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.[1] In 2021, three of the six programs had been ranked in the top 10 in the country, with five in the top 200.[2]
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.
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.[3] Some games drew crowds in excess of 10,000 people, and violence was not uncommon.[3] 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.[3] 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.
Breakup
In 1989 Bishop Montgomery and founding member St. Paul dropped and were replaced by Loyola High School and St. John Bosco.[3] 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.[4] 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.[3]
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.[5]
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.[6]
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.[7] 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.[7]
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, 2023, and 2024.[2] 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.[8]
The league was named the toughest in the nation by MaxPreps in 2019, and the second toughest in 2013 and 2010.[9][10] 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.[11]
Bud Smith (1996), MLB pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals during the 2001–2002 season. He is noted for being one of only 18 pitchers in MLB history since 1900 to throw a no-hitter during their rookie season[33]
Max Tuerk, ( January 27, 1994 – June 20, 2020) chosen in the 2016–2017 NFL draft for the San Diego Chargers, played at USC and started all four years left tackle
Orange Lutheran
Cole Winn, pitcher in the Texas Rangers organization. Top prospect and picked #15 overall.
Aaron Corp, former top recruit of USC; finished college career at Richmond. Signed to practice squads for Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, and Miami Dolphins
Andrew Thurman, former second round pick of the Houston Astros. Spent time in the Astros, Braves, and Dodgers organizations over his MLB career
Hannes Daube, member of the Men's USA Water Polo team, competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics
Amber Neben, cyclist for the US Cycling Team, competed in the 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020 Summer Olympics
^Terry, Mike (1996-10-11). "Live and Learn; Servite's Volelrs Hopes to Teach Mater Dei a Lesson This Time". Los Angeles Times. p. 8.
^Terry, Mike (1997-08-10). "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. Witt was a standout baseball and basketball player at Servite High in 1975–78
