Mater Dei (Calif.) football team named an Army National Guard The Next Greatest Generation Team of the Year

After another highly successful football season that ended with a No. 1 national ranking, Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei has been honored as one of the Army National Guard Next Greatest Generation Teams of the Year.

The Monarchs, a perennial state and national contender, finished 13-0 en route to another CIF-Southern Section championship and were the top-ranked team nationally in the final On3 Composite High School Football Team Ranking at the end of the season.

“We’re honored that we are considered  as one of the Teams of the Year,” head coach Raul Lara said. “We had a fantastic year and we thank On3 and the Army National Guard for this  magnificent award.”

The program has now won 12 state championships in its history and hold the highest winning percentage in the entire country during that span. Mater Dei is also the only high school to produce three Heisman Trophy winners — John Huarte (1964), Matt Leinart (2001) and Bryce Young (2020).

Mater Dei was given the award on its campus to celebrate the program’s dominant 2024 campaign. The event also featured a live commitment on On3’s YouTube channel, as 2026 safety CJ Lavender committed to the Washington Huskies.

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“It was an honor and a privilege to have the award presentation on our campus,” athletic director Kevin Kiernan said. “We are grateful for the recognition and we are very proud of our team.”

The Monarchs beat the top teams in Hawaii, Las Vegas and Maryland before dominating in Trinity League play through the rest of the regular season. That included a 59-14 win over rival and fellow national powerhouse St. John Bosco, as well as a 31-24 victory over the Braves in a rematch for the CIF-Southern Sectional title.

Mater Dei also defeated northern California juggernaut De La Salle for the CIF Open Division state title two weeks later.