Mater Dei 2021 National Championship
Ming Chung Lin

Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) finishes the year where it began — the No. 1 team in the MaxPreps Top 25 high school football rankings. The Monarchs are the MaxPreps National Champion for the second time in five years, going wire-to-wire just as they did in 2017.

Mater Dei has finished ranked in the top 10 every year since 2016, compiling a 71-3 record during that span.

The Monarchs went 12-0 in 2021, winning 11 games by at least two scores. They outscored the opposition 548-152 and were the only team in the country to have more than two wins against MaxPreps Top 25 opponents. They beat No. 5 Servite (Anaheim) twice, No. 6 St. John Bosco (Bellflower), No. 10 Centennial (Corona) and No. 21 Duncanville (Texas).

They beat Serra (San Mateo) 44-7 on Dec. 11 in the CIF Open Division state championship to win their third state title since 2017.

Offensively they were led by sophomore quarterback Elijah Brown, who threw for 2,581 yards and 30 touchdowns while completing over 74 percent of his passes. USC-bound running back Raleek Brown rushed for 1,123 yards and 15 touchdowns and had his best games against top competition, rushing for 649 yards and five scores against MaxPreps Top 25 opponents. Four-star wide receiver C.J. Williams led the way for a very talented receiving corps with a team-leading 51 receptions for 830 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Defensively, four-star linebacker David Bailey led the way for a very talented unit. He finished the year with 54 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks. They had one of the best offensive lines in the country led by junior B.J. Tolo and sophomore DeAndre Carter.

Despite losing five-star cornerback Domani Jackson to a season-ending injury one game into the season, the Monarchs still had one of the best secondaries in the country with seniors Josh Hunter and Cameron Sidney to go with sophomore Zabien Brown.

Past MaxPreps National Champions

MaxPreps Top 25 High School Football Rankings

1. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
Record: 12-0 | Last week: 1
Season complete

2. Westlake (Austin, Texas)
Record: 16-0 | Last week: 2
Last week: Beat Guyer (Denton) 40-21
Season complete

3. Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.)
Record: 12-0 | Last week: 4
Season complete

4. St. Frances Academy (Baltimore)
Record: 8-1 | Last week: 5
Season complete

5. Servite (Anaheim, Calif.)
Record: 10-3 | Last week: 6
Season complete

6. St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)
Record: 10-2 | Last week: 7
Season complete

7. Center Grove (Greenwood, Ind.)
Record: 14-0 | Last week: 9
Season complete

8. Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.)
Record: 15-0 | Last week: 10
Last week: Beat Pine Forest (Pensacola) 35-29
Season complete

9. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Record: 14-1 | Last week: 11
Last week: Beat Tampa Bay Tech (Tampa) 42-14
Season complete

10. Centennial (Corona, Calif.)
Record: 11-1 | Last week: 12
Season complete

11. Graham-Kapowsin (Graham, Wash.)
Record: 15-0 | Last week: NR
Last week: Beat Collins Hill (Suwanee, Ga.) 40-36
Season complete

12. Collins Hill (Suwanee, Ga.)
Record: 15-1 | Last week: 3
Last week: Lost to Graham-Kapowsin (Graham) 40-36
Season complete

13. North Shore (Houston)
Record: 15-1 | Last week: 20
Last week: Beat Duncanville 17-10
Season complete

14. Saguaro (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
Record: 12-1 | Last week: 13
Season complete

15. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)
Record: 12-1 | Last week: 14
Season complete

16. Thompson (Alabaster, Ala.)
Record: 13-1 | Last week: 15
Season complete

17. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Record: 9-1 | Last week: 16
Season complete

18. Bixby (Okla.)
Record: 13-0 | Last week: 17
Season complete

19. St. John's (Washington, D.C.)
Record: 11-0 | Last week: 18
Season complete

20.Central (Miami)
Record: 12-2 | Last week: 19
Last week: Beat Merritt Island 49-14
Season complete

21. Duncanville (Texas)
Record: 13-2 | Last week: 8
Last week: Lost to North Shore (Houston) 17-10
Season complete

22. Oakland (Murfreesboro, Tenn.)
Record: 15-0 | Last week: 21
Season complete

23. Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.)
Record: 11-1 | Last week: 22
Season complete

24. Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Fla.)
Record: 12-1 | Last week: 23
Last week: Beat Highland (Gilbert, Ariz.) 35-24
Season complete

25. St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio)
Record: 15-1 | Last week: 24
Season complete