Mater Dei High School is a private, Catholic, co-educational secondary school in Santa Ana, California. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange. Mater Dei is known for its strong sports programs, especially in football, and for its multiple graduates who have won the Heisman Trophy. As of 2022, the school has had 23 Gatorade Players of the Year. The Football team plays in the Southern Section Division 1, and most recently won the CIF State Championship during the 2021 season. There is a total of 25 sports teams at the school, with 71% of the athletes being on the Honor Roll. Controversy The school has received mixed attention in local media due in part to their method of scouting athletes from public high schools in due process of offering scholarships as a part of recruitment for their acclaimed football program. In 2021, a lawsuit was filed alleging that systemic hazing pervaded the football program resulting in a "brutal locker room altercation." Another 2021 lawsuit alleged that two Mater Dei football players severely injured a classmate in an orchestrated attack. Orange County bishop Kevin Vann responded with a public statement supporting the school's leadership and criticizing the "media frenzy". The school announced it would commission an independent investigation into the allegations. In January 2022, a female alumnus of Mater Dei filed a lawsuit following the surfacing accusations of hazing, alleging that she was sexually assaulted by a former football coach during the late 1980s. Sports Mater Dei High School’s mascot are The Monarchs. They currently support over 15 Men’s sport teams and 15 women sport teams: Baseball(Varsity,JV,Freshman) Basketball(Varsity,JV,Freshman) Cross-Country(Varsity,JV) Dance Team(JV, Freshman) Football(Varsity,JV,Freshman) Golf(Varsity,JV) Ice Hockey(Varsity) Lacrosse(Varsity,JV) Soccer(Varsity,JV,Freshman) Swimming(Varsity) Tennis(Varsity,JV) Track & Field(Varsity,JV,Freshman) Volleyball (Varsity,JV,Freshman) Water Polo (Varsity,JV,Freshman) Wrestling (Varsity,JV) Notable alumni Athletics Matt Barkley – NFL quarterback McQuin Baron – Olympic Water Polo Player Colt Brennan – NFL quarterback Bol Bol – NBA Center Schea Cotton – basketball player JT Daniels – college football quarterback for the West Virginia Mountaineers Thomas Duarte – NFL tight end LeRon Ellis – NBA power forward and center Danny Espinosa – MLB second baseman Austin Faoliu – NFL defensive tackle Spencer Freedman – college basketball player for the Harvard Crimson Reggie Geary – NBA guard Tiki Ghosn – Mixed martial arts fighter Matt Grootegoed – NFL linebacker Mike Hessman – Major League Baseball player Vince Hizon – American-born former Philippine Basketball