Mater Dei vs. St. John Bosco Preview
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Two of the top three teams in the country play each other this week in Southern California. Mater Dei and St. John Bosco will play at a sold out Panish Family Stadium on Bally Sports West television.
The game sold out in less than five minutes. It is a major event when these two teams get together that transcends high school football.
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I was fortunate enough to cover the game in the spring for Prep Redzone and I highlighted the top offensive, defensive and sleeper players.
This season a lot of players from the spring are back and there are very few new faces. Mater Dei won the game 34-17.
Monarchs quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="147708" first="Elijah" last="Brown"] was fantastic in last spring’s game throwing for 203 yards on just 14 completions with four touchdowns. Two of his top targets from that game are gone but Notre Dame commit [player_tooltip player_id="25224" first="CJ" last="Williams"] returns and slot receiver [player_tooltip player_id="25281" first="Quincy" last="Craig"] is back as well.
Harvard commit [player_tooltip player_id="25278" first="Cooper" last="Barkate"] did not play in the game due to injury but is healthy now and has scored in Mater Dei’s last two games. Nearly all of Mater Dei’s offensive line is back from last season and running back [player_tooltip player_id="25225" first="Raleek" last="Brown"] is one of the best running backs in the nation.
For Bosco, [player_tooltip player_id="25273" first="Katin" last="Houser"] and [player_tooltip player_id="25367" first="Pierce" last="Clarkson"] have been very good this season and will both see playing time this Friday. Clarkson threw a touchdown pass in the game last season but wasn’t very efficient. Houser turned the ball over three times.
[player_tooltip player_id="25266" first="Jabari" last="Bates"] winded up getting most of the carries for the Braves and broke loose for a 66-yard touchdown run. [player_tooltip player_id="25233" first="Rayshon" last="Luke"] is also back and is always capable of a big play.
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The Bosco quarterbacks do a fantastic job spreading the ball around, but its leading receivers are [player_tooltip player_id="143115" first="Chedon" last="James"] and [player_tooltip player_id="141958" first="Logan" last="Booher"]. In the redzone, [player_tooltip player_id="25456" first="Matayo" last="Uiagalelei"] is one of the best in the nation as a touchdown target. He had a touchdown catch in the game during the spring.
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The story of last year’s game was Mater Dei’s defense. They allowed 400 yards but really contained Bosco’s passing attack and forced three turnovers. Nearly everyone is back from Mater Dei’s defense in that game except for USC commit [player_tooltip player_id="25223" first="Domani" last="Jackson"] who is out with a leg injury.
[player_tooltip player_id="25447" first="Levi" last="Sua"] led the Monarchs with eight tackles and two sacks. [player_tooltip player_id="141893" first="Jacob" last="Kongaika"] was outstanding up front with a tackle for a loss and [player_tooltip player_id="25234" first="David" last="Bailey"] was constantly in the backfield. Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson loves the front seven of the team. He told me about his admiration of Sua, Kongaika and Bailey, but also mentioned [player_tooltip player_id="142010" first="Ta’ita’i" last="Uiagalelei"], Malaki Teo and freshman Nasir Wyatt. [player_tooltip player_id="25279" first="Eoghan" last="Kerry"] is a Texas commit and a stud linebacker for the Monarchs too.
[player_tooltip player_id="25264" first="Josh" last="Hunter"], [player_tooltip player_id="147715" first="Zabien" last="Brown"] and [player_tooltip player_id="25274" first="Cam" last="Sidney"] lead the Mater Dei secondary.
The strength of Bosco’s defense is its versatility. [player_tooltip player_id="25253" first="Sione" last="Hala"], [player_tooltip player_id="25257" first="Jalen" last="Woods"] and [player_tooltip player_id="115433" first="Peyton" last="Woodyard"] can all play in the secondary or move into the box. Bosco is extremely fast and they hustle to the flat well and close on tacklers quickly.
[player_tooltip player_id="25302" first="Jairus" last="Satele"] is one of the best pass rushers in the state and [player_tooltip player_id="25245" first="Nathan" last="Burrell"] and Uiagalelei can cause havoc in the backfield too. [player_tooltip player_id="186987" first="Ryan" last="Tuaolo"] has been a pleasant surprise for Bosco’s defense and he has an offer from Boise State.
Some sleeper players to watch for Bosco are [player_tooltip player_id="25306" first="Jaxon" last="Harley"], Elias Archie, [player_tooltip player_id="25395" first="RJ" last="Jones"], [player_tooltip player_id="115432" first="Marcelles" last="Williams"] and [player_tooltip player_id="25380" first="Jshawn" last="Frausto-Ramos"].
There are some stars up front for both teams offensively. [player_tooltip player_id="25226" first="Earnest" last="Greene"] of Bosco is one of the best linemen in the nation. [player_tooltip player_id="25453" first="BJ" last="Tolo"] leads Mater Dei’s line and [player_tooltip player_id="147719" first="DeAndre" last="Carter"] is one of the best underclassmen lineman in the nation. Jack Laphen has been effective for the Monarchs and Mosula Tapusoa recently committed to Morgan State and is playing well.
The most intriguing matchup to me is [player_tooltip player_id="25224" first="CJ" last="Williams"] against Bosco cornerback [player_tooltip player_id="25252" first="Tayvion" last="Beasley"]. These two are super talented and talk a lot of trash to each other on the field. Williams got him for a touchdown in man-to-man coverage in last year’s game and got in his face afterward. They are fun to watch.
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Prediction time. I do not think it will be a 17 point game like last season that underwhelmed a lot of people. But I do think Mater Dei is too good, particularly on defense this season and nobody can beat them.
