by Lucas Garrison, Sports Editor

Let’s start off by calling tonight’s matchup between the defending Trinity League Champion Bosco Braves and DeMatha (Hyattsville, MD) on ESPN 2 exactly what it is: a high school football game headlining week 0 of the college football season. 

DeMatha has made the cross country trip, as the Braves look to spoil the Stags’ California dreams from the opening snap. Not to mention, with the national TV presence, the home crowd for this game is expected to be absolutely bonkers from the second Bosco walks out of the tunnel to their new Nike sponsored hype video to the last whistle signaling a Brave victory.

 

DeMatha, the number 8 team nationally in MaxPreps’ Freeman Rankings, is prime to play physical and execute, giving Brave Nation an early season preview of what to expect out of the highly touted, number 2 ranked squad loaded with division one talent on both sides of the ball.

With the specter of a national football audience setting its sights on Bellflower, CA, Bosco has more than enough offensive power to get passed the pre-game jitters early.

Last season’s California Gatorade Player of the Year, senior quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei will be the clear cut leader on the offensive side of the ball. Expect to see this quarterback take the Braves attack to new heights, as the Clemson commit has everything around his to have a monster year to end his high school career.

Returners, such as senior offensive linemen Drake Metcalf and Logan Bednar, provide the star quarterback a foundation he can rely upon. The two make up not only the most vicious linemen duo in high school football but perhaps the smartest, with Metcalf committed to Stanford and Bednar to Harvard. Add the support at the skills positions with speedy Oregon commit, wideout Kris Hutson, and the return of the future UCLA Bruin, running back Nathanial Jones, from a knee injury that sidelined him last season, and it’s clear to see that the Braves are an offense unlike any other in the country.

The Braves have no doubt set high expectations for themselves, as they look for a return to CIF Southern Section, State, and National Championship glory.  But they can’t overlook DeMatha who will be looking to pull off a huge upset at Panish Family Stadium Saturday night.

Despite the early season test, Bosco will walk out of this game victorious on their home field. It won’t be easy early against a large DeMatha front, and it will be exciting to see how the Braves fair against their first nationally ranked opponent of the season. But with head coach Jason Negro and Uiagalelei leading the charge, fully expect to see the Braves storm out of Panish with an impressive win against a highly ranked national opponent on their pre-Trinity League resume.

FINAL SCORE: Bosco 42 – DeMatha 28