St. John Bosco vs. Mater Dei: Defensive Standouts
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Two of the top teams in the country played each other Saturday in the Trinity League championship game at the Santa Ana Bowl. Mater Dei cruised to a 34-17 win over the Braves and there are plenty of great pieces…
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Continue ReadingTwo of the top teams in the country played each other Saturday in the Trinity League championship game at the Santa Ana Bowl.
Mater Dei cruised to a 34-17 win over the Braves and there are plenty of great pieces you can read for a traditional game recap. There were dozens of media outlets covering the game.
Instead of giving you a scoring summary with some quotes and big picture thoughts, I am going to breakdown the players who stood out on both sides of the ball and some under the radar players who stepped up in the big game.
Here are my offensive standouts from the game.
Below are my defensive standouts:
Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa 6'3" | 225 lbs | LB St. John Bosco | 2024 State CA , St. John Bosco, 2024
There were a few excellent freshmen in this game but Kyngstonn stood out as the best of the group. He flies around the field from the linebacker position and is a great pass rusher. He is built at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds as a freshman. He had multiple tackles for a loss for the Braves and was able to get past big Mater Dei linemen. You can make a case that he was the best player on defense for Bosco and it’s easy to see why he has 10 offers as a freshman, including Auburn, Ohio State and USC.
Andrew Simpson Andrew Simpson 6'1" | 220 lbs | LB St. John Bosco | 2021 State CA , St. John Bosco, 2021
Simpson was recently released from his commitment to Kansas and showed schools how he can hang with the best players in the state. What impressed me about him was how quickly he got to the flat in zone coverage and he could hang with Mater Dei’s slot receivers in man-to-man. He is a true sideline-to-sideline linebacker which is what Power 5 coaches demand from their linebackers. He made some big stops in the running game and is very polished.
Very impressed with 2021 LB Andrew Simpson (@dreww___2 ) He will be a fantastic late addition to any class and provides value in versatility early on.
Jairus Satele (@satele56) does not get the recognition he deserves. Quick first step, consistently disruptive, high motor. pic.twitter.com/qhSCtgqrAf
— Kyle Morgan CATAPULT Southwest Regional Scout (@KyleMorgan_XOS) April 18, 2021
Jalen Woods Jalen Woods 6'0" | 205 lbs | LB St. John Bosco | 2022 State CA , St. John Bosco, 2022
I watched the Bosco linebackers doing their pregame warmups and Woods drawing a lot of attention from the media spectators. During the game he impressed with his agility, pursuit angles and tackling. He has a good football IQ and can quickly adjust from pass coverage to defending the run before other backs make the adjustment. He made big hits and had a suplex tackle on a Mater Dei running back. He has six offers from Arizona State, Boston College, Miami, Oregon, UCLA and Kansas.
The athleticism and versatility of 2022 LB Jalen Woods (@JayDouble_9) is impressive. Smooth athlete, speed in pursuit and an ultimate chess piece for any scheme. 📈 pic.twitter.com/4TRzIGD4D9
— Kyle Morgan CATAPULT Southwest Regional Scout (@KyleMorgan_XOS) April 18, 2021
Quincy Craig Quincy Craig 5'9" | 175 lbs | RB Mater Dei | 2022 State CA , Mater Dei, 2022
Every team has players who make sacrifices for the team but nobody has sacrificed himself for the better of Mater Dei’s team more than Craig. He was the team’s primary running back last year but moved to slot receiver and defensive back when Raleek Brown Raleek Brown 5'9" | 185 lbs | RB Mater Dei | 2022 State CA transferred in. He was all over the field in pass coverage for the Monarchs and forced the biggest turnover in the game when he forced a fumble at the one-yard line which Mater Dei recovered in the endzone. Craig is under recruited and I don’t know where he will play college football, but he is a great high school player who the coaching staff raves about.
The decisive play last night by Mater Dei’s Quincy Craig stripping the ball. pic.twitter.com/5lHkRPo1Gh
— eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) April 19, 2021
Domani Jackson Domani Jackson 6'2" | 185 lbs | DB Mater Dei | 2022 State CA , Mater Dei, 2022
Domani may be the most physically dominant corner I have seen at the high school level. He is 6-foot-1 but looks taller in person is 185 pounds. He shut down very good Bosco receivers and had a big interception in the fourth quarter to help seal the win for the Monarchs. Bosco’s coaches rarely threw the ball in his direction while he was in man coverage and after a big pass deflection he did the Dikembe Mutombo finger wag at the Bosco sideline. He is also good at coming up and defending the run. USC is getting the best player in California’s 2022 class.
Shoes Brinkley Shoes Brinkley 5'9" | 185 lbs | ATH Mater Dei | 2021 State CA , Mater Dei, 2021
The transfer from Philly was all over the field and drew praise from the Bally Sports commentators during the broadcast. He shut down a lot of passes to the middle of the field and laid some big hits on crossing routes. This was the biggest game of his career on the biggest stage and he delivered. “This is why I came out here. Playing on the biggest stage,” Brinkley said. “My family always says big players make big plays on the big stage and I feel like I did that today.” He is uncommitted but has offers from lots of Group of 5 schools and whoever gets him is getting a playmaker.
SHOOOOOOOOOOES👏@MDFootball I @ShoesBrinkley pic.twitter.com/K3Q3uthe7D
— PrepZone (@prepzone) April 18, 2021
Shoes Brinkley with an interception in the endzone as time expires in the first half.
Mater Dei 24, St. John Bosco 14 at halftime. @ocvarsity @PrepRedzoneCA @MDFootball @ShoesBrinkley pic.twitter.com/rjvvtIr2R9
— Michael Huntley (@mikehuntley63) April 18, 2021
Levi Sua Levi Sua 6'2" | 225 lbs | LB Mater Dei | 2023 State CA , Mater Dei, 2022
Mater Dei has many elite linebackers I knew would play well but one guy I hadn’t seen in person yet was Leviticus Su’a. You can make a case that he was the best run defender on the field for Mater Dei. His speed while getting to the flat defending the speedy Bosco running backs was glaring. He had a huge play on 3rd and 11 where Bosco quarterback Pierce Clarkson Pierce Clarkson 6'1" | 195 lbs | QB St. John Bosco | 2023 State CA had room to run for a first down but Su’a chased him down to force a punt. He has many offers including Michigan but somehow still feels under the radar.
2023 LB LEVITICUS SU’A With the Huge Play on 3rd & 11 Forcing Bosco to Punt❕🏈
🎥 @USCScoop #FightOn✌🏼 pic.twitter.com/0Rm5llksok
— Scott Schrader (@Scott_Schrader) April 18, 2021
Raesjon Davis Raesjon Davis 6'1" | 215 lbs | LB Mater Dei | 2021 State CA , Mater Dei, 2021
Davis was the most college-ready linebacker on the field Saturday. He stepped up and made plays in the running game, put interior pressure on the Bosco quarterbacks and had a deflection in pass coverage. He beat a Bosco offensive lineman who is considered one of the best of his class and was a nightmare for the Braves running backs. USC is getting an elite linebacker in Davis.
The Raesjon Davis hug. Future Trojan. pic.twitter.com/CPlcLqoRzZ
— eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) April 18, 2021