Reigning National Champion Mater Dei (Calif.) football set to play another stout schedule in 2025

Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei bulldozed its way to an undefeated season in 2024, finishing as the No. 1 team in the nation, according to the On3 Composite Rankings.

The national champs will once again have a giant target on their back this fall. The Monarchs are set to play another substantial schedule in 2025, too.

Raul Lara saw nothing but success in his first year as head coach and is looking for more of the same this coming season. His team is gearing up for a daunting 10-game slate, which will begin at the end of August with a trip across the country.

The Monarchs will head to Florida to compete in the Broward County National High School Football Showcase against Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas, which finished as the No. 5 team in Florida last season.

They’ll then return to California for a two-game home stand against in-state Bishop Montgomery and Kahuku (Hi.), which it defeated on the road last season 38-7. A challenging three-game stretch away from Santa Ana Stadium then awaits.

Corona (Calif.) Centennial, Bishop Gorman (Nev.) and Orange Lutheran (Calif.) each finished as top-25 teams nationally in 2024 and will host Mater Dei across a four-week span. The Monarchs opened last season with home wins over Centennial (42-25) and Gorman (31-15), then took down Lutheran (38-14) later in the fall.

Following a three-game home stretch, Mater Dei then closes the regular season with a classic rivalry at Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco on Halloween. The Monarchs beat the Braves 31-24 last season.

Monarchs boasts loaded roster once again

There’s once again set to be plenty of turnover on both sides of the ball for Mater Dei, but it’s still set to have a loaded roster this fall.

Ryan Hopkins, who committed to Wisconsin over the weekend, is set to take the reigns at quarterback, replacing Dash Beierly, who signed with Washington. He’ll have no shortage of options on offense, surrounded by the likes of five-star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. (Ohio State), five-star tight end Mark Bowman and four-star WR Kayden Dixon-Wyatt.

Kodi Greene (Oregon) is an elite offensive tackle, while the likes of four-star defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui (USC), four-star EDGE Shaun Scott and safety CJ Lavender (Washington) highlight some of the names to know on the defense.

Mater Dei 2025 Schedule

Aug. 23: at St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.)
Aug. 29: vs. Bishop Montgomery (Calif.)
Sept. 5: vs. Kahuku (Hi.)
Sept. 12: at Centennial (Calif.)
Sept. 19: at Bishop Gorman (Nev.)
Oct. 3: at Orange Lutheran (Calif.)
Oct. 10: vs. Santa Margarita Catholic (Calif.)
Oct. 17: vs. Servite (Calif.)
Oct. 24: vs. JSerra Catholic (Calif.)
Oct. 31: at St. John Bosco (Calif.)