Dash Beierly’s first game as Mater Dei’s quarterback was not the smoothest of debuts.
Mater Dei opened this season against Centennial of Corona at Santa Ana Stadium on Aug. 22. Beierly, a senior, transferred to Mater Dei during the early spring from Temecula’s Chaparral High.
In the Centennial game, a 42-25 win by Mater Dei, Beierly overthrew open receivers in the first quarter and did not complete a pass until the Monarchs’ third possession. He finished 10 of 19 for 110 yards and two touchdowns. That would be a fine game for some but a tad disappointing for a senior playing for the No. 1 team in the nation.
Pressure?
“I can tell you that for the first game, leading up to the first game, I felt it,” he said.
In the Monarchs’ next game, against Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas, Beierly completed his first seven passes and finished 13 of 15 for 99 yards and a touchdown. He rushed for 67 yards on nine carries as Mater Dei won 31-15. Bishop Gorman was No. 2 in the Maxpreps national rankings at the time and Mater Dei was, and still is, No. 1.
Beierly has been excellent ever since. He has completed 141 of his 225 passes (63 percent) for 1,820 yards and 23 touchdowns.
His most remarkable statistic is that he has thrown only two interceptions, quite a feat given that Mater Dei is playing outstanding defensive teams week after week.
Beierly and the Monarchs face another fine defensive group this week. Mater Dei (12-0) plays Concord’s De La Salle (12-0) in the CIF State Open Division championship game Saturday at 8 p.m. at Saddleback College.
Maxpreps’ national rankings have De La Salle at No. 21.
Mater Dei is averaging 37 points a game. De La Salle has given up an average of 12 points a game.
Beierly said getting points from every possession will be crucial Saturday.
“We’ve got to establish the running game which we usually do every game,” Beierly said before Tuesday’s practice. Mater Dei, led by senior running back Jordon Davison, is averaging 164 rushing yards a game.
“No team has been able to stop our run game yet,” he said. “We’ve got to take advantage of our drives because De La Salle runs the ball a lot, so they’re going to take a lot of time off the clock.”
Playing in games like the state championship game and the CIF Southern Section Division 1 final, in which Mater Dei beat St. John Bosco, are why Beierly enrolled at Mater Dei.
“I loved everything about Chaparral,” he said. “The school and the staff were amazing.
“But for me the biggest thing (about transferring to Mater Dei) was the opportunity to get better. Playing the quarterback position, I’m playing against the best defenses in America and I’m practicing against the best defense in the nation. To be able to get those reps every day and every week is preparing my mind for college and the next level, and that was the biggest part for me.”
Beierly had committed to Arizona, but withdrew that to commit to Washington because of coaching changes at both colleges. He signed with Washington last week.
He said his area of play that requires the most improvement is his patience on passing plays.
“I need to stay in the pocket a little longer,” Beierly said. “Especially here, where the big guys up front (the offensive linemen) are phenomenal. Those guys give me a lot of time back there.”
He is good when he is on the run. He has rushed for 440 yards and five touchdowns. That puts him second on the team to Davison’s 1,126 yards and 17 rushing touchdowns.
Beierly, whose first name is Ashton, isn’t called “Dash” for nothing. He said he got the Dash name when he was a 5-year-old playing flag football.
“It was kind of around that time of the ‘Incredibles’ movie,” Beierly said. “You know, ‘Dash’ is the fast guy in it. I’m not that fast anymore but used to be really fast when younger.”
Beierly is a fast learner, as he showed back in August when he became the steady, minimal-mistakes quarterback who is a major contributor to Mater Dei’s 2024 football success.
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