No. 1 Mater Dei has little trouble with Long Beach Poly

Video: JT Daniels leaps into the end zone
The nation's top-rated junior quarterback shows some hops in fourth-quarter TD over Long Beach Poly.

Two of the most storied Southern California high school football programs went head-to-head on Friday, but clearly one had better footing.

Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), the nation's No. 1 team, showed it simply had too much for Long Beach Poly early and late while rolling to a 55-13 Southern Section Division I quarterfinal game at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach. 

USC-bound JT Daniels, the nation's top-ranked junior quarterback, threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more as the Monarchs flexed their collective muscle on Poly's home field.

Mater Dei (12-0) took a 7-0 lead on a 1-yard sneak by Daniels, who on the next possession connected with Bru McCoy III for a 13-yard touchdown pass, making it 13-0 with 4:17 left in the first quarter.

Daniels found Amon-Ra St. Brown for an 8-yard TD pass, making it 20-0 early in the second quarter and this one was essentially done. But Poly never quit. 

Poly's Michael Mauai and Mater Dei's Glenn Harper swapped rushing touchdowns, making it 27-6, but just before the half, the Jackrabbits (9-3) faked a punt and Matt Corral found Darius Kryger to cut the lead to 27-13 at intermission.

Both teams threatened in the third quarter, before Harper rushed for another touchdown, to give Mater Dei a 34-13 lead. Daniels and St. Brown connected on another TD pass, this one 26 yards, just before the end of the third quarter, making it 41-13. Daniels added a spectacular 9-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth — hurdling over a hard-charging defender — before leaving the game.

It should get very interesting in next week's semifinals, when Mater Dei plays No. 16 Mission Viejo (12-0), a 48-35 winner over upset-minded Orange Lutheran (6-5). A late pick-6 made this score more lopsided than it was. The other semifinal pits the nation's No. 5 and No. 7 teams, Centennial (Corona) and St. John Bosco (Bellflower), making for a dream Final 4.