Mater Dei vs. St. John Bosco: Top Defensive Performers

<strong>MATER DEI</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="25282" first="Malaki" last="Te’o"]: </strong>Te’o was all over the field for the Monarchs and was named Co-Defensive Player of the Game by the Mater Dei coaching staff. He tied a team-high with 7 tackles, had 2.5 for a loss including half of a sack. Mater Dei did a lot of stunting with its defensive line which gave linebackers free lanes into the backfield. Te’o was causing problems all night for Bosco’s offense and tackles with his whole body. He was a freshman All-American at JSerra and has offers from Colorado, Utah State and Hawaii. https://twitter.com/malakiteo/status/1444469058632445959?s=20 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="25274" first="Cam" last="Sidney"]: </strong>With [player_tooltip player_id="25223" first="Domani" last="Jackson"] out with an injury, Mater Dei needed someone to step up as a shut down corner on the outside. Sidney did just that against Bosco. He never got beat in man coverage and made a beautiful deflection in the endzone in the fourth quarter. When Bosco would try to beat him on short routes, he would close and make the tackle quickly. Sidney is committed to Cal and was named Co-Defensive Player of the Week by the Mater Dei coaching staff. https://twitter.com/MDFootball/status/1445219661767872512?s=20 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="147757" first="Zeus" last="Venegas"]: </strong>The talented sophomore stood out when you watched the Mater Dei defensive line. On passing downs, Venegas and [player_tooltip player_id="141893" first="Jacob" last="Kongaika"] were playing inside, they would twist Kongaika first and have Venegas loop into the opposite A gap and he would get clean looks at the quarterback. He had a crucial sack and was constantly pressuring the Bosco quarterbacks. Coach Bruce Rollinson described him as a mean player and it shows on the field. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="25264" first="Josh" last="Hunter"]: </strong>Hunter had a slow start to the game and he would probably agree with that. He missed a tackle on a big run by Bosco’s quarterback. But for the remainder of the game he did a great job patrolling the middle of the field largely. He put some big hits on receivers despite his lack of size. He was step-for-step in man coverage against [player_tooltip player_id="25456" first="Matayo" last="Uiagalelei"] and deflected a ball against him despite being nearly 10 inches shorter. The San Diego State commit had a great game for the Monarchs. https://twitter.com/ocregister/status/1443618145495830538?s=20 <strong>ST. JOHN BOSCO</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="25253" first="Sione" last="Hala"]: </strong>Hala is ball hawk out there for the Bosco defense. Whenever Mater Dei’s offense reached the second level it seemed like Hala was there to greet the player with a big hit. He needs to be careful because he celebrates big hits a lot and pushes the line sometimes when it comes to late hits. But when he can control his emotions and just play football, he is one of the best defensive players in the state. Hala is committed to Boston College. https://twitter.com/johnwdavis/status/1442895481235927045?s=20 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="141948" first="Malachi" last="Finau"]: </strong>Finau suffered an injury in a previous game and it was unclear whether he would play against Mater Dei or not and he played great. Bosco is known for its edge rushers and linebackers, but Finau’s ability to eat up double teams makes those players shine. He was able to split some double teams and make tackles to stop the run. His athleticism up front made the Mater Dei offensive linemen a little hesitant to commit in the pass blocking game which led to some good pressure. Kansas has offered Finau. https://twitter.com/Jason_Howell/status/1393606478456664074?s=20 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="145191" first="Deven" last="Bryant"]: </strong>Bryant may have been the most underrated player in this game. He flies up the field to stop the running game and he is a precision blitzer who is aggressive while also maintaining his gap integrity. He made some excellent tackles in this game that if he weren’t there, a big play would have occurred. The announcers on Bally Sports West were constantly calling his name and he was in on a lot of key plays. Bryant has an offer from Oregon. https://twitter.com/Ray_Nimmo/status/1439026691880505344?s=20 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="115433" first="Peyton" last="Woodyard"]: </strong>Bosco had a difficult time stopping Mater Dei’s passing attack, but Woodyard did a solid job patrolling the middle of the field. He made a big hit on a play to [player_tooltip player_id="25224" first="CJ" last="Williams"] up the middle that if he weren’t there, could have been a touchdown. He is a solid tackler and a guy that can win jump balls in man coverage. He is speedy for a sophomore and will be a key member of this defense for a long time. https://twitter.com/peypey_wood/status/1444770723910717440?s=20