Top ranked high school football team travels to play DFW powerhouse in season opener
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), fresh off a No. 1 spot in the MaxPreps national preseason rankings, will play at Duncanville on Friday Aug. 27 to kick off the 2021 season in one of the most anticipated showdowns this year.
It will be Mater Dei’s first trip to Texas while it has become the norm for Duncanville to schedule the top teams in the country. The Panthers, coming in at No. 15 according to MaxPreps, lost to IMG Academy (Florida) last season at Globe Life Park and hosted and defeated St. John’s College Prep (Washington D.C.) in 2019.
Duncanville has reached the Class 6A Division 1 state semifinals in three straight seasons, including back-to-back trips to the championship game against Galena Park North Shore in 2018 and 2019.
The Panthers are 50-5 over the past five seasons. Mater Dei is 45-3. This will be the first time a ranked team from California plays in Texas since No. 1 De La Salle was upset by Euless Trinity during the 2015 season.
The showdown will feature more than 20 three-star prospects according to 247Sports.
Mater Dei has 12 just from its senior class, including running back and Oklahoma commit Raleek Brown, wide receiver C.J. Williams and linebacker David Bailey. Duncanville features linemen Omari Abor and Jaylen Early, and Oklahoma State commit Jordan Crook. The Panthers also have Deldrick Madison, Lontrell Turner and Dakorien Moore, all of whom hold a Power 5 offer.
