Braves blow out Friars, rival Mater Dei up next
BELLFLOWER » St. John Bosco senior quarterback Caleb Sanchez threw three touchdowns in a span of his first four passes to lead the Braves to a 5627 win at home against Trinity League rival Servite in Bellflower on Friday.
Sanchez went 14 of 16 for 270 passing yards and four touchdowns in the first half.
“We talked about starting fast and we have guys who can make plays,” Sanchez said. “We wanted to utilize that so we wanted to take shots . ... All I have to do is get them the ball and that's the results right there.”
The 6-foot-4 230-pound quarterback also ran for 35 yards on three carries before halftime. Sanchez ultimately completed 16 of 18 attempts for 343 passing yards and five touchdowns in less than three quarters of action.
“I think our chemistry is building. It's getting stronger,” Sanchez saidd. “We have athletes all over the place so if I can just get the ball to them, they'll make plays for me.”
Bosco senior running back Cameron Jones (UCLA commit) finished with a team-high 134 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries.
The Braves improved to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in the Trinity League. St. John Bosco will host No. 1 ranked Mater Dei next Friday at Panish Family Stadium in Bellflower.
“It's the biggest game of the year for us so far,” Sanchez said. “This is what we look forward to, this is why we come to Bosco to play games like this. Mater Dei is a tough opponent but I feel like we can do our job if we can execute and stay consistent on both sides that we'll be able to get it done against them.”
Before the game, Bosco football coach Jason Negro said he wanted his team to solely focus on Servite rather than look ahead to next week's game against the rival Monarchs. After the game, Negro was ready to talk about Mater Dei.
“Our kids are going to be ready,” Negro said. “Frank (McManus) is going to have his kids ready over there at Mater Dei and it's going to be a great game next Friday.”
On the Braves's first play on offense, Sanchez threw a 68-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Stacy Dobbins, which put the Braves up 7-0 with 10:01 left in the first quarter.
On the Braves' next offensive drive, Sanchez threw a 58-yard touchdown to sophomore receiver Madden Williams, which extended Bosco's lead to 14-0 with 5:06 left in the first.
Sanchez added a 31-yard TD pass for sophomore receiver Daniel Odom with 2:27 left in the first. Bosco led 21-0.
An 8-yard RS run by Jones made it 28-0 with 10:52 left in the second.
However, on the next play, Servite (4-3, 0-2) caught Bosco off guard with a double pass, which ended with an 80yard touchdown from senior receiver Quinn Rosenkranz to junior receiver Ethan Naudin. The Friars cut Bosco's lead to 28-8, with a successful twopoint conversion pass from Servite junior quarterback Leo Hannan to senior receiver Aidan O'Callaghan with 10:35 left in the second.
Servite's defense followed that up by forcing and recovering a fumble by Bosco's Sanchez with 8:55 left in the second. However, Servite would later turn the ball over on downs.
Bosco's Jones added a 28-yard touchdown with 5:53 left in the second. The Braves led 35-8.
Sanchez added his fourth touchdown pass of the first half, connecting with Dobbins again, this time for an 11yard strike with 27 seconds left in the first half. Bosco led 42-8 at halftime.
Sanchez threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Owen Tomich, which extended Bosco's lead to 49-8 early in the third.
Bosco senior punt returner Peyton Woodyard (Alabama commit) muffed a punt at his own 11, which Servite recovered. The Friars capitalized with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Hannan to sophomore receiver Devan Parker, cutting Bosco's lead to 49-14 midway through the third.
Braves backup quarterback Matai Fuiava threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Tomich, for the 6-foot-1 receiver's second score of the night. Bosco led 56-14 with 1:53 left in the third.
Servite junior running back Quaid Carr, who ran for a team-high 53 yards on 13 carries, added a 2-yard touchdown with 8:56 remaining, which cut Bosco's lead to 56-20. On Bosco sophomore backup quarterback Ashton Pannell's first pass in the fourth, Friars sophomore defensive back Tristin Ordaz hauled in an interception and returned it for a touchdown, which cut Bosco's lead to 56-27 with 7:41 to go.