Murrieta Mesa linebackers C.J. Moran, Ifeanyi Onye and Luke Van Den Berg are heart and soul of defense

They were instrumental in the Rams capturing the program's first league championship last season.

MURRIETA — Murrieta Mesa football coach Oscar McBride admits to being “an offensive guy.”

But McBride also has been around the game long enough to know the importance of having a good defense.

“It’s cliché to say that you win championships with defense,” said McBride, who played collegiately at Notre Dame and two seasons in the NFL as a tight end with the Arizona Cardinals. “But when you can rely on your defense to set the tone and get their job done, it just makes things easier as a coach. I am fortunate to have players who really embrace that philosophy.”

McBride guided Murrieta Mesa to a share of the Big West Conference’s Lower Division league championship during his first season in charge of the program. The defense was a bright spot in league play, as the Rams allowed only 11.8 points per game. The heart and soul of that defense were linebackers Craig “C.J.” Moran, Ifeanyi Onye and Luke Van Den Berg, and the trio of seniors has returned to lead the unit again this season.

Murrieta Mesa (6-5 overall, 4-1 in league in 2022) opens the new season Friday at home against Tesoro.

Van Den Berg is a 5-foot-11, 195-pound middle linebacker who captains the unit and makes sure everyone is lined up right before every snap. He led the Rams with 99 tackles last season and added five sacks.

“I don’t want teams to gain an inch against our defense, let alone a yard,” Van Den Berg said. “If other teams are having trouble moving the ball, that lets me know I’m doing my job at getting everyone where they need to be.”

Moran is the team’s other middle linebacker, and the 6-foot, 225-pounder is a jack-of-all-trades for the Rams. Moran is committed to San Diego State to play baseball and will see more snaps at running back this season. He finished second on the team with 61 tackles last season and had four sacks and three fumble recoveries.

“The goal for the defense is just to be dominant every game and on every play,” Moran said. “I want teams to know nothing will come easy. I want them to game plan for the linebackers and be afraid to run the football against us.”

Onye is a 6-foot-1, 230-pound outside backer and edge rusher who led the team with 12 sacks last season.

“Ifeanyi is an absolute monster out there on the field,” McBride said. “We don’t have anybody in our program that can block him, so we’re happy he’s with us. We will leave it to our opponent to figure out how to stop him.”

Each player is great individually, but it is the chemistry and teamwork amongst the trio that really stands out.

“The whole defense is close on and off the field, and all of that pays off on Friday nights,” Van Den Berg said.

All three players are team captains, and McBride has confidence in their leadership skills, going as far to say he would be comfortable with any of them stepping up and running practices if needed. Onye and his fellow linebackers take pride in their leadership roles, especially being mentors to the younger players on the team.

“That all starts with our coaches. They have given us the guidance and the tools to be leaders for the team.” Onye said. “They pass it down to us, and now it’s our responsibility to do the same with the younger players.”

The linebackers have helped breathe new life into a program that experienced a winless season in 2021.

“In the past, a lot of teams just saw us as a doormat and an easy win on the schedule,” Van Den Berg said. “We want to change that. I want teams to say, ‘We’re playing Mesa this week. It’s going to be a good game.’

“Teams are going to have to bring their best game every week and really fight to come away with a victory.”

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(Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

By ERIC-PAUL JOHNSON | ejohnson@scng.com | The Press-Enterprise

PUBLISHED: June 1, 2022 at 4:59 p.m. | UPDATED: June 1, 2022 at 4:59 p.m.

When the psych sheets were released for the CIF Southern Section’s Division 2 swimming championships, Murrieta Mesa’s senior standout Justin Schneider saw two names listed above his in the 100-yard freestyle.

That got the competitive juices flowing.

Schneider, who is headed to Penn State, won a majority of his races during this season without being pushed, but a challenge awaited him at the Division 2 finals in Mission Viejo. Schneider was seeded third for the 100 freestyle, as his entry time placed him behind Roosevelt’s Izaiah Trevino-Lozano and El Toro’s Cruz Tester.

However, Schneider shined brightest with the championship on the line. He trailed Trevino-Lozano by about a tenth of a second at the halfway point of the race. Schneider picked up the pace over the final 25 yards and used every bit of his 6-foot-4 frame to touch the wall first and beat Trevino-Lozano by .04 seconds for the title.

“I put my head down and hoped the wall came soon,” Schneider said about the final moments of that race.

Schneider also swam legs on Murrieta Mesa’s three winning relays at the Division 2 finals, which helped the Rams capture the program’s first section championship.

For these reasons, Schneider has been selected the IE Varsity boys swimmer of the year for the second consecutive season.

Schneider was familiar with Trevino-Lozano through the club swim circuit, but Schneider admitted to being a little surprised after seeing some of Trevino-Lozano’s times in the 100 freestyle throughout the season.

“I knew he was good in the longer events, but didn’t know he was a strong sprinter, too,” Schneider said. “I enjoyed swimming against him. It’s great to have someone push you. It can bring out the best in you.”

Schneider’s greatest strength might be his versatility, as he holds all but two records at Murrieta Mesa. Last season, Schneider won titles in the 50 freestyle and 500 freestyle at the Division 2 final to become the first swimmer in Southern Section history to win the shortest and longest events at a division final.

“As a coach, it’s a privilege and dream to have a swimmer like him,” Murrieta Mesa coach Jenn Beech said. “We can go into any situation or meet and put him in a variety of events and know he will come through.”

Schneider’s unselfishness also stands out. Murrieta Mesa tied for second at last year’s Division 2 final, and there were several talks throughout the season about how best to approach this year’s meet to ensure the Rams brought home the championship. In the end, the decision was made to load up on the relay events. Schneider swam the butterfly on the 200 medley relay and anchored the team’s 200 and 400 free relays.

Schneider earned All-American status in the 100 freestyle, while the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays also posted automatic All-American times. The 400 freestyle relay had an All-American consideration time.

“We all knew what needed to be done, and we came through,” Schneider said. “It was a fun way to go out.”

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