. 

The night belonged to Young, however. 

Three hours later, he stood surrounded by reporters from near and far, many of whom came to watch him perform live for the first time. 

Young talked about the importance of the win, his respect and admiration of the Braves and the effort his teammates delivered. 

“This is definitely a big win,” he said. “I think it was more just preparing for their defense more than anything.” 

Everyone came away impressed with Young, and not only because of his all-around stellar play, but his humbleness in victory. 

“I’ve had some great (quarterbacks), but you might be looking at the greatest,” Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson said. “What he brings to the table is crazy.” 

The quarterbacks who have come through Mater Dei during Rollinson’s 31-year tenure as head coach include former four-year starters for the Monarchs, Heisman Trophy winners and long-time NFL veterans. 

Young transferred to Mater Dei before his junior season in 2018, filling an unexpected void after three-year starter J.T. Daniels skipped his senior year to enroll early at USC. 

Young also committed to USC the summer before his junior year, but changed his mind in September and committed to Alabama. 

Uiagalelei, meanwhile, committed to Clemson in May. 

Despite their choices in schools, Young said he Uiagalelei remain good friends away from the field.  

They could very well match up again during the CIF-SS playoffs. After all, Mater Dei and St. John Bosco met in the playoffs each of the past three seasons.

HEAVY HITTERS

Opportunities like these don’t come knocking very often. 

Natasha Hill has put herself at the doorstep of joining an elite group of four-time Trinity league champions. 

She won doubles titles as a freshman, sophomore and junior for the Mater Dei girls’ tennis team, each time with a different partner. 

Hill would be the clear favorite to win it all again this season, even with a fourth different partner. Her sidekick last season, Colby Bennett, has returned to playing indoor volleyball for the Monarchs this fall. 

The possibility of winning a fourth straight league title is exciting for Hill, but she’s also torn between pursuing that rare feat in doubles, or take a whack at winning her first singles title. 

“As much as I love doubles, I’ve been training so hard for singles over the summer,” Hill said. 

Though she would prefer to play singles in the postseason, creating a bigger personal challenge and providing more visibility to college recruiters, Hill is ready to fit in where Mater Dei coach Mike Moorewood needs her. 

After all, winning the team title is the ultimate goal. 

Hill has certainly shown her ability to adapt to Mater Dei’s needs. 

As a freshman, she won the league championship with Katherine Nguyen, a senior who fit with Hill like a well-worn glove. 

“Katherine was so consistent, always got the ball in, and I was like the hard hitter/poacher,” Hill said. “We were like Ying and Yang, so it worked perfectly.”   

After Nguyen graduated, Hill turned to Katie Hernandez for the league title run two years ago. 

Hernandez had struggled with a wrist injury most of the season, but teamed up with Hill to not only win the league championship, but advance to the round of 16 in the CIF-SS individual tournament. 

Hernandez was also a senior, so Hill had to find a new partner last season as well. 

Bennett wasn’t a likely choice for Hill heading into last season. She had not played high school tennis before, and the sophomore was initially assigned to the junior varsity team. 

Her natural ball-striking abilities and keen sense of the game soon stood out to Hill and the rest of the Monarchs, however. 

Bennett had played tennis as a youth, along with soccer, basketball and beach volleyball, and her athleticism was on full display on the court as well. 

“She’s the most athletic person I have ever met,” Hill said. 

Even after Bennett committed to play beach volleyball at USC, she stuck with her desire to play tennis last season and was quickly promoted to the varsity. 

Hill soon invited Bennett to team up for another league title run. 

“Out of the entire team, I just saw the most inspiration out of her, the most dedication and the most talent,” Hill said. “She didn’t have all the proper technique, but she had the form, and knew what to do at certain points, which most people didn’t know how to do.”   

Hill’s success hasn’t resulted in a scholarship offer from a Division I college, so she said she’s prepared to walk-on, if invited. Hill said she has been in contact with a number of Division I teams and will visit a few campuses later this fall. 

In the meantime, she still has something big to chase with the Monarchs. 

 

FAR AFIELD

Filling up the nonleague portion of the football schedule has forced Trinity League coaches to expand their horizons in recent years. 

Mater Dei, for instance, travelled to Peoria, Arizona on Sept. 6 to take on a local powerhouse. The head coach of that team was surprised to see the Monarchs out so early for pre-game warmups, mainly because it was 107 degrees outside. 

He was even more impressed by Mater Dei quarterback Bryce Young, who threw for a school-record 528 yards and tossed seven touchdowns in the 72-21 victory. 

Five years ago, Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson wouldn’t have searched for a game in one of the hottest regions in North America during the first weekend of September, but Trinity League coaches have become increasingly desperate to find five opponents to fill their nonleague games. 

“By 2015 and ’16, it was virtually impossible to get games,” Rollinson told the Arizona Republic. 

Just three years ago, Mater Dei, JSerra, Servite and Santa Margarita didn’t travel outside of Southern California to play their nonleague games. 

Mater Dei played road games in 2016 at Bishop Amat in La Puente and against Edison at Orange Coast College, and hosted Mayfair, La Mirada and Upland at Santa Ana Stadium. 

This season, the Monarchs opened with home games against Corona Centennial and Villa Park at Santa Ana Stadium, and then headed to Arizona. 

