Padres are hoping third time’s a charm as they search for Open championship

It’s no secret the deck has been stacked against Serra the past two years, falling 44-7 in the 2021 state title game to Mater Dei, followed by a 45-0 loss to St. John Bosco last season.

“Yes, I think the minute we lost that game last year to Bosco, this special class set the North Star exactly to get back to this game Saturday night,” Serra head coach Patrick Walsh said.

The Mater Dei Monarchs (12-1) have a battalion of experienced varsity players who took part in the throttling of Serra for the 2021 Open Division championship, including now-senior quarterback Elijah Brown, an RPO nightmare for defenses, playing behind third-year starting right tackle Brandon Baker.

For the Padres, the core four seniors — defensive end Collin Tahitua, linebackers Jabari Mann and Danny Niu and safety Joseph Bey — are all four-year varsity starters, returning to play in their third Open Division title game.

Walsh and the Padres know what they’re up against when they kick off against Mater Dei at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, for a scheduled 8 p.m. start.

“Probably, from what we’ve seen … arguably one of the greatest defenses ever assembled in high school football,” Walsh said. “So, that’s a tall task by any measurement. But … this is where we want to be.”

Serra’s in the same position it was last year, with an undefeated 12-0 record, all against Northern California competition. That didn’t help when the Padres were overmatched by St. John Bosco at the same Saddleback College venue.

“No one’s surprised, no one’s shocked, no one’s in fear,” Walsh said. “It’s exactly where this team and this coaching staff wanted to be. … We’ve been here before. We’ve been to the same hotel. We’ve been to the same stadium. This is where we want to be and what’s happening. And we’re ready to roll.”

If Mater Dei had its way following its 2021 win over Serra, Walsh might be coaching on the other side of the field. Walsh said he was asked to interview for a coaching position with the Monarchs prior to last season. Walsh declined the interview, citing his sons as a primary reason why: His older son Willy, now on the men’s golf team at Pepperdine University, was entering his senior year at Serra. His younger son Charlie is a freshman at Serra this season.

“Because I’m happy in San Mateo, and Charlie was headed to 20th Avenue, and he grew up with Padres football,” Walsh said. “I’m happy exactly where I’m at.”

Walsh is now in his 23rd year as head coach of the Padres. Charlie — famed for years as the little dude in the Chewbacca outfit at his father’s side starting when the Padres began their era of state title-game appearances in the 2016 CIF Division 2-A Championship Bowl — played junior-varsity football at Serra this season and will be in uniform Saturday after being promoted to the varsity squad for the playoffs.

While Mater Dei is renowned for its array of NCAA Division I talent on roster, including five of the top 60 recruits in the nation, Serra has some recruiting star power of its own. The Padres’ most recent Division I commit is senior quarterback Maealiuaki Smith, who announced the week prior to Serra’s 63-27 win over Wilcox in the Central Coast Section Open Division championship game he is bound for Oklahoma State.

This will mark Smith’s second straight start in the CIF Open Division Championship Bowl.

“If you just look at his performance his junior year against De La Salle, and our CCS championship game — I don’t think we play anything but big games at Serra — and Maealiuaki has been at the helm of all it,” Walsh said, “So I don’t think there’s a game that’s too big for him.”

While Serra has long limited itself to Northern California competition in the regular season, that is set to change next year. Last week, the Padres announced a two-year contract to play St. John Bosco in non-league play in 2024 and ’25. Serra will host Bosco in its home opener, Saturday, Sept. 14, with two preceding road dates at Folsom and De La Salle.

“My philosophy has always been to challenge us to prepare for the WCAL football season, and we’re not trying to stack wins over here,” Walsh said. “Even though we’ve done a lot of that lately, the methodology has been to challenge us to play at the highest level … while preparing us to play in the WCAL. Obviously, Bosco, Folsom and De La Salle hit all the check marks on that list.”

With the CSM Bulldogs playing for a California Community College Athletic Association state championship earlier in the day, at Riverside Community College at 1:05 p.m., there figures to be an array of Bulldogs in the crowd Saturday night at Saddleback.

It will be a reverse of CSM’s regular-season finale win over City College of San Francisco, Saturday, Nov. 11, when the Padres won their CCS playoff opener against Salinas earlier in the day. Walsh and a host of Padres made an appearance at College Heights Stadium to watch the second half of the CSM-CCSF game.

“Our relationship, due to proximity and mutual respect for each other, goes back to the Coach Larry Owens days and dates backs for decades now,” Walsh said.

To watch the CIF Open Division State Championship Bowl, check your local listings, or watch via paid subscription to the NFHS Network at https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/cifnr/gamfece01bf0e.