by Jack Turner

The St. John Bosco Braves are recognized as one of the best football teams in the nation, and at the forefront of this athletic powerhouse this season was the starting quarterback of the Braves, senior Caleb Sanchez, a leader on and off the field who has emerged as one of high school football’s best quarterbacks.

The story of St. John Bosco’s star quarterback begins with humble origins. Growing up locally in Carson, he displayed an early passion for football. Starting flag football at five years old and then continuing his love for the game to tackle football around the age of 12. Peyton Manning was one of Caleb’s biggest inspirations and favorite NFL quarterback growing up. Nowadays, Caleb is a fan of Bills quarterback Josh Allen.

“I can definitely see some similarities between us, and I know I can take some things from him,” said Caleb.

Caleb has had nothing but a supportive family to lean on during his football career, since he was a kid all he can remember was having many people in his corner showing their love and care. 

“Even to this day, I always have a lot of my family supporting and cheering for me at games, and that always makes me feel good,” Caleb said. “I can’t thank them enough for the support they’ve had for me.”

Caleb credits his dad for building his passion for the game of football. He believes that without his father he would have never reached his full potential on and off the field.

“The biggest challenge growing up playing football was just putting in the extra work. My dad would always have me doing the extra workouts, and I wouldn’t really understand. But now I see why and can tell that all that extra work sets you apart from everyone else,” said Caleb.

The quarterback’s ascent to prominence was not without challenges. The competitive landscape of high school football demands resilience and commitment to improvement.

Caleb did not receive the starting spot until his senior year. With Bosco being a national powerhouse for football, Caleb was behind talented quarterbacks every year, but with constant determination, Caleb trusted the process, kept his head down and worked. 

“Just learning from those guys that I was playing behind and just seeing how they operate and the level they were at just helped me really learn and prepare [to be a starter].”

In addition to learning from players that came before him, coaches also played a role in Caleb’s development throughout the years in the program. Caleb gives praise to all his coaches on helping him on and off the field.

“I’ve had a great relationship with the coaching staff and have learned a lot throughout the years here at Bosco,” he said.

However, there are two coaches who Caleb highlighted that have heavily impacted him throughout his high school career. 

“Coach Reyes and Coach Lo are the coaches I’m closest with. They’ve both been with me since I was a freshman, so I’m with them all the time – every part of practice and meetings. They’ve just helped me every step of the way, even if it wasn’t about football,” Caleb said.

Staying at the same high school for a high level athlete has almost become a rarity nowadays, but Caleb showed his patience, perseverance and hard work through the time working for his starting job. Caleb earned everyone’s respect throughout this process and formed into a natural leader on the team. 

Perhaps as much as anything, Caleb values the bond he has with this team and the seniors he has played with for four years. It meant a lot to him to finish out at Bosco with his guys.

“The bond we all have is crazy, especially the seniors that have been here all four years. Man, I love them. Playing with these guys my senior year, I wouldn’t want it any different,” Caleb said. “Even the young guys, you know, I was a young guy once and know how it feels to be in their place, so I like to mentor them and overall show them how to get ready for their opportunity when it comes.”

With Caleb’s high school career coming to an end and him being one of the best uncommitted QBs in the country, a college decision will likely be in the near future. Caleb now has two FCS offers from Fordham University and Houston Christian, and although he is unsure where he will be going to further his football and academics, he is keeping his trust in God and continuing to work hard knowing things will fall into place.

by Macade Maxwell

The St. John Bosco Braves Basketball team tips off their season tonight with the aspiration of claiming the top spots in the state and nation, as they are destined for a redemption year and come back stronger than ever. 

With a lineup full of special talent mixed with new additions and experienced returners along with one of the state’s strongest coaching staffs, the Braves have the secret formula for what it takes to be a great basketball team. 

