by Macade Maxwell

As the CIF Open Division basketball playoffs begin, Head Coach Matt Dunn and his number four seeded Braves gear up for an intense matchup against the number five seeded Sierra Canyon Trailblazers in front of a sold out home crowd tonight at the Thunderdome.

Led by an intimidating starting five that consists of number one nationally ranked sophomore Brandon McCoy, Jr., senior Loyola Chicago-commit Jack Turner and two stud juniors in Elzie Harrington and Kade Bonam, the Braves are ready to showcase their talents on the court. These key players, along with the contributions of the rest of the team, have been playing together as a team all season long and now is when the games matter the most. 

“It all comes down to this,” said junior Elzie Harrington. “We prepared all year for this moment and [now] it’s time to show what we can do.”

The Braves’ goal of avenging last year’s CIF-SS Open Division Championship loss starts tonight against a talented Sierra Canyon roster that contains some well known names, including senior Justin Pippen, son of six-time NBA champion and Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, and Junior Bryce James, son of the one and only Lebron James. 

The Trailblazers, who managed to capture the top spot in a highly competitive Mission League, are looking forward to being the first team to defeat the Braves at home this season, who hold a perfect record of 10-0 while playing at the Thunderdome. 

“I think the opportunity to host an Open Division game is incredible for our community and team.  Our pool has four teams who have all been in the Open Division many times, so there will be no surprises,” said Coach Dunn.

Throughout the duration of the season, the Braves were challenged with a tough schedule, facing multiple nationally ranked teams and finishing second place in the Trinity League. Despite the ups and downs, the Braves were given the opportunity to learn from each game and create a stronger bond with each other. Entering the remaining few games of the season, every single learning moment has prepared the Braves for right now. 

“We have had a really good year. With the schedule we have played, we knew there would be a couple of tough nights, but overall I am very proud of this group,” Coach Dunn said.

Tonight’s game against Sierra Canyon only marks the first step of the postseason for the Braves. As they enter in pool play, the Braves will face some of the best teams in Californina. Following Friday’s game, they will host number eight seeded Corona Centennial next Tuesday before taking on number one seeded Harvard Westlake at their house.

“The reason for playing a schedule like [ours] is to prepare for the toughest playoff division in the country, and I believe are guys are ready for that,” said Coach Dunn. 

So begins the countdown to tip-off. Anticipation is high for the entire Brave community, as the Thunderdome will be electric as two high school basketball teams going head-to-head to see who’s best. 

For the Braves, this is their time to prove everyone wrong and show what they are really capable of doing. So be prepared as the Braves hope to fulfill their goals and make this a game to remember. 

“This should be a good game. I have confidence in my teammates, and I know that if we all execute, we have a good chance of winning,” said the five-star sophomore, McCoy, Jr. 

by Jack Turner

In the world of high school sports, few teams can claim the level of success achieved by the back-to-back CIF-Southern Section Open Division Dual Meet Champion Bosco Wrestling team, stacked with division one talent and nationally ranked wrestlers.

The Braves dominated and came out victorious over Calvary Christian 45-22 last Wednesday, securing another Open Division Dual Meet Championship. 

Senior leader and Stanford-commit, Grigor Cholakyan, secured the teams back-to-back championships with his quick pin in about 25 seconds. 

“I just wanted to go out there and make a statement by pinning the kid fast so I could secure back-to-back championships for our team,” Grigor said.

This team had another year flooding with success that helped solidify the program’s status as a powerhouse in high school wrestling, as the team also defended the Trinity League Championship. 

In the wake of their recent CIF-SS Championship victory, the Braves now turn their focus to the highly anticipated CIF State playoffs, and the mood of the team has definitely shifted.

“During the normal season, everyone is kind of messing around more and just focusing on stuff they need to work on. But in this postseason everyone’s just locked in on the prize – that state title. When it’s time to work, they work,” said junior Nicholas Sahakian, who is committed to wrestle in college at Arizona State University.

The Braves faced many challenges with their highly competitive national schedule, which included 2024 Doc Buchanan Invitational in Northern California. At the noteworthy event, Bosco earned the fifth highest team score among some of the nation’s best programs and wrestlers. The Braves also boasted three individual finalists: junior Nicholas Sahakian, junior Joseph Antonio and freshman Jesse Grajeda. The early-January tournament proved to be exactly what Bosco Wrestling needed ahead of the Trinity League and CIF stretches.

“The team did solid, but it was the greatest lesson that everyone on the team has learned from. We have changed our diets, stayed behind to condition more after practice and just overall focused on what we need to do to win,” said Nicholas.

With the state tournament approaching and the mental aspect being a huge part of the sport, Grigor is doing his best to mentor his teammates who haven’t been in this position before.

“My leadership role for the team has been crucial this season. I try to help the team in all aspects, such as keeping teammates motivated and fighting with the kids my size to help them grow as wrestlers,” Grigor said. “What I’ve told my younger teammates recently is that our ‘state run’ begins with league, then CIF-SS, Masters the following weekend [and] then the [CIF] State Championships the last weekend.”

Also there are many aspects off the mat that the team must stay focused on. 

“We all have to stay mentally tough the next month, because making weight twice per weekend for four weekends straight, plus managing school work, isn’t easy,” said Grigor.

