Rickard Has Big Hand in Victory

Dominic Rickard set the tone on defense Thursday night, then put the stamp on Santa Ana Mater Dei’s 19-0 victory over Anaheim Servite with a fourth-quarter touchdown before a crowd of 7,000 at Santa Ana Stadium.

Rickard, listed as a 5-foot-10, 165-pound defensive back, spent the first half stopping several Servite drives from his defensive end position.

He intercepted a pass by Ryan Coffelt on Servite’s opening drive, setting up Rafael Rice’s one-yard touchdown run five plays later. He tackled running back Chris Blanco for a two-yard loss on the Friars’ next possession, sacked Coffelt for a 14-yard loss on their next drive and ended their fourth possession by knocking down a pass.

The Friars, 5-3 overall and 0-1 in the Serra League, didn’t get a first down until 3:09 remained in the first half.

Mater Dei (5-3, 1-0) was hurt by eight penalties in the first half, including six for illegal procedure. The Monarchs also had a long run that ended inside the Friar 10-yard line and a punt return to midfield called back because of clipping penalties.

Mater Dei increased the lead to 12-0 on its first drive of the second half, going 57 yards in 10 plays and scoring on a five-yard run by Rice. Rickard, who also plays fullback, gave Mater Dei a 19-0 lead with a one-yard dive on the first play of the fourth quarter. Rickard’s touchdown was set up by Corey Boudreaux’s 30-yard interception return to the seven-yard line.