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Frank McManus transfers from one California high school football powerhouse to another

Lawrence Andrew Fernandezby:Lawrence Fernandez•04/17/25•

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Frank McManus - California High School Football
Cardinal Newman head coach Frank McManus (Photo credit: Cardinal Newman Athletics on X/Twitter, @CNCardinals)

Frank McManus, a California high school football state championship-winning coach, will take over the Cardinal Newman Cardinals program. McManus led the Mater Dei Monarchs to the 2023 California Interscholastic Federation Open Division state championship. In the same year, the Monarchs won the Southern Section Division I title and finished with a 13-1 record.

In an official release, McManus commented about his hiring, “It’s an honor to join a school with such a proud tradition of excellence. I’m excited to lead the program, work with its talented student-athletes, continue the legacy of success, and make the Cardinal Newman community proud.”

McManus was a long-time California high school football assistant at Mater Dei before taking over the program in 2023. However, Mater Dei fired him after one year without giving a plausible explanation. However, in an article by The Press Democrat’s Gus Morris, media sources implied that McManus wasn’t a good fit for Mater Dei’s culture.

After 16 years as Bruce Rollinson’s deputy and one year as Mater Dei head coach, McManus spent one season as an assistant at Mission Viejo High School. While McManus was with the Diablos, Mater Dei became the nation’s best high school football team, based on the On3 Composite Rankings.

McManus will take over a California high school football program that finished with a 10-2 record last season under coach Richard Sanchez. The Cardinals also qualified for the North Coast Section Open Division playoffs after finishing second in the Redwood Empire Conference Adobe Division. Cardinal Newman also finished 44th in the California On3 Composite Rankings.

Cardinal Newman won a state championship in 2019 and won 47 consecutive games in the 1970s. Meanwhile, Cardinal Newman Director of Athletics Monica Mertle shared about this hiring, “Frank McManus is exactly the coach we need to mentor our student-athletes and take Cardinal Newman football to the next level. His ability to lead championship teams while instilling values of faith, discipline, integrity, and teamwork makes him an ideal fit for our program.”