Trinity League Explained

The Trinity League is a high school athletic conference in Southern California, part of the CIF Southern Section. The League is regarded as one of the most competitive high school leagues in the United States. Most famous for football, the Trinity League is extremely competitive in its other sports as well. Baseball, tennis, and water polo players are top recruits and are some of the most talented Division 1 players in the nation. This makes the Trinity League the toughest league in high school sports. For the fall 2023 season, High School Football America rated it the toughest league in the nation, with the top two nationally ranked teams and five out of the six ranked the top 300. In 2021, three of the six programs had been ranked in the top 10 in the country, with five in the top 200.

Members

The league currently includes seven high schools, six in Orange County and one in Los Angeles County. Orange Lutheran, which joined in 2006, is the first member which is not a Catholic school.

SchoolCityFoundedEnrollmentNickname
JSerra Catholic High SchoolSan Juan Capistrano, California20031,150Lions
Mater Dei High SchoolSanta Ana, California19502,100Monarchs
Orange Lutheran High SchoolOrange, California19731,322Lancers
Rosary AcademyFullerton, CA1965461Royals
Santa Margarita High SchoolRancho Santa Margarita, California19871,700Eagles
Anaheim, California1958920Friars
St. John Bosco High SchoolBellflower, California1940820Braves

History

Angelus League

The Trinity League is the latest iteration of what was originally known as the Angelus League, founded in 1961 to match Catholic high schools—the Angelus is a Catholic devotion. The founding members were Servite (Anaheim), Mater Dei (Santa Ana), St. Paul (Santa Fe Springs), Cantwell (Montebello), and Salesian (Los Angeles). Cantwell and Salesian soon dropped out of the league, due to its competitiveness, and were replaced by St. John Bosco (Bellflower) and Verbum Dei (Los Angeles).

From the outset, the league was marked by intense football rivalries, notably between Mater Dei, Servite, and St. Paul. Some games drew crowds in excess of 10,000 people, and violence was not uncommon. The intensity increased even further in 1967, when St. John Bosco and Verbum Dei dropped out and were replaced by Bishop Amat (La Puente) and Pius X (Downey). Along with St. Anthony (Long Beach), the iconic members of the Angelus League were now set.

Things shifted again in the late 1970s. St. Anthony dropped in 1977 and was replaced by Bishop Montgomery (Torrance). Pius X dropped in 1980, then Bishop Montgomery in 1981. In 1982, Pius X returned and a new member, Serra (Gardena) joined. Serra dropped in 1984 and was replaced by Bishop Montgomery again. In 1986 Pius X was gone and replaced by St. Bernard, which only lasted two years, dropping in 1988.

The 1980s saw the league produce future NFLers like Ed Luther (St. Paul), John Sciarra (Bishop Amat), Paul McDonald (Bishop Amat), Turk Schonert (Servite), Derek Brown (Servite), and Steve Beuerlein, who led Servite to the first of five consecutive CIF championships. Todd Marinovich also played for Mater Dei for two years, before transferring to Capistrano Valley. Major boys' basketball rivalries also emerged in the 1980s, with Mater Dei becoming a powerhouse and Bishop Montgomery capturing multiple California State Championships. Girls' sports were introduced, replacing the former Sunrise League, with St. Joseph's (Lakewood) and Rosary (Fullerton) joining the league.

DateFormat = yyyyImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20Period = from:1961 till:1992TimeAxis = orientation:horizontalPlotArea = right:20 left:0 bottom:50 top:5 #> to display a count on left side of graph, use "left:20" to suppress the count, use "left:20"<#

Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7) id:line value:red id:bg value:white id:Member value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852)

PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s

bar:1 color:Member from:1961 till:end text:Mater Dei bar:2 color:Member from:1961 till:end text:Servite bar:3 color:Member from:1961 till:1989 text:St. Paul bar:4 color:Member from:1961 till:1964 text:Cantwell bar:5 color:Member from:1961 till:1964 text:Salesian

bar:6 color:Member from:1964 till:1967 text:St. John Bosco bar:6 color:Member from:1989 till:end text:St. John Bosco bar:7 color:Member from:1964 till:1967 text:Verbum Dei

bar:8 color:Member from:1967 till:1986 text:Bishop Amat bar:9 color:Member from:1967 till:1980 text:Pius X bar:9 color:Member from:1982 till:1986 text:Pius X bar:10 color:Member from:1967 till:1977 text:St. Anthony

bar:11 color:Member from:1977 till:1981 text:Bishop Montgomery bar:11 color:Member from:1984 till:1989 text:Bishop Montgomery

bar:12 color:Member from:1982 till:1984 text:Serra–Gardena bar:13 color:Member from:1986 till:1988 text:St. Bernard

bar:14 color:Member from:1989 till:end text:Loyola bar:15 color:Member from:1990 till:end text:Santa Margarita

bar:16 color:Member from:1989 till:end text:St. Joseph bar:17 color:Member from:1989 till:end text:Rosary

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:4 start:1961TextData = fontsize:L textcolor:black pos:(0,30) tabs:(400-center) text:^"Angelus League Membership"

Breakup

In 1989 Bishop Montgomery and founding member St. Paul dropped and were replaced by Loyola High School and St. John Bosco. Santa Margarita, which had opened its doors in 1987, joined the in 1990, but this would mark the beginning of the end for the Angelus League.

