Ain’t no tale better than a revenge tale. The Mater Dei Monarchs are on top of the high school football world—again. After steamrolling De La Salle 37-15 on December 14, Mater Dei wrapped up a flawless 13-0 season and secured their back-to-back California State Championship. But this one hit a little different. Leading the Monarchs to glory was none other than legendary coach Raul Lara, and oh boy, he made history while settling some unfinished past business.

For the uninitiated, let’s take it back to 2001—when flip phones were hot and Raul Lara was calling plays for Long Beach Poly, one of the greatest high school teams of all time. That year, the Jackrabbits squared off against De La Salle in a game so monumental it made its way to Hollywood (shout-out When the Game Stands Tall). It was No.1 vs. No.2—you know, the type of matchup you only dream of. But Lara’s squad fell short, losing 29-15. Not gonna lie, that L was low-key carried in Lara’s soul, since then. Fast forward 23 years, and Coach Lara didn’t just get his revenge; he got it in style.

In his very first year as head coach of Mater Dei—a team already stacked like a five-star buffet—Lara led them to crush his old nemesis, De La Salle Spartans, under the bright lights of Mission Viejo. A perfect season, a decisive championship, and sweet poetic justice—the script writes itself. It doesn’t get better than this. If this was a movie, the credits would roll with Lara walking off the field while that lines from that Meek Mill’s track, ‘I used to pray for times like this.’

Let’s not forget—Lara isn’t new to this. Over his 13-year tenure at Long Beach Poly, the man’s Retro Bowl type of records. He stacked a 142-30 record, racked up six CIF Division I championships as a head coach, 6 more as an assistant, and bagged multiple CIF MVP Coach of the Year honors. Point blank: Coach Lara is that dude. And now? He’s doing it all over again with Mater Dei, proving that legends don’t just fade—they evolve, big time in Lara’s case.

The fans over the Internet just couldn’t stop glazing Raul Lara

The Monarch and Long Beach Poly fans literally rushed on X (or Twitter, whatever works for you) and started singing Lara’s legendary tales. One fan started the glazing, “Raul Lara gotta be football royalty, dude coached Poly and Mater Dei, run it.” Look, when you’ve got a coaching résumé like Raul Lara’s, people better talk about you like you’re royalty or a monarch. From turning Long Beach Poly into a powerhouse back in the day to now leading Mater Dei to the promised land in his first season, Lara’s legacy speaks for itself. That “football royalty” crown? He didn’t buy it—he earned it, yard by yard, win by win.

Then comes a Long Beach guy, “23 years later Coach Raul Lara gets his revenge vs. De La Salle. Congrats Mater Dei Monarchs from a Long Beach Poly fan here.” Talk about a full-circle moment, huh. Look, if you’re a Long Beach Poly fan, ya’ll been waiting 2 decades to see Lara get that sweet revenge against De La Salle. Guess the dream comes true.

One fan wrote half a paragraph, “Congrats Mater Dei Monarchs on your win vs. De La Salle! 23 years ago Coach Raul Lara coached LB Poly vs De La Salle and came up short 29-15. 23 years later he faces De La Salle again, this time with Mater Dei and beats them 37-15. And De La Salle ends with 15 points now.” Now this one’s just poetic. It’s like fate wanted De La Salle to relive exactly what they did to Raul Lara back in ’01. They scored 29 then; this time, they barely scraped 15 points. Who’s laughing now?

One fan tweeted, “23 years ago today Raul Lara coached LB Poly and won a championship 🏆 in his first year. (2001 also vs De La Salle, the big game). 23 years later he’s now coaching his rival Mater Dei. Wow! How ironic. Congrats Coach Lara on crowning champs in your 1st year.” First-year success? That’s just what Lara does. Whether it’s Poly or Mater Dei, you give this man a team, and he’ll turn it into a title-winning machine. Winning CIF titles in your rookie year is wild once—but doing it again, 23 years later, against the same storied opponent? That’s straight-up legendary. It’s like Lara keeps receipts and waits for the perfect moment to drop the mic. And drop it, he did.

Look, coach Raul Lara didn’t just get revenge; he reminded everyone what happens when greatness meets grit. Man had that revenge back of head for 23 years. The man’s been about winning since day one, and with Mater Dei now sitting at 13-0 and back-to-back champs, the internet knows exactly who’s running the show now.