Mater Dei announced Thursday that it has hired former Long Beach Poly coach Raul Lara as the new head coach for its football team.

Lara replaces Frank McManus, who was let go this month after one season as the team’s head coach. McManus guided the Monarchs to CIF Southern Section and CIF State championships this past season.

McManus had replaced Bruce Rollinson, the school’s head coach from 1989 until he stepped down after the 2022 season.

Lara was head coach at St. Anthony the past three seasons and before that spent five seasons (2014-18) as the head coach at Warren. Mater Dei president Michael Brennan was president at St. Anthony when Lara was hired there.

Long Beach Poly coach Raul Lara is shown on the sidelines during a game at Veterans Stadium in 2009. (File photo: Press Telegram/SCNG)

Lara is best known for his tenure (2001-2013) at Long Beach Poly where he had a 142-30 overall record and his teams won five CIF Southern Section top-division championships. Among those five titles was a win over Mater Dei in 2012 in the Pac-5 Division.

While he was the head coach, Poly also produced several players who went on to star in college and the NFL.

“I am excited and honored to accept the position of Head Football Coach at Mater Dei High School,” Lara said in a statement released by Mater Dei. “I understand the trust that has been placed in me and the high expectations that come with leading this program and representing the school.

“Mater Dei is a standout institution, not only in California, but also nationally. I am deeply committed to preserving and enhancing the football program’s pillars of Pride, Poise, and Courage. As we embark on this journey together, I plan to leverage my diverse professional background to cultivate a program that develops positive and productive citizens ensuring that they not only excel in the game but also emerge as leaders with integrity and resilience.”

Welcome Coach Lara |/ pic.twitter.com/NVGWLS3kdW

— Mater Dei Football (@MDFootball) April 25, 2024

This past season St. Anthony won the Del Rey League championship with a 4-0 league record and went 9-3 overall. The Saints lost to St. Pius X-St. Matthias in the second round of the Division 8 playoffs.

St. Antony was 3-6 in 2022 and 9-5 in 2021 with a loss to Northview in the CIF-SS Division 10 championship game.

“We are excited to welcome Coach Lara to our Monarch community,” said Brennan. “Raul’s deep understanding and personal philosophy align perfectly with Mater Dei’s mission, philosophy, and our core principles of Honor, Glory, and Love. His career as a coach and probation officer has always emphasized the importance of academic achievement, character development, and community involvement, along with athletic excellence.

“I am confident that Coach Lara’s leadership will enrich the lives of our student athletes to achieve new heights in competition and in life.”

Lara also served briefly as an assistant coach at Servite.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. 

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