Braves dominate nation's No. 1-ranked Monarchs
BELLFLOWER ❯❯ St. John Bosco dominated rival Mater Dei, rolling to a convincing 28-0 win Friday night at Panish Family Stadium. Bosco senior running back Cameron Jones rushed for 136 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries and had a 17-yard touchdown reception.
Bosco improved to 7-1 overall and seized sole possession of first place in the Trinity League with a 3-0 record. Mater Dei (7-1, 2-1) came into the game as the No. 1-ranked in the nation.
On their fourth offensive possession of the game, Bosco took a 7-0 lead on a 69-yard scoring drive in the second quarter, capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by Jones. The 6-foot2, 235-pound UCLA commit had 87 yards on 11 carries at halftime. Jones and Bosco senior running back Chauncey Sylvester Jr. combined for 115 rushing yards on 17 carries in the first half.
Late in the second quarter, Bosco senior quarterback Caleb Sanchez led the Braves on a 54-yard scoring drive, which he capped off by throwing a 17-yard touchdown pass to Jones with 55 seconds left before halftime, making it a 14-0 game.
Meanwhile, Bosco's defense effectively pressured Mater Dei senior quarterback Elijah Brown (Stanford commit) in the first half. Brown completed 5 of 9 attempts for 42 yards and the opening half and finished 10 of 18 for just 75 yards.
The Braves held the Monarchs offense to 103 yards of total offense in the first half. Senior linebacker Kygnstonn Viliamu-Asa (Notre Dame commit), and juniors Epi Sitanilei Usumalii and Max Amasio each recorded a sack before halftime.
Bosco extended its lead to 21-0 when Sanchez threw a backward screen toss to senior receiver Stacy Dobbins, who caught Mater Dei's defense off guard by throwing a 28-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Tommy Maher with 6:49 left in the third quarter.
Bosco's defense then followed the offense's momentum by forcing Mater Dei's offense to turn the ball over on downs at the Braves 30.
An interception by Bosco senior defensive back Frankie Edwards (Idaho commit) in his end zone sealed the shutout with 1:07 to go.
Bosco's Sylvester added a 9-yard touchdown run, which extended the Braves' lead to 28-0 with 2:49 left in the game.
Before the game, St. John Bosco coach Jason Negro said he wanted his players to focus on themselves, not Mater Dei.
“It's a mantra that we have here and it focuses your attention away from the opponent and more on yourself,” Negro said. “I think that that has been something that's been a positive for us and we've done it throughout the years.
“It's a game-by-game approach, nameless, faceless opponent. It's a little bit harder when you're playing Mater Dei, obviously, because the game is such hoopla, but I just want to make sure our kids are focused on the task at hand and that's trying to get better (Friday night), so that way we're better next week.”
Bosco will finish out its Trinity League schedule at JSerra next Friday and against Orange Lutheran at Orange Coast College on Oct. 27.