As the only member in South Orange County, Santa Margarita faced longer distances to travel for away games than any other school, and their principal sought to get them admitted to a more local public school league. The public high schools strongly opposed the move, observing that their recruitment was limited to their school district, whereas the private schools had no geographic restrictions on recruitment. Nevertheless, the push to "regionalize" Catholic school sports won out, and the Angelus League was disbanded at the end of the 1991–92 school year. Angelus League teams had won 30 Southern Section championships in its 31 years, including 11 in football.

Starting fall 1992, Bishop Amat, St. John Bosco, and Loyola entered the Del Rey League, joining other Catholic schools in Los Angeles County. The others members were dispersed among public school leagues in Orange County: Santa Margarita to the Sea View League, Servite and Rosary the Sunset League before moving to the Golden West League, and Mater Dei the South Coast League.

Serra League

In 1999, the league was re-formed as a football-only league called the Serra League (named for Catholic missionary Junípero Serra), with Servite, Mater Dei, St. John Bosco, and Santa Margarita at its core. In 2001, the Southern Section council approved Bishop Amat and Loyola to join the league, in essence reconstituting the old Angelus League.

This lasted until 2006, when Loyola and Bishop Amat were moved to the Mission League and were replaced by Orange Lutheran and JSerra. The post-realignment conference was renamed the Trinity League.

Reconfiguration

In 2008, Rosary Academy became the only all-girls school in the conference. St. Margaret's Episcopal School joined the league as a lacrosse affiliate in 2005, winning the Trinity League title from 2007-2013 before its departure in 2015.

In May 2023, high school athletic directors in Orange County and neighboring areas approved a controversial realignment for 2024–25 that would create football-only leagues, based on each school's recent performance as rated by the website CalPreps.com. The Trinity League was exempted from the system in the final proposal submitted to CIF-SS. As part of the realignment, however, Rosary Academy was set to leave the Trinity League to join the new Pacific Coast Conference, leaving the Trinity League at 4 schools for girls.

Champions

Each current member has won at least one CIF-SS championship, Mater Dei (8), Servite (4), and St. John Bosco (2) having won more than one. Each school has also won at least one State championship, Mater Dei (2) and St. John Bosco (2) having won more than one.

Football

The Trinity League is one of the most competitive high school football leagues in the country. St. John Bosco was declared winner of the 2022 and 2019 High School Football America National Championship, and Mater Dei were national champions in 1994, 1996, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2023. From 2016 to 2021, these two schools alone sent 130 players to NCAA Division I football programs, and their rivalry and recruiting efforts have been compared to the D1 level.

The league was named the toughest in the nation by MaxPreps in 2019, and the second toughest in 2013 and 2010.[1] MaxPreps also named Mater Dei, St. John Bosco, and Servite as the teams with the second, third, and fifth toughest schedules in the nation for the 2022 season.

YearTeamRecord
2023Mater Dei5-0-0
2022St. John Bosco4-1-0
2021Mater Dei5-0-0
2020Mater Dei5-0-0
2019St. John Bosco5–0–0
2018Mater Dei5–0–0
2017Mater Dei5–0–0
2016Mater Dei5–0–0
2015St. John Bosco5–0–0
2014St. John Bosco5–0–0
2013St. John Bosco5–0–0
2012St. John Bosco5–0–0
2011Servite5–0–0
2010Servite5–0–0
2009Servite5–0–0
2008Servite/Mater Dei4–1–0
2007Servite4–1–0
2006Orange Lutheran4–1–0

