'I Don't Really Care': Mater Dei Football Coach Indifferent To Outside Pressure, Noise

Pressure isn't new to football coach Raul Lara.

Before taking the Mater Dei job in June of 2024, Lara was most notably known for his time at Long Beach Poly in the early 2000s. Lara won five CIF Southern Section titles in the Pac-5 (the highest division then) while at the helm of the Jackrabbits.

When he took over the Monarchs, they had just own national championship under coach Frank McManus, who only lasted one season. Lara led Mater Dei to another national title in 2024.

But since then, things haven't been so sweet. Mater Dei went 8-3 last season, which was the most losses for the program since 2015 when they finished 10-3. This fall, Mater Dei is 4-1 including a gutty 10-9 win over Corona Centennial, but it also includes last week's 25-8 loss to Bishop Gorman at home.

It was Bishop Gorman's first-ever win over Mater Dei in six tries. The loss was also Mater Dei's first loss to an out-of-state opponent in program history, according to historian Dennis Bateman.

The Monarchs were less than five minutes away from being shutout, but Asir Nembhard's touchdown helped to avoid that detail. Mater Dei has scored just two touchdowns in its last two games.

There have been murmurs about Lara's job security at Mater Dei. He's well aware of them, and told High School On SI how he handles it:

"We talk about the noise as a team. We are doing the best we can to win as many games as we can. We know there are people that don't like the way we are doing things,"

"But to be honest, I don't really care."

It Doesn't Get Easier

Lara's indifference is certainly one way to deal with the pressure of the job. However, the road ahead doesn't get any easier for the Monarchs when they start Trinity League play on October 2 at Santa Margarita (5-0).

Longtime reporter and recruiting analyst Greg Biggins of Rivals thinks Mater Dei's defense gives them a chance in any game.

"Mater Dei's defense is special," Biggins said. "That side of the ball has eight or nine guys that are going to play in college.

Biggins thinks the trouble with Mater Dei is on the offensive side of the ball.

"My concern is the offense. They're trying to rotate three different quarterbacks that are stylistically all different. I'm not giving up on them, but it's not just a struggle for the offense to score points, it's a struggle to get first downs and move the football."

After it's game at Santa Margarita, Mater Dei is on the road to a much-improved JSerra on Oct. 9 and Servite on Oct. 15. The Monarchs' schedule finishes with Orange Lutheran (Oct. 23) and St. John Bosco (Oct. 30) at home.

Dealing With Three QBs

Mater Dei is playing with three quarterbacks each game: senior Cameron Pooley (a transfer from Chaminade), junior Russell Sekona (from Leuzinger), and freshman Paytyn Guess.

Guess has been making things interesting in the quarterback room because of his surprising play in recent games, including the win over Corona Centennial. He did play a majority of the snaps against Bishop Gorman, going 9 of 20 for 147 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Sekona threw the ball once (an incomplete) and ran the ball four times for -2 yards. Pooley did not register a stat.

The pressure of coaching big-time football isn't new to Lara, who's been coaching more than three decades. But this 2026 edition of Mater Dei is keeping him on his toes.

"I've been coaching for 34 years, I've never had to rotate three quarterbacks. This is new for me," Lara said.

"Paytyn's play is helping the older guys," Lara added. "It's a plus-plus situation because he's helping himself and his teammates."

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