The Braves roster is the definition of a powerhouse. Some standout players include number two nationally ranked sophomore Brandon McCoy, Jr., who is an absolute bucket and game-changer whenever he steps foot on the court. Other key players include Loyola University Chicago-commit, senior Jack Turner, senior point guard Amiri Meadows, five-star junior Elzie Harrington, junior Kade Bonam, junior Jaison Joyce, and seven-foot sophomore Howie Wu. 

Behind the curtains of every successful program lies a man with the blueprint to success. The Braves are fortunate enough to have a coaching staff with the ability to develop and foster a group of young men and turn them into winners. Head Coach Matt Dunn is gearing his team up and guiding them on the path to Trinity League and CIF Championships.

“It is such an incredible league in every sport, so every time you get to hang a banner it’s pretty amazing and means you have a special team,” said Head Coach Matt Dunn. 

With eyes set on winning a ring, the short-term goal for the Braves is to win consecutive Trinity League Championships. With it being one of the most talented league in the nation, each and every game will be a battle until the final buzzer. 

“The urgency is there, and I currently don’t have a ring at all,” said senior Jack Turner. “Winning it with this team and with the guys I love would mean everything and that’s the goal for this year.”

The Braves mean business, and they are coming for everybody’s necks, while everyone is coming for theirs. The Braves come into the season as the preseason number one team in the Los Angeles Times and the number 15 ranked team nationally by Maxpreps. While other opponents view games against them as their championship, the Braves will continue to maintain their same mindset. 

“We’re not focused on what the other team is going to do and who their star players are,” said junior Elzie Harrington. “We’re just going out there playing our own game and once [game day] hits it’s all about the team.” 

Given the fact that the Braves have everything that it takes to win it all this year. They are using last year’s heartbreaking loss to Corona Centennial in the CIF-SS Open Division Finals to fuel them to bounce back and finish the season off as champions. Instead of using the loss to define them as a team, the Braves only view that game as a learning experience that will only give them confidence when they are in that situation again. 

“It was very heartbreaking at the moment, and it honestly took a while to get over that,” said Harrington. “But I have great people around me, and they all told me to just use it as fuel going into the summer and the next year.” 

The Braves open their season tonight at 6:00pm at the Thunderdome against the Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits. Be prepared for a season full of thrillers and excitement with fierce competition each game, as the Braves are looking forward to handling unfinished business.

by Luis Hernandez, Managing Editor

The St. John Bosco High School Braves play the Huskies of Corona Centennial tonight in the CIF-SS Semifinals at Panish Family Stadium, as Bosco Football continues its quest to repeat as CIF-SS, State and National Champions.

“The biggest thing is not looking too far ahead, but focusing on the task at hand and coming to practice every week to be better than we were last week,” said senior Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, a Notre Dame-commit.

The Centennial Huskies, who are currently ranked 19th in the country by Maxpreps, hope to extend their seven-game winning streak, but the Braves, who are currently ranked third in the nation by MaxPreps, hope to maintain their dominance over the Huskies. 

The Huskies are coming off a high-scoring game against Orange Lutheran, winning 63-39. The player of that game was senior running back Cornell Hatcher Jr, who scored five rushing touchdowns in the game.

The Braves will focus their attention to stopping the Huskies rushing attack. Bosco’s run defense in the playoffs thus far has been incredible, only allowing 33 rushing yards in their matchup against San Clemente. The defense was stingy all night, but Kyngstonn led the way with twelve total tackles and two tackles for a loss.

Centennial’s receivers also had a night with Cory Butler Jr. and Tavian Mcnair each having 100+ receiving yards and a touchdown against Orange Lutheran.

But the secondary of Bosco is the strongest in the nation, due to it being filled with studs in each position. Safety Peyton Woodyard and cornerbacks Marcelles Williams and Khmori House make throwing the ball for the opposing quarterback a nightmare.

The defense proved to be too much to handle for San Clemente, as quarterback Dylan Mills threw for only 74 yards last Friday.

The Braves ultimately won their playoff opener against the San Clemente Tritons 35-10.

Bosco started off the game slowly, causing the game to be 10-0 in the beginning of the second quarter. These would be the only points the Tritons would score for the rest of the game, as the defense caught fire and the offense picked it up later in the second quarter scoring two touchdowns.

“We have been successful this season due to our ability to handle adversity, ” said senior Tamal Johnson.

Quarterback Caleb Sanchez found Kyngstonn for a four-yard touchdown pass. The defense quickly shutdown San Clemente’s offensive possession, which led to a long punt return from Alabama-commit Peyton Woodyard to the Triton’s one yard line. UCLA-commit Cameron Jones finished the job with a one-yard rushing touchdown.

The Braves were unstoppable entering the second half of the game, senior Chauncey Slyvester quickly scored a 49-yard rushing touchdown to give Bosco a comfortable lead.

The Triton’s offense could not get anything going due to Bosco playing extremely good defense. Following an excellent kickoff from the Braves that landed on San Clemente’s six yard line, Tamal caught a pick 6 that solidified the game for the Braves.

In the last minutes of the game, Bosco capped off their successful night with a 16-yard rushing touchdown from senior Kahlil Warren.

“The biggest thing is not looking too far ahead but focusing on the task at hand and coming to practice every week to be better than we were last week,” said Kyngstonn. “We just got to improve week-to-week to peak at the right time down the stretch. and not take anything we do for granted.”

The Braves kick off tonight at 7:00pm at Panish Family Stadium with a win sending them to the Los Angeles Coliseum for the CIF-SS Championship game on Friday, November 24th at 7:00pm.

by Luis Hernandez, Managing Editor

The St. John Bosco Football Braves are Trinity League Champions and ready to start the CIF-SS Playoffs against San Clemente High School in their first step toward winning back-to-back State and National Championships.

Bosco looks to keep their five-game winning streak alive with a win tonight at Panish Family Stadium. The Braves last played two weeks ago against Orange Lutheran and were dominant the whole game in a 44-22 victory.

While the program has much experience in the playoffs, quarterback Caleb Sanchez is making his first playoff start. In the regular season, Caleb recorded 2682 passing yards and 27 passing touchdowns. He’s been very efficient thus far and carries strong momentum into his first CIF run.

“We’re taking this game the same way we took the regular season. We don’t believe anyone can stop us as long as we execute,” said Caleb.

The offense has been firing on all cylinders with senior receivers Tommy Maher and Stacy Dobbins, as well as sophomore receiver Daniel Odom, having incredible seasons.

“We just have to keep stacking good weeks of practice together and continue to build our chemistry so we are all on the same page,” said Tommy. “We’re on a good track right now and are going to peak at the right time.”

The Braves do not only have a lethal receiving core, but their backfield is dangerous with UCLA-commit Cameron Jones rushing for ten touchdowns, closely followed by fellow-senior Chauncey Sylvester with eight.

The Braves success this season is largely due to the dominance of the defense. The defense is stacked at every position with senior Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa at linebacker leading the way with 78 total tackles and ten tackles for a loss. This is not his first CIF experience, as he was a key piece of the defense on last year’s National Championship team.

“We feel great. Locked in and ready to approach each week with a great mindset. Doing our best to stay healthy and make sure we have everybody good to go for this playoff run,” Kyngstonn said.

The San Clemente Tritons offensive line is going to have a tough time blocking sophomore Dutch Horisk and junior Max Amasio who each have 10 tackles this season. The receivers are also in for a rude awakening with a lethal Brave secondary, containing Alabama-commit Peyton Woodyard, USC-commit Marcelles Williams and Washington-commit Khomri House.

The Braves are obvious favorites to reach the CIF-SS Championship, as many are predicting a rematch with the “Team In Red,” who were pummeled in their last meeting with the Braves, 28-0.

While Bosco is a much better team on paper, they are not taking the Tritons lightly, and the Braves believe it is vital to not get complacent.

“We always give 100%, and this game is no different,” said Caleb.