Notable athletic alumni

JSerra

Mater Dei

Servite

St. John Bosco

Santa Margarita Catholic

Orange Lutheran

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Top 10 toughest football leagues in America. October 1, 2010.
  2. Web site: Danny Espinosa Stats. Baseball Almanac. December 3, 2012.
  3. Web site: Tiki Ghosn - Official UFC® Profile. www.ufc.com. 14 September 2018 . en. 2018-09-28.
  4. Ben Bolch, Leinart Chosen State Player of Year, Los Angeles Times, December 5, 2000. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  5. Web site: Bob Meacham Stats. Baseball Almanac. December 3, 2012.
  6. News: High school lessons carry pros through careers – Discipline, appreciateion recalled most often. 1993-01-26. Orange County Register. Osterman. David. "Servite's Steve Beuerlein is ...", "Others have included Blaine Nye, a 1964 graduate of Servite, who played on three Dallas teams".
  7. News: Panthers Cut Greene, Sign Turnbull. Long Beach Press-Telegram. 1997-08-25. New Orleans running back Derek Brown, a former Servite star.
  8. News: Steve Buechele of Servite High Is Trying to Replace a Legend at Third Base for Texas, So It's No Wonder He Finds Himself in a Hot Spot. Los Angeles Times. Smith. Sarah. 1985-07-31. 2008-04-15. Orange County. Sports. 1.
  9. Web site: Official Site of the San Francisco 49ers – TE Roster. 2008-04-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080121055841/http://www.sf49ers.com/team/roster_detail.php?PRKey=146&section=TE+Roster . 2008-01-21.
  10. News: A.J. Gass Powers Servite Past Edison, 28-6. https://web.archive.org/web/20090806045424/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/61634333.html?dids=61634333:61634333&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Oct+03%2C+1992&author=TOM+HAMILTON&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=A.J.+Gass+Powers+Servite+Past+Edison%2C+28-6. dead. August 6, 2009. Los Angeles Times Orange County Edition. Hamilton. Tom. 1992-10-03. 2008-04-15.
  11. News: Dodgers display rare power – Kent, Kemp both homer and the team bangs out 10 hits. Zupke. Curtis. The Orange County Register. 2008-04-15. 2007-07-16.
  12. Web site: Ryan Kalil. NFL.com. en. 2018-09-28.
  13. Web site: Servite High School . 2008-04-15 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080315103051/http://servitehs.org/apps/memoirs/show_memoir.jsp?REC_ID=11070 . 2008-03-15 . Servite High School website
  14. Web site: Turk Schonert: Offensive Coordinator . https://web.archive.org/web/20090307212521/http://www.buffalobills.com/team/coaches/turk-schonert/11dca9c7-0d74-4696-b8bc-738b89634a77 . 2009-03-07 . Buffalo Bills. 2009-03-17.
  15. News: Live and Learn; Servite's Volelrs Hopes to Teach Mater Dei a Lesson This Time. Terry. Mike. 1996-10-11. 8. Los Angeles Times.
  16. News: Former Angel Finds Baseball Salvation at Dana Hills; High school: Pitching coach Mike Witt enjoys teaching Dolphin players more about the game. Los Angeles Times. Terry. Mike. 1997-08-10. Witt was a standout baseball and basketball player at Servite High in 1975–78.
  17. News: Hawks snare star Carfino. 10 April 1980. The Daily Reporter. 29 April 2010.
  18. Web site: James Wesley Cotton. Baseball-Reference.com . November 18, 2012.
  19. Web site: Patrick Cowan. UCLA Bruins. November 18, 2012. August 6, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120806115637/http://www.uclabruins.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/cowan_patrick00.html. dead.
  20. Web site: Nomar Garciaparra . Baseball-Reference.com . November 18, 2012.
  21. Web site: Todd Husak. Stanford Cardinal . November 18, 2012.
  22. Web site: Dennis Lamp. Baseball Almanac . November 18, 2012.
  23. http://www.thebaseballcube.com/hs/544.shtml The Baseball Cube statistics
  24. Web site: 17 Keith Price. CBS Interactive. November 18, 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121028124515/http://www.gohuskies.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/price_keith00.html. October 28, 2012.
  25. News: Ritchie. Erika L.. Quarter-century of achievement. The Orange County Register. September 8, 2012. Local 3.
  26. Web site: Erika Figge - 2005 Women's Water Polo Roster - University of Southern California. usctrojans.com. en. 2018-09-28.
  27. Web site: Brian Finneran. NFL.com. en. 2018-09-28.
  28. Jim Seimas, "Teen Hossler earns way into our hearts at U.S. Open", Santa Cruz Sentinel, June 18, 2012.
  29. http://www.nfl.com/players/carsonpalmer/profile?id=PAL249055, Carson Palmer bio
  30. Web site: Edmonton Eskimos . 2009-06-24 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090708204806/http://www.esks.com/roster/show/id/2435 . 2009-07-08 ., Mark Restelli bio
  31. https://web.archive.org/web/20101207090056/http://soccer.teamusa.org/athletes/amy-rodriguez
  32. Web site: VIDEO: O.C. Rookie Trayce Thompson hits first career home run against Angels. 2015-08-11.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Trinity League".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.