SANTA ANA — “Games are won in the trenches” is a cliché.

Phrases become clichés when they are oft repeated. The phrases are oft repeated because they are true.

Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson said about an hour before the St. John Bosco-Mater Dei game Saturday night at Santa Ana Stadium that the team that won the battle of the big men along the offensive and defensive lines would prevail in the contest.

The five players on Mater Dei’s offensive line deserved as a unit whatever player of the game award the coaching staff will bestow after the Monarchs’ 34-17 win over the Braves on the final night of this much-delayed abbreviated season.

The Monarchs won the Trinity League championship and, let’s be honest here, St. John Bosco-Mater Dei was the CIF Southern Section Division 1 championship game, although there will be no playoffs for this spring football season.

The Monarchs rushed for 203 yards against a big, fast St. John Bosco defensive front. Freshman quarterback Elijah Brown was sacked four times, but the St. John Bosco defensive backfield’s sticky coverage of Mater Dei receivers was at least partially responsible for that.

The line for Mater Dei consisted of: DeAndre Carter, a 6-foot-6, 348-pound freshman at left tackle); Terrace Caldwell (6-1, 338, senior, left guard); George Miki-Han (6-1, 305, senior, center); B.J. Tolo (6-2, 324, sophomore, right guard) and Ross Ulugalu-Maseuli (6-4, 360, senior, right tackle). The Monarchs rarely have a tight end in their spread offensive attack.

Miki-Han signed with Colorado State. Ulugalo-Maseuli signed with San Diego State and was selected to the Polynesian Bowl all-star game. Caldwell signed with Cornell.

Tolo has a few offers, including one from Oregon. Carter over the next couple of years is going to get offers from any college program that thinks it has a chance to sign him.

Mater Dei has had some outstanding offensive line units over the decades. This season’s group continued the tradition.

Remember how clichés come to be …

GAME NOTES

• Rollinson said he will coach Mater Dei this coming fall season, his 33rd leading the Monarchs. He is 315-85-2 at Mater Dei since 1989, with 18 league championships and eight CIF Southern Section championships. The Monarchs have been crowned national champions five times during Rollinson’s tenure.

• Not only was Mater Dei’s win over St. John Bosco the closest thing to a CIF-SS Division 1 championship game, it also could be considered the state Open Division championship game. CalHiSports.com has St. John Bosco at No. 1 and Mater Dei at No. 2 in its latest state rankings.

• After the game, Rollinson made sure to gather Mater Dei’s seniors in front of the Mater Dei grandstands to receive an ovation. It wasn’t that long ago that it appeared Mater Dei’s seniors, along with the seniors for every other Orange County football team, would not have a season this year. Senior football players all over  California deserve every salute to their dedication and perseverance.

• Penalties influenced the outcome. St. John Bosco was penalized 14 times for 155 yards. Mater Dei, which had 201 yards in penalties in its 24-17 win over Servite two weeks ago, was flagged only six times for 63 yards.

• Brown was remarkably cool all season for a freshman playing at such a lofty level of high school football. He completed 14 of 23 passes Saturday, and threw four touchdown passes with zero interceptions. Brown is 6-2, 185 pounds and throws a very catchable ball – that is, enough zip to get to its target but not a burning fastball that will fly through a receiver’s hands.

• Mater Dei senior receiver Josiah Zamora dropped a pass early in the third quarter, his first drop pass of the season. He has been sure-handed. Zamora went into the game with 17 receptions and had four in the game before his drop.

• Monarchs linebacker David Bailey, one of the top prospects in Southern California, was a game-time decision to play. He has an injured right knee. Bailey played, with the knee heavily taped, and had two solo tackles, assisted on another tackle and broke up a pass.

• The officiating crew had a couple of remarkable men on board. Umpire Steve McKay, “the white hat” as the position is called, is president of the National Football Foundation’s Orange County Chapter that annually raises thousands of dollars in scholarship funds for county football players. Line judge Colin Nesbitt is sort of a Hall of Fame blood donor. Go to the Santa Ana Red Cross Donation Center and you can find his picture on a wall, recognizing Nesbitt for being a leader in the donation of platelets.

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