One of the top football coaches in California is on his way to one of the nation’s premier prep coaching job. On Thursday, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) announced the hiring of Raul Lara as their next head football coach.
Lara is an accomplished head coach in California, who is perhaps best known for his 13 years spent at Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, California) where he won five Southern Section championships while compiling a record of 142-30.
Last fall, Mater Dei finished third in the nation in the final USA TODAY Sports Super 25. Mater Dei went 13-1 under head coach Frank McManus.
The school has produced three winners of the Heisman Trophy.
There is a connection to Mater Dei for Lara through the school’s president, Michael Brennan. As noted by the Ocean County Register, beginning in 2014, Lara spent five years as head coach at St. Anthony (Long Beach, California) where Brennan was then the president.