/ STAFF WRITER
SAN BERNARDINO – The plan Mater Dei hatched was simple.
Any time the Monarchs sniffed the end zone, they sent their tall wide receiver, Thomas Duarte, racing down a sideline.
No matter who the quarterback was during Duarte’s three seasons on the varsity team – Max Wittek or Ryan McMahon or Chase Forrest – they relied on their big roaming target.
“Any time we got inside the 40,” Duarte remembers, “it was, ‘Aye.’ Fade. Touchdown. That was the best for me.”
Duarte’s sheer size helped lead to a decorated high school football career.