Who is the Fairest of Them All?

The 2013 Mater Dei Catholic Crusader Homecoming Court: Carolina Vasquez, Kelly Luu, Ximena Gonzalez, Sofia Posado, and Alexis Zora (l to r). The Crusaders defeated the Montgomery Aztecs in the Homecoming Game 42-14; iCrew Photo by Anamarie Ancheta
Five girls stood side by side, awaiting for the news they’ve been longing to hear. Who will be Homecoming Queen? Each one of the girls has dreamt of winning this coveted title, but alas, only one can win.
Last Friday Night, the Mater Dei Catholic Crusaders(3-6, 3-3) celebrated Homecoming 2013 and Senior Night in the final home game of the season with a 42-14 win

Evan Davis scored the fourth Crusader touchdown from 9 yards out with :51 left in the first half as the Crusaders led 28-0 in the locker room. iCrew Photo by Anamarie Ancheta
over the Montgomery Aztecs (4-5, 0-4). The Crusaders led off the scoring with a 34 yard pass completion from Marco Morales to Iman Chatman-Dixon at 10:25 in the first quarter. 48 seconds later Jaryd Joyner led the blocking as Homecoming King Alonso Alzua went in from 6 yards out.
Evan Beebe caught two TD passes from Morales of 9 and 16 yards. Evan Davis and Marco Morales rounded out the scoring with TD Runs of 9 and 4 respectively. Aztec Stanley Schwing scored both TDs for Montgomery with runs of 32 and 13 yards for a final score Mater Dei 42, Montgomery 14.
In a ceremony before the game, the Mater Dei seniors were honored along with their parents
# | Player | YR | Position | Name of Parents |
1 | Alonso Alzua | 12 | RB/DB | Rafael Alzua & Xochitl Ochoa |
2 | Josh Alvarado | 12 | WR/DB | Michael & Christine Alvarado |
3 | Evan Beebe | 12 | WR/DB | Clayton & Dina Beebe |
4 | Damon Willis | 12 | WR/LB | Samuel & Krelia Scaife |
5 | Evan Davis | 12 | WR/DB | Harry & Therese Davis |
7 | Marco Morales | 12 | QB | Marco & Kimberly Morales |
8 | Christian Hayes | 12 | WR/DB | Karen Hayes |
9 | Iman Chatman-Dixon | 12 | WR | Jessie & Robin Campbell |
11 | Sebastian Kelley | 12 | LB | James & Michele Kelley |
23 | Nick Conlin | 12 | WR/DB | James & Lisa Conlin |
24 | Eric Flores | 12 | WR/DB | Jaime & Elizabeth Flores |
44 | Brandon Manderson | 12 | RB/LB | Dean & Mary Beth Manderson |
57 | Matt Garcia | 12 | OL/DL | Fernando & Grace Garcia |
59 | Michael Massey | 12 | OL/DL | Jack & Gloria Rower |
70 | Bryan Flores | 12 | OL/DL | Rosa Flores |
72 | Andrew Almazan | 12 | OL/DL | Fidel & Imelda Almazan |
The previous Wednesday night in the Bosco Center, five Crusader Alumni and one sports team were inducted into the Crusader Sports Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame members were introduced in pregame. This year’s inductees were:
Dan Prager – Crusader Class of 1972
Yessenia Martinez – Crusader Class of 1994
Domonic Cruz – Crusader Class of 1998
Dario Aguiniga – Crusader Class of 2000
Mickey Pimentel – Crusader Class of 2003
And the 2003 Crusader Football Team
The real drama occurred at Halftime as Mater Dei celebrated Homecoming 2013. A few weeks before the big Homecoming game, Kelly Luu, Ximena Gonzalez, Sofia Pasado, Alexis Zora, and Carolina Vasquez were chosen by their fellow senior classmates as the contenders for Homecoming Queen.
Now, their anxiety can end with the big Homecoming game. Mater Dei students arrived at the stadium with high spirits and hopes that their team would win; however, they were anticipating the revelation of their new queen. Will it be Pasado, Zora, Vasquez, Luu, or Gonzalez who will take home the crown?
It was not revealed until the celebration of Homecoming 2013 at halftime. After the cheerleaders performed stunts to a mix of popular modern songs. Mr. Smyth, a Mater Dei teacher, introduced each princess with a brief summary of the girls’ achievements, involvement in school, and lessons they have learned during their high school years. Then, with the proud fathers by their daughters’ sides, each girl received a case with a flower in it, and whoever has the white rose is the Homecoming Queen.
Fireworks exploded in the night sky, mesmerizing the audience. That was not enough to tear their attention away from Ximena Gonzalez who held the white rose. From her dad, the fellow princesses, and her closest friends, Ximena Gonzalez received many cheers and congratulations.

On Friday Night, November, 1, Ximena Gonzalez was named 2013 Mater Dei Catholic High School Homecoming Queen; iCrew Photo by Anamarie Ancheta
For the graduating seniors, this was truly an amazing final Homecoming game that they will remember for years to come. Maybe someday, they will return as newly inducted members of the Mater Dei Catholic Crusader Hall of Fame.
Click Here for iCrew Photos by Anamarie Ancheta, Kayla San Pedro, Steve Bradley and Erica Mora