It may be early in the season, but the meeting between Mater Dei and Las Vegas Bishop Gorman, the two top-ranked teams in the country according to several ratings services, in front of more than 8,000 fans could have marked the de facto national championship matchup.

And if everything was at stake on Friday night at Santa Ana Stadium, then the Monarchs (2-0) had better stock up on rings after their comfortable 31-15 victory over the Gaels (2-1).

“I told them at the beginning that there is so much talent,” said Mater Dei coach Raul Lara. “If we understand the brotherhood, stick together and understand and execute our tasks, no one will beat us.”

Dash Beierly, who has committed to Washington, rebounded from his debut, completing 13 of 15 passes for 99 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 49 yards, showing the versatile short-yardage game he showed before transferring from Chaparral. Lara said Beierly will have to adjust to the changed environment playing at Mater Dei.

“I had to shake off some rust in the first game,” said Beierly. “I entered the game confidently today. The whole team entered the game confidently.”

Beierly completed a 49-yard pass up the middle to junior wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt in the first quarter, helping him run down the field and set up a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Jordon Davison and a 12-yard touchdown grab by 6-foot-6 wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. to take a 14-0 lead.

Mater Dei High quarterback Dash Beierly makes a pass from the pocket against Bishop Gorman on Friday at Santa Ana Stadium.

(Craig Weston)

Davison scored a touchdown on the ground in the first quarter to open the third quarter. He ran down the right sideline and scored a 23-yard touchdown. The 6-foot-1 senior finished the game with 99 yards on 19 carries. Mater Dei had 171 total rushing yards.

But it wasn’t just the offense that worked for the Monarchs.

Sacks by Abduall Sanders and Dailon Clanton on the Gaels’ first possession set the tone for Bishop Gorman’s offensive woes. In the second quarter, Oregon’s Nasir Wyatt sacked Gaels quarterback Melvin Spicer IV in Monarchs territory. The stop led to a missed field goal attempt.

Mater Dei sacked Spicer six times, while Sanders and Clanton each sacked twice.

“When I got here, that was one thing that was very discouraging,” Lara said. “It’s not even four guys. It’s about eight guys. They’re tenacious and they go after the quarterback.”

Bishop Gorman scored a touchdown in the second quarter, aided by Mater Dei’s eight first-half penalties for 71 yards. With less than two minutes left in regulation, the Gaels scored a touchdown and a two-point conversion. The Gaels managed just 152 yards of offense.

Mater Dei is undefeated against teams other than Trinity League rival St. John Bosco since the start of the 2016 season, with two more games between the programs potentially scheduled in 2024.