McManus took over for longtime head coach Bruce Rollinson before the 2023 season and led the Monarchs to the school's fourth state championship since 2017. Mater Dei went 13-1 with the only loss coming in the regular season against rival St. John Bosco (Bellflower). The two programs met again in the Southern Section Division 1 championship game and the Monarchs won 35-7 before capturing the state title the next week against Serra (San Mateo). One of the nation's most high-profile high school football programs in recent years, Mater Dei finished the 2023 season ranked No. 3 nationally by MaxPreps. The...