The Monarchs also played St. Frances Academy from Baltimore, Md. at St. John Bosco, and then flew cross-country to play St. John’s in Washington, DC on Sept. 27. 

Mater Dei opened league play the following week against Orange Lutheran. 

Rollinson provided one theory as to why it’s become harder to schedule local teams for nonleague games.  

“Probably because I’ve been in (coaching) for so long, some of my buddies are not in it anymore, guys who trusted me and knew it would be a good game,” Rollinson said. “We travel well. If we come to their stadium, you know they’ll get a great gate. Nobody is interested in that anymore.” 

Mater Dei was one of three Trinity League teams that played outside of California on Sept. 6. 

Santa Margarita travelled to Colorado to play an out-of-state opponent for the first time since the 2014 season. 

The Eagles headed to the Denver suburbs to face Cherry Creek, and the Bruins turned the tables on Santa Margarita, taking a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and cruising to a 35-10 win. The Eagles scored their lone touchdown in the final minute of the game. 

Santa Margarita was familiar with Cherry Creek after hosting the Bruins at Trabuco Hills last season and losing 21-14. 

Servite played in Las Vegas on Sept 6. The Friars took on Bishop Gorman, which has regularly scheduled Trinity League teams the last several years. 

Servite was no match for Bishop Gorman, losing 42-21. 

JSerra opened its season by travelling to Utah to face a team from Salt Lake City. The Lions won 24-14.  

They then played St. Joseph Regional from Montvale, N.J. at Cathedral Catholic High in San Diego, losing that game 24-13. 

“We played hard and were out-executed by a very good team that is well coached,” JSerra coach Pat Harlow said. “We are young and we will get better. We will stick to our plan and get better.”

EPISODE #95
CATHOLIC SPORTS VIEW: FIRST ANNUAL TRINITY LEAGUE FOOTBALL MEDIA DAY

Host Bob Gibson interviews coaches and players throughout the various Catholic high schools in Orange County. His Twitter handle is: @catholicsv

On today’s episode, Bob brings you a special Trinity League football preview!

Today’s guests include:

  • Bruce Rollinson (Head football coach at Mater Dei High School);
  • Tristen Wilson (athlete at Servite High School)
  • Karrington Dennis (athlete at Servite High School)
  • Brent Vieselmeyer (head football coach at Santa Margarita High School)
  • J.P. Presley (head football coach at Orange Lutheran)
  • Jason Negro (head football coach at St. John Bosco High School)
  • Pat Harlow (head football coach at J Serra High School)

 

 

 

Originally broadcast on 8/10/19

PLAYING THE LONG GAME

After graduating from Mater Dei in 1988, Jason Gill bounced around baseball as a player and coach before finding a home at Loyola Marymount University for 11 years. 

Gill used his polished evaluation skills, seasoned game instincts and top-notch recruiting skills to build the Lions into a program that could hold its own against other local powers like UCLA, Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine. 

After leading LMU to its first NCAA tournament appearance in 19 years last season, Gill was presented with an opportunity the 49-year-old Orange County native couldn’t pass up, the head coaching position at USC. 

Gill was hired by the Trojans in mid-June, leaving LMU after an overall record of 322-286-1. 

“I am looking forward to building on the traditions established by the great players and coaches from the most storied college baseball program in the country,” Gill said in a statement shortly after his hiring was announced. “USC’s commitment to winning championships while providing a top-tier education is unmatched.” 

Gill inherits a roster that includes sophomore right-handed pitcher Chandler Champlain from Santa Margarita, sophomore shortstop Emilio Rosas from Mater Dei, junior left-handed pitcher John Beller of St. John Bosco and senior outfielder Brady Shockey of JSerra.  

“I am extremely excited and can’t wait to get started,” Gill stated. 

After graduating from Mater Dei, Gill was an infielder for two seasons at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo, and then played his junior season at Cal State Dominguez Hills. He spent his final year of eligibility as the starting third baseman at Cal State Fullerton, helping the Titans reach the College World Series in 1994. 

He served as an undergraduate assistant at Cal State Fullerton the following year, when the Titans won the national championship. He had brief assistant coaching stints at Nevada, LMU and UC Irvine before returning to Cal State Fullerton and reaching the College World Series again in 2006 and 2007. 

LMU offered Gill his first head coaching position in 2008.  

Another former standout athlete from a Trinity League school who’s taking on a much bigger coaching role this summer is Rick Garretson, a former star wide receiver for Servite in the early 1970s.  

Garretson was hired as the head football coach at Chandler High School in Arizona, considered the top program in the state. The previous coach at the school had won four state championships in eight seasons. 

In one of Garretson’s previous stops as a coach, he spent 16 years at Servite, serving as the offensive coordinator from 1995 to 2004. 

Garretson told the East Valley Tribune shortly after he was hired that he plans to take on an attitude similar to Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay. 

  “We expect success, we don’t look at failure,” Garretson said. “We are going to be aggressive and expect to succeed.” 

Garretson comes from a family of professional referees. 

His father was Darrell Garretson, an NBA referee for 27 years, and his brother is Ron Garretson, another Servite graduate who has been an NBA referee since 1987. 

 “You have to have a burning desire to do that, and I never had it,” Garretson said. “It’s funny. My dad would always try to give me pointers and grade my performance on the field, but I knew he didn’t know anything about football.”