Don’t get it twisted. Even though Mater Dei (California) is coming off a 43-36 loss to Centennial (Corona, California) on Friday, the Monarchs are still one of the top high school football teams in the country.

“They’re really good,” Bishop Gorman coach Brent Browner said. “Those things happen. They lost a game. That doesn’t make them not a really, really good football team.”

The Gaels (4-0) will get a reminder Friday night. The Gaels, ranked No. 1 nationally by USA Today, will host No. 9 Mater Dei (2-1) at 7 p.m. at Fertitta Field.

The game will be streamed on MaxPreps’ website and YouTube channel, as well as the NFHS Network. Gorman is ranked No. 2 by MaxPreps behind St. John Bosco (California), while Mater Dei is No. 8.

The Gaels and Monarchs will be meeting for the fifth time. Mater Dei has won all four of the matchups, including a 31-15 home win last year that ended Gorman’s shot at a fifth mythical national championship. The Monarchs went on to claim their eighth national title.

Here are three things to know about this year’s Mater Dei team:

1. Rare loss

​Mater Dei has been one of the country’s top programs for the past decade. The last time the Monarchs lost to a team not named St. John Bosco before Friday was 2015.

The loss to Centennial snapped a 21-game winning streak for Mater Dei. The Monarchs committed seven turnovers.

There were warning signs for Mater Dei. The Monarchs defeated St. Thomas Aquinas (Florida) 26-23 on Aug. 23 but were outscored 20-0 in the second half.

Mater Dei followed with a 21-18 home win over Kahuku (Hawaii) on Sept. 5. The Gaels, by comparison, shut out Kahuku 38-0 on the road Aug. 30.

2. Dynamic pass catchers

There will be a lot of future stars on the field Friday.

Seventy players between the two teams have at least one offer from a Division I program, according to MaxPreps. Thirty-nine are considered three-star recruits or higher.

The Monarchs’ senior standouts include five-star tight end Mark Bowman, a USC commit, and four-star wide receivers Chris Henry Jr. and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, who are committed to Ohio State. Henry and Dixon-Wyatt each has two touchdown catches this season.

That receiving trio will test the Gaels’ secondary. Gorman’s defense features senior safety Jett Washington, an Oregon commit, and four-star junior cornerback Hayden Stepp.

3. New quarterback

Mater Dei has a new quarterback in senior Ryan Hopkins, who is committed to Wisconsin.

Hopkins, listed at 6 feet, 3 inches and 195 pounds, spent the previous two years at JSerra Catholic (California) before transferring. He is the Monarchs’ third starting quarterback in three seasons.

Hopkins completed 58.5 percent of his passes in Mater Dei’s first two games. He threw for 248 yards against Centennial, but had two interceptions and played a role in a few of the Monarchs’ five fumbles.

The Gaels’ stout defensive line, led by senior Arizona commit Prince Williams, will try to harass Hopkins into making more mistakes.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.

Active NFL players who went to Bishop Gorman and Mater Dei

(Player, position, team)

Bishop Gorman

Kyu Blu Kelly, CB, Las Vegas Raiders

Jaden Hicks, DB, Kansas City Chiefs

Jalen Nailor, WR Minnesota Vikings

Rome Odunze , WR, Chicago Bears

Ronnie Stanley, OT, Baltimore Ravens

Cedric Tillman, WR, Cleveland Browns

Brevin Jordan, TE, Houston Texans

Edefuan Ulofoshio, LB, Cleveland Browns (practice squad)

Mater Dei

Trent McDuffie, DB, Kansas City Chiefs

Bryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers

Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions

Curtis Robinson, LB, San Francisco 49ers

Nikko Remigio , WR, Kansas City Chiefs

Quentin Lake, DB, Los Angeles Rams