by Ethan Piechota

The St. John Bosco Braves opened up their promising postseason on Friday with a dominant win over the Serra Cavaliers, winning 49-0 in easy fashion at Panish Family Stadium.

The national and state championship quest is on for the number one nationally ranked Braves, who asserted their dominance with a controlling victory in their first round affair against Serra.

The same formula for success was used in this one for the Braves: start quick and let the defense control the tempo and pace of the game.

Five-star quarterback DJ Uiagalelei went 14-19 for 255 yards and five total touchdowns, so basically just another day at the office for him.

Uiagalelei hit senior receiver Colby Bowman wide open on a 20-yard strike for the first score of the game, and then hit senior running back George Holani for a 22-yard touchdown a few drives later, pushing the Braves early lead to 14-0.

Holani had another excellent all-purpose game, rushing 11 times for 88 yards and a touchdown, as well as catching two passes for 42 yards and a score.

Uiagalelei would later in the first half hit standout junior receiver Kris Hutson for a 5-yard touchdown, and the Braves went into halftime with a comfortable 21-0 advantage.

In the third quarter, the Braves would just absolutely put this game and Serra’s season to rest.

Uiagalelei hit receiver Jake Bailey for a 55-yard touchdown, continuing to spread the ball around efficiently.

Then, the Braves already fired up and dominant defense would score some points of their own, with senior defensive end and 2017 Trinity League sack leader Cole Aubrey falling on a loose ball in the end zone after a hit on Serra quarterback Doug Brumfield.

Holani would run for a 31-yard score through a wide open hole and Uiagalelei took a read-option nine yards to the house, giving the Braves a 49-0 lead before the end of the third quarter.

49-0 would be the final score, with the Braves easily coasting to a first round victory as many anticipated.

The Braves will take on San Clemente High School in the next round, who is coming off a first round victory over Murrieta Valley High School and looks like an extremely fired up football team right now.

No game will be easy in the southern section division one playoffs, and we’ll have the preview of this one later on in the week on The Brave News.

 

by Caleb Wiley

The nation’s top-ranked high school football team, St. John Bosco, takes on Serra High School in the first round of what the Braves hope to be a deep run to the CIF State Title and National Title.

The Braves currently sit comfortably at the number one spot of almost every single poll in America behind a 10-0 record. No doubt the Braves have high expectations from their fans and from themselves as well.  

The team dominated almost every game in the regular season with ease. Even with top ranked teams Mater Dei and Orange Lutheran in the way, Bosco easily navigated and beat both talented teams by more than 20 points.  

The formula to Bosco’s constant dominance is simple: have a great offense that scores quickly and get after the quarterback and play extremely aggressive defensively in the first half, then coast in to victory in the second. This formula has resulted in constant blowouts all season long for the Braves.

With allowing no more than 28 points in a single game all year long, Bosco’s defensive intensity has been key to their success. Their offense, led by junior star quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, has put up huge numbers, scoring more than 45 points in eight of their ten games.

With an 0-4 record on the road this year for Serra, Bosco should take care of the cavaliers this Friday at home with no problem. Serra lacks the size and talent that the Bosco obtains, and on paper Bosco is just clearly the better team. The game looks like it can turn into a lopsided one real fast, as Serra is clearly outmatched.  

However, with this game being the first round of CIF, the Bosco’s focus has to be their focal point. They can not look ahead to the semi-finals or state championship game yet. They have to be in the now and take every week one week at a time and not overlook anyone.

The team and “The Tribe” will need to be energized Friday, as the Braves take their next step towards hopefully what is successful November postseason run.

 

by Ethan Piechota

The 10-0 St. John Bosco Braves are the clear number one team in the nation for high school football and are in prime position to win a state and national championship this year.

The Braves dominated nearly every regular season opponent they faced this year, with their closest win being their opening Trinity League matchup against a good JSerra team. Mater Dei, the often regarded number two team in the nation behind Bosco, was easy work for the Braves as well, as they blew out the Monarchs 41-18 on the road.

Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, number one in his 2020 class out of all quarterbacks, was unreal all regular season, posting a 73 percent completion percentage and throwing 34 touchdowns to just two interceptions.

Senior receiver Colby Bowman was huge as a deep threat all year, catching 38 passes for 725 yards on the season and six touchdowns. Senior receiver Jake Bailey added eight touchdowns of his own, and tight end Jude Wolfe reeled in six.

Junior receiver Kris Hutson has been a “do-everything” guy for the Braves this year, catching eight touchdowns and posting an insane average of 15.3 yards per catch.

The Braves offensive line, though somewhat inexperienced, has been dominant game-in and game-out, keeping Uiagalelei on his feet and opening up huge roles in the running game.

The O-Line’s work has allowed senior running back George Holani to absolutely dismantle defenses this year, scoring 19 total touchdowns and averaging an insane 9.3 yards per carry. Holani will be a major key to the Braves’ success in the postseason.

Defensively, Bosco has taken pride in shutting down their opposition and forcing turnovers, which they’ve seemed to do consistently each game.

A deep Braves defensive line and talented linebacking core and secondary has allowed them to get after the quarterback and stop running games with ease.

Playoff Preview

The Braves open up their postseason this Friday at home against Serra (Gardena). Serra is representing the Mission League, sporting a 5-5 record and getting into the top division in So-Cal due to an at-large bid.

Other talented teams on the Braves side of the bracket include the South Coast League number one seed and red-hot San Clemente, scrappy Long Beach Poly, JSerra and an undefeated and somewhat underrated team in Oaks Christian.

The Braves, if they win Friday, would take on the winner of San Clemente and Murrieta Valley in the next round and could end up facing one of Long Beach Poly, JSerra, or Oaks Christian in a semi-final matchup.

Every game will be tough from this point out, up until the championship game which will be held at Cerritos College on November 24th.

A 10-0 Bosco record means nothing now, with every team playing for their lives and trying to keep their season alive each game. If you lose, you’re out.

On the other side of the bracket, Mater Dei, Bishop Amat, Mission Viejo, Centennial and Trinity League member Orange Lutheran headline some of the contenders.

We will have the coverage of every game and every week this postseason here on The Brave News, as our Braves try to assert their dominance in the high school football world and take home both a state and national championship this year.

 

 

by Ethan Piechota

The St. John Bosco Braves defeated the Servite Friars 56-0 on homecoming night at Panish Family Stadium, finishing their regular season at 10-0 and as Trinity League champions.

It’s safe to say that a national championship and a state championship are very real possibilities for the number one team in America, the St. John Bosco Braves.

The Braves put a stamp on their undefeated regular season with a 56-0 beatdown of Servite, lead by quarterback DJ Uiagalelei’s 287 yards and four touchdowns.

Uiagalelei had one of the best season’s for a quarterback in high school football this year, finishing with a 73 percent completion percentage, 2355 total passing yards and 34 touchdown passes to just two interceptions.

The five-star junior sensation also averaged 7.5 yards per carry this season and rushed for five touchdowns, as he will continue to be the focal point of the Braves offense heading into the postseason.

Braves’ wide receivers got the wealth distributed evenly last night, with Jake Bailey catching four passes for 103 yards and 2 touchdowns, as well as Colby Bowman catching five passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. Beaux Collins and Kris Hutson added touchdown receptions as well.

George Holani, the regular workhorse of the Braves backfield, rushed 12 times for 89 yards and touchdown, and Keith Savage added 10 carries for 101 yards and touchdown of his own.

Bosco senior defensive back Titus Toler also had an interception on Servite’s first possession of the game, anchoring a championship-level performance from Bosco’s defense last night.

The Braves are clearly the number one team in high school football in the nation. Their postseason schedule and run will begin shortly, and we’ll have all the coverage of it over here on The Brave News.

by Ethan Piechota

The St. John Bosco Braves improved to 9-0 on the year and continued their quest for a national championship with a 49-14 rout of Santa Margarita on Friday.

Coming off an emotional victory last week against Mater Dei, St. John Bosco showed no signs of a hangover and kept their foot on the gas, defeating Santa Margarita easily.

Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei continued his unreal season, going 10 for 13 from the field and throwing for 255 yards and two touchdowns, only playing roughly a half of the game as well.

Senior wide receiver Colby Bowman had a solid game as well, catching just three passes but taking them for a total of 142 yards and a touchdown.

Running back George Holani also added two touchdowns, rushing and catching one of each. Holani – a Boise State commit – continued his unbelievable season, amassing 94 yards on just nine total touches.

The game begin with Uiagalelei rushing for a one-yard touchdown to give the Braves a quick 7-0 lead. Santa Margarita quickly responded with a touchdown drive of their own, but this marked the last time this game would be close.

The Braves scored 42 straight unanswered points, putting them up 49-7 at one point in the fourth quarter.

The Braves continue to show out as the best team in America for high school football and will take on the Service Friars next week at Panish Family Stadium in their final league and homecoming game.

 

by Ethan Piechota

The St. John Bosco Braves defeated the Mater Dei Monarchs 41-18 last night at the Santa Ana Bowl, making it clear to everyone who the top team in the nation is for high school football.

If there was any dispute over who’s the clear number one team in America, it’s now settled.

It was a total beatdown from start to finish from the Braves, clearly outplaying the Monarchs in all three phases of the game.

Mater Dei’s weak pass defense was no match for Bosco five-star quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, who went 15/21 for 278 yards and FIVE touchdowns. Uiagalelei made it clear who was the best quarterback on the field last night, and maybe even in high school football.

Bosco’s offