Frank McManus, as the saying goes, checks all the boxes.
McManus, who was named Mater Dei’s new football coach Thursday, is a Mater Dei guy.
He has seven years on the school’s varsity coaching staff as an ace defensive backfield coach and 16 years in the football program.
That is essential. All schools have their own culture, especially private schools. Mater Dei has its own, and the Mater Dei football program has its own sub-culture that McManus knows more than any outsider ever could.
McManus, 47, has a youthful vigor. The guy bouncing around the most on the football field during pregame warmups always has been McManus. The players love his energy.
McManus is an excellent coach. Every year one of the better Mater Dei football units, sometimes the best unit, is the defensive backfield group coached by McManus.
Important to the Diocese of Orange, which was much involved in the hiring process, is that McManus is Catholic. He knows how to lead a team prayer. He knows how to lead the recitation of the Rosary.
Bruce Rollinson’s approval of McManus’ promotion was not required but it mattered heavily. Rollinson, who was the Monarchs head coach for 34 seasons until stepping down after the 2022 season, very much wanted someone with Mater Dei bloodlines and Monarchs coaching experience, and he got what he wanted with the hiring of McManus.
Rollinson has been a masterful CEO of Mater Dei’s collegiate-like football program. McManus has had a front-row seat to observe Rollinson’s adroit relationships with alumni, boosters and media. And Rollinson will be available for counsel.
A longtime Orange County coach was asked a few months ago if he would apply for the Mater Dei coaching job. He replied he would not and wondered who would want to “try to ride that dragon?”
Someone was going to accept the challenge. It looks like Mater Dei got the right rider.
NOTES
McManus played football as a defensive back at La Quinta in the 1990s. He transferred to La Quinta from Mater Dei, so it looks like Mater Dei does not hold grudges against athletes who transfer from Mater Dei to another school. …
McManus was at La Quinta when that school’s boys basketball coach was Kevin Kiernan, who is in his 16th season as Mater Dei’s girls basketball coach. Including his years coaching girls basketball at La Quinta and Troy, Kiernan has a state girls basketball-record 876 career wins; he also coached boys basketball at Savanna and Troy. …
Wrestling and football sort of go together, especially for offensive linemen and defensive players. All of that hand-to-hand combat. Jeremy Kanter of Laguna Beach is a good example. He was an All-CIF linebacker, and Kanter last week reached the finals of the CIF Southern Section Inland Division wrestling championships. …
Not all football-wrestling athletes are linemen or play on defense. El Dorado junior Isaiah Quintero won another CIF-SS wrestling title, winning at 120 pounds in the Northern Division finals where he was Lower Weight MVP. Quintero is an outstanding running back on the El Dorado football team. …
The CIF-SS Wrestling Masters Meet is Friday at Palm Springs High. The top five placers in the Blue and in the Gold Divisions advance to the CIF State Meet, Feb. 23-25 at Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield. …
Orange County had six teams in the Prep Baseball Report California Preseason Invitational at Great Park in Irvine. There were 16 teams overall. Orange Lutheran was the only O.C. team to reach the championship semifinals. …
Orange County teams playing in the boys basketball semifinals Friday: Mater Dei, home against Mira Costa; Canyon at Etiwanda; Orange Lutheran, home against Oxnard; Tesoro at Culver City; Pacifica Christian at La Mirada; and Sage Hill at Littlerock. Tarbut V’Torah is home against Blair on Saturday. …
Blair’s boys basketball team is averaging 87 points a game in the playoffs with an average margin of victory of 37 points over three playoff wins. …
Boys and girls basketball championship games in Division 1 and in the Open Division are at Honda Center on Oct. 25. GoFan.co is the place to get advance tickets for CIF-SS playoff events. …
All of the CIF-SS boys and girls basketball semifinalists qualified for the CIF Southern California Regional that begins Feb. 28. …
A large challenge for Pacifica Christian’s boys basketball team is trying to defend La Mirada sophomore Julien Gomez. The 6-3 guard is averaging 26 points a game. …
All-time Anaheim High sports great George Fraser died this past weekend. He was a three-time All-CIF quarterback for the Colonists, lettered in basketball and track and was an Anaheim football assistant coach. A funeral Mass is at St. Boniface in Anaheim on Feb. 23 at 10 a.m.