The Braves next will be competing in the CIF-SS Individual Championships, which will be held February 9-10, followed by the CIF Masters Meet, which will be held February 16-17. The CIF State Meet will be held February 22-24 at Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield. 

“I truly feel that our whole team is going to peak at the right time and that we will each perform to our capabilities at the state tournament and finish strong as a team,” Grigor said.  

by Luis Hernandez, Managing Editor

The St. John Bosco High School soccer team, led by Coach David Sabet, wraps up their 2023-2024 season this afternoon. The Braves had a tough stretch in the Trinity League, but a can’t wait to get to work for next season.

The Brave’s current overall record is 8-12-3, with a Trinity League record of 0-7-2. While the record is different from what the team would like to see, each game has been very competitive, at times down to the final minutes.

The team feels proud of their current season, as they believe they have greatly improved from last season. The future looks bright, and the upperclassmen players on the team want the younger players to keep working hard to reach new heights.

“I tell the younger players to support their teammates because soccer is a team sport, and if they work together, it can help achieve the desired results,” said senior Ivan Moran. “I also encourage them to train during the weekends and offseason. These extra practices are very important.”

Although the Braves have hit some rough patches, a few players have stood out to help the team and shined individually. One of them is senior Marcos Velasco, who led the team in goals scored and was vital to the flow of the offense.

“I believe my success on offense has been based on the support I’ve had from my team on and off the field. They’ve given me the confidence to take my chances and score goals,” Marcos said.

The team’s schedule consists of many tough opponents like JSerra, who are ranked ninth in California, according to MaxPreps. Bosco played the Lions on January 19th and had the lead for the majority of the game, but unfortunately, the Lions scored in the final minutes of the game, resulting in a tie.

They do not back down from any tough challenges and believe they can beat anyone in front of them.

“The team stays united and strong, as we believe we can challenge any team no matter the records they may have. So through this confidence, we have grown as a team and as brothers, which only strengthens our performances on the field,” said Marcos.

The Braves played the “Team in Red” on Tuesday night and unfortunately could not secure the victory, losing 5-1 in one of the only blowout losses Bosco has suffered all season. Earlier in the season, Bosco played against the Monarchs and had a much better performance, losing 2-0.

The Brave’s defense was absolutely stellar in that game, holding the MaxPreps number four team in the nation to only two goals, an impressive feat since the “Team in Red” has been averaging four and a half goals per game.

This is not the only instance where the defense played excellent though. Throughout the whole season the Braves have only conceded more than two goals three times. This is due to goalie John Vargas, who is committed to California State University at Dominguez Hills.

“The strongest part of our game has been our defense. Even though we have struggled getting wins in the Trinity League this year, we have the least amount of goals allowed in the league,” said senior Mark Drewien.

The Braves feel confident in their final game, as the team has only improved while the season progressed. They believe that they have what it takes to take a Trinity League rival down.

“This team has many players that have been playing with each other for many years, and I feel like our brotherhood and team chemistry are going to make us formidable in this upcoming game,” Mark said.

Catch the Braves play their last game of the regular season against Orange Lutheran at home. Bosco played them earlier this year and lost a hard-fought battle, 1-0. Kick off is at 3:15pm.

by Macade Maxwell

After a long season of grit and determination, the youthful St. John Bosco Cross Country team not only faced adversity but ran each race with pride, showing everybody that they have what it takes to compete with anyone. While having only three returning runners, Coach Tim McIntosh and the Braves welcomed nine new runners to the squad, who showcased the future of the program. 

Although this may be a young squad, the Braves had their eyes set on winning league. Now this isn’t just an ordinary league; this is the Trinity League, one of the most competitive high school leagues in the country. Filled with fierce competition in each sport, the Braves had high ambitions coming into the season. Even though the Braves didn’t accomplish their season goal of winning league, they still ended the league season with an impressive third place finish.

“Our goal is always to win league, but we ended up finishing third,” said Head Coach Tim McIntosh, who holds a record for winning 17 consecutive league titles in cross country. “Running a lot of freshmen in the Trinity is very tough, but we held our own and made state finals for a third year in a row.” 

The Braves qualified for the CIF-SS Finals to have the opportunity to race against the best of the best in southern California. Entering with odds stacked against them, the Braves exceeded all expectations and managed to finish in an impressive fourth place finish, earning them a spot in the CIF State Finals. Located in Fresno, the Braves managed to have another excellent performance, finishing in ninth place, and wrapping up the season on a positive note. 

Senior Aiden Aldana, a recent Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo commit, played a huge role in the success of this team. He recently received All-CIF honors and placed 4th overall. 

“We may have not finished the way we wanted to, but the future for this team is promising,” Aiden said. 

Coach McIntosh was a key factor in the success of the Braves this season. Playing a vital role in giving the team guidance and support, he also recognized the struggles and challenges of mentoring a primarily young team. Coach McIntosh mentioned the importance of having accountability, determination and dedication regardless of experience. 

“Part of being successful is having accountability,” he said. “Whether that is tracking your workouts or being on time to practice, it’s the little things that matter.”

Taking a brief look into the future, Coach McIntosh sees great promise in his team. Having a young team doesn’t bother him and is very optimistic about this season’s rookie runners. Coach McIntosh also highlighted the love that his team has for running and believes that this will only set them up for success in the future.

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.