Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, California)
Mater Dei High School is a private, Catholic, co-educational secondary school in Santa Ana, California. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange. Mater Dei is known for its strong sports programs, especially in football,[6] and for its multiple graduates who have won the Heisman Trophy.[7] As of 2022, the school has had 23 Gatorade Players of the Year.[8] The Football team plays in the Southern Section Division 1, and most recently won the CIF State Championship during the 2021 season.[9] There is a total of 25 sports teams at the school, with 71% of the athletes being on the Honor Roll.[8]
Mater Dei High School | |
---|---|
![]() Mater Dei High School, Santa Ana, California | |
Address | |
1202 West Edinger Avenue , California 92707 United States | |
Coordinates | 33°43′36″N 117°52′59″W |
Information | |
Type | Private, College-prep |
Motto | Honor, Glory, Love |
Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
Established | 1950 |
Superintendent | Erin Barisano |
CEEB code | 053-240 |
Principal | Frances Clare |
Teaching staff | 105.1 (on an FTE basis)[1] |
Grades | 9–12 |
Gender | Coeducational |
Enrollment | 2,152[1] (2015–2016) |
Student to teacher ratio | 20.5[1] |
Color(s) | Red and grey |
Athletics conference | Trinity League; CIF Southern Section |
Nickname | Monarchs |
Rival | Servite[2] |
Accreditation | WASC,[3] WCEA[4] |
Newspaper | The Scarlet Scroll |
Yearbook | Crown |
Tuition | Catholic: $18,200
Non Catholic: $19,650[5] |
Website | materdei |
Controversy
The school has received mixed attention in local media due in part to their method of scouting athletes from public high schools in due process of offering scholarships as a part of recruitment for their acclaimed football program.[10][11][12]
In 2021, a lawsuit was filed alleging that systemic hazing pervaded the football program resulting in a "brutal locker room altercation."[6][7] Another 2021 lawsuit alleged that two Mater Dei football players severely injured a classmate in an orchestrated attack.[13] Orange County bishop Kevin Vann responded with a public statement supporting the school's leadership and criticizing the "media frenzy".[14] The school announced it would commission an independent investigation into the allegations.[15]
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.[16]
Sports
Mater Dei High School’s mascot are the Monarchs. They currently support over 15 Men’s sport teams and 15 women sport teams: Baseball (Varsity, JV, Freshman) Basketball (Varsity, JV, Freshman) Cross-Country (Varsity, JV) Dance Team (JV, Freshman) Football (Varsity, JV, Freshman) Golf (Varsity, JV) Ice Hockey (Varsity) Lacrosse (Varsity, JV) Soccer (Varsity, JV, Freshman) Swimming (Varsity) Tennis (Varsity, JV) Track & Field (Varsity, JV, Freshman) Volleyball (Varsity, JV, Freshman) Water Polo (Varsity, JV, Freshman) Wrestling (Varsity, JV)
Notable alumni
Athletics
- Matt Barkley – NFL quarterback
- McQuin Baron – Olympic Water Polo Player
- Colt Brennan – NFL quarterback
- Bol Bol – NBA Center
- Schea Cotton – basketball player[17]
- JT Daniels – college football quarterback for the Rice Owls
- Thomas Duarte – NFL tight end[18]
- LeRon Ellis – NBA power forward and center
- Danny Espinosa – MLB second baseman[19]
- Austin Faoliu – NFL defensive tackle
- Spencer Freedman – college basketball player for the Harvard Crimson
- Reggie Geary – NBA guard
- Tiki Ghosn – Mixed martial arts fighter[20]
- Matt Grootegoed – NFL linebacker
- Mike Hessman – Major League Baseball player
- Vince Hizon – American-born former Philippine Basketball Association player
- Khaled Holmes – NFL center
- Mike Hopkins – NCAA basketball player and coach
- John Huarte – Heisman Trophy winner and NFL quarterback
- Sara Hughes – professional beach volleyball player
- Chris Jackson – NFL wide receiver
- Stanley Johnson – NBA forward
- Taylor King – professional basketball player
- Tyler Lamb – professional basketball player[21]
- Matt Leinart – Heisman Trophy winner and NFL quarterback[22]
- Todd Marinovich – NFL Quarterback
- Ryan McMahon – MLB player
- Bobby Meacham – MLB shortstop and coach[23]
- Daniel Meyer – Major League Baseball player
- Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis – WNBA guard
- Katin Reinhardt – professional basketball player
- Robbie Rogers – MLS winger
- Jamal Sampson – NBA forward-center
- Katie Lou Samuelson – guard/forward in the WNBA
- Sergio Santos – MLB relief pitcher
- Miles Simon – basketball analyst for ESPN and former NBA guard
- Anthony Slama – MLB relief pitcher
- Olive Sagapolu – USFL defensive tackle
- Amon-Ra St. Brown – NFL wide receiver
- Ryan Stonehouse – American football punter, NCAA record holder
- D. J. Strawberry – NBA point guard
- Matt Treanor – MLB catcher
- Michael Wang – NCAA basketball player
- David Wear – NCAA basketball forward
- Travis Wear – NBA basketball forward
- Larry Williams – NFL football player
- Max Wittek – former NCAA football quarterback
- Greg Woepse – silver medalist at the 1979 Pan Am Games in the pole vault
- Bryce Young – Heisman Trophy winner and American football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers
- Curtis Robinson- Professional football player for the San Francisco 49ers
- Quentin Lake - Professional football player for the Los Angeles Rams
Other
- John A. Davis – film director/animator
- Mike Gallagher (2002) – United States Congressman from Wisconsin's 8th congressional district (2017–present)[24]
- Bob Gunton – actor
- Jeff Lewis – real estate agent and investor
- Steve Oedekerk – film actor, comedian, director, film editor, film producer, and screenwriter
- Aimee Phan – author
- Mike Pniewski – actor, speaker
- Jaime Soto – Bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento
- Victory Tischler-Blue – singer, film producer, director, photographer, and member of the all-female band The Runaways
- Jennifer Warnes – singer, songwriter, arranger, and record producer
- Juan Zarate (1989) – Assistant Secretary of the Treasury (2001–2005) and Deputy National Security Advisor for Combating Terrorism (2005–2009)[25][26]
- Shelby Rabara – actress, voice over actress, and dancer
References
- "Search for Private Schools – School Detail for Mater Dei High School". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
- 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.
- WASC-ACS. "WASC-Accrediting Commission for Schools". Retrieved June 5, 2009.
- "WCEA/WASC Accreditation". materdei.org.
- "Tuition and Fees". Mater Dei High School. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- Sondheimer, Eric (November 26, 2021). "Mater Dei wins Division 1 football title as controversy engulfs program". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
- Fry, Hannah; Sheets, Connor; Nelson, Laura J. (December 22, 2021). "Football powerhouse Mater Dei confronts hazing scandal with a wall of silence". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
- "Mater Dei High School". www.materdei.org. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- Peter, Josh. "Mater Dei High School caps championship season in shadow of serious hazing allegations". USA TODAY. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
- "Ranking Top 10 high school recruits of all time".
- "Why are Catholic Schools so good at Sports?". August 10, 2011.
- "Fine Legal Line for HS athletes who transfer and get recruited".
- 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. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
- Nelson, Laura J. (December 8, 2021). "O.C. bishop decries 'media frenzy' over alleged hazing at Mater Dei High School". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
- Reid, Scott (November 30, 2021). "Mater Dei to commission independent probe of its sports programs". Orange County Register. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
- "Mater Dei sex abuse accusation comes to light following Hazing lawsuit". Los Angeles Times. January 20, 2022.
- "Schea Cotton" (PDF). NBA.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 24, 2012.
- Fryer, Steve (December 18, 2012). "Mater Dei's Duarte is offensive player of the year". OCVarsity.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2016.
- Shaikin, Bill (October 8, 2016). "Nationals stick with Danny Espinosa, for a simple reason". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
- "Tiki Ghosn UFC Bio". Retrieved January 1, 2014.
- Henson, Joaquin M. (August 19, 2017). "Thais a different team with Lamb". The Philippine Star. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- Ben Bolch, Leinart Chosen State Player of Year, Los Angeles Times, December 5, 2000. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
- "Bob Meacham Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
- "Michael Gallagher '02". Mater Dei High School. 2016.
- "Juan Zarate". White House. 2005.
- "Juan C. Zarate". Center for Strategic and International Studies. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
External links
