Every year, South California produces some of the nation’s best teams. Two of SoCal’s finest, St. John Bosco and Mater Dei, faced off on October 16 at the Santa Ana Bowl. Situated just a half-hour drive away, this matchup is consistently regarded as one of the best rivalry games of the season.
Both teams entered the game at 6-0, with Bosco ranked 4th in the DigitalSports National Football Rankings and Mater Dei not far behind at 19th.
The Braves had an early jump on Mater Dei, racing out to a 28-0 advantage by halftime. Sean McGrew led the charge, rushing in an 81-yard touchdown while also putting the Braves within pouncing range of the endzone with for their other three scores.
The second half started off quite similarly to the first, with two quick touchdowns including a 56-yarder from McGrew. After that, Mater Dei finally found a way to produce some offense, scoring three touchdowns in the air. By the final whistle, Bosco held on to a 42-21 victory, doubling up on their Santa Ana rivals.
McGrew finished with 15 carries for 218 yards and two scores. Cross Poyer punched in two goal line touchdowns. Quarterback Quentin Davis completed 11-of-20 passes for 129 yards. Devin Fleming caught three passes for 57 yards and rushed in a 23-yard score on his one carry.
Now 7-0, Bosco prepares for its next contest on October 23 against JSerra. Mater Dei looks to get back in the win column when they host Servite on the same day.