Servite vs. St. John Bosco Preview: Players to Watch
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After suffering a disappointing loss to St. John Bosco just three weeks ago, Servite gets another crack at the Braves in the Division 1 semifinals Friday. Bosco held Servite to just 10 points, 179 yards of total offense and 82…
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Continue ReadingAfter suffering a disappointing loss to St. John Bosco just three weeks ago, Servite gets another crack at the Braves in the Division 1 semifinals Friday.
Bosco held Servite to just 10 points, 179 yards of total offense and 82 passing yards. The Braves’ secondary, led by Tayvion Beasley Tayvion Beasley 5'10" | 165 lbs | DB St. John Bosco | 2022 State CA and Marcelles Williams Marcelles Williams 6'0" | 185 lbs | DB St. John Bosco | 2024 State CA , held Servite receiver Tetairoa McMillan Tetairoa McMillan 6'4" | 185 lbs | WR Servite | 2022 State CA to just 23 yards on two receptions.
Servite’s offense has struggled since losing to Mater Dei. Last week against Santa Margarita, the Friars scored 34 points, but one touchdown was on a pick-six and two others were late in the game due to short fields.
Noah Fifita Noah Fifita 5'10" | 175 lbs | QB Servite | 2022 State CA was held to 82 yards against Bosco and had less than 180 yards against Santa Margarita. Servite is capable of running the ball but they need to get the passing game going again if they want to beat Bosco.
Here we go 🥳@GregBiggins and @annacconnelly break down this week's @BallySportWest Game of the Week between @boscofootball and @ServiteFootball! pic.twitter.com/rdNkr8Ft6p
— PrepZone (@prepzone) November 17, 2021
I expect Bosco to once again dare Servite to run the ball against them. Houston Thomas Houston Thomas 5'8" | 170 lbs | RB Portola | 2022 CA is a quality running back, but Bosco can score and for Servite to keep pace, they need to throw the ball.
Bosco’s running game was fantastic against Los Alamitos in round one. The Braves rushed for 585 yards with Rayshon Luke Rayshon Luke 5'9" | 170 lbs | RB St. John Bosco | 2022 State CA leading the pack with 248 yards on just 9 carries. Jabari Bates Jabari Bates 5'8" | 160 lbs | RB St. John Bosco | 2022 State CA ran for 189 yards on 17 carries and Michael Hayes Michael Hayes 5'8" | 165 lbs | RB St. John Bosco | 2022 State CA ran for 133 yards on 11 carries.
If its a foot race, Speedy Luke is going to win every time💨@boscofootball responds with another TD 🏈#PrepZone I @CIFSS pic.twitter.com/qygq59TV1C
— PrepZone (@prepzone) November 13, 2021
The Braves will not rush for that many yards against Servite with Aden Eckenwiler and Jacob Manu Jacob Manu 5'11" | 210 lbs | LB Servite | 2022 State CA at linebacker, but they may not need to. Pierce Clarkson Pierce Clarkson 6'1" | 195 lbs | QB St. John Bosco | 2023 State CA and Katin Houser Katin Houser 6'3" | 195 lbs | QB St. John Bosco | 2022 State CA are both capable of picking apart defenses. Chedon James Chedon James 5'9" | 170 lbs | WR St. John Bosco | 2022 State CA can get open against multiple coverages. Logan Booher Logan Booher 6'1" | 195 lbs | WR St. John Bosco | 2022 State CA and Colin Chase have been effective receivers as well and Matayo Uiagalelei Matayo Uiagalelei 6'5" | 265 lbs | DL St. John Bosco | 2023 State CA is a matchup nightmare.
Servite would love to have Emmett Mosley Emmett Mosley 6'1" | 180 lbs | ATH Santa Margarita Catholic | 2024 State CA healthy for this game. Mosley played well at corner against Mater Dei which allowed McMillan to move over to safety. Mosley is questionable for the game.
The Friars would also love to pick apart Bosco’s defense on intermediate routes. Bosco has the weapons at linebacker and safety to prevent that from happening. Sione Hala Sione Hala 6'2" | 200 lbs | DB St. John Bosco | 2022 State CA and Peyton Woodyard Peyton Woodyard 6'2" | 195 lbs | DB St. John Bosco | 2024 State CA are hard hitting safeties. Ty Lee Ty Lee 6'3" | 190 lbs | DB St. John Bosco | 2023 State CA is a great cover secondary player. Jalen Woods Jalen Woods 6'0" | 205 lbs | LB St. John Bosco | 2022 State CA is a star at linebacker and Deven Bryant Deven Bryant 6'1" | 210 lbs | LB St. John Bosco | 2023 State CA has been outstanding the past month.
🚨 PLAYOFF UPDATE! 🚨 @ServiteFootball will travel to take on St. John Bosco Friday night in the CIF-SS D1 Semifinals!
A limited number of general admission tickets will go on sale TUESDAY MORNING at 7am on GoFan. #CREDO #GOFRIARS pic.twitter.com/qCFaZlHnSs
— Servite Athletics (@ServiteSports) November 15, 2021
Some local media members are picking Servite to win this game and I understand why. The Friars have one of their most talented rosters in school history and are saying the right things.
“Every year we talk about beating them,” McMillan said. “Enough with the talking, we just have to go out there and beat them. The excitement is through the roof. We know it is going to be a dogfight, we just have to be prepared.”
Servite can absolutely win this game. I trust the Bosco coaching staff to be able to once again contain Servite’s offense and adjust on the fly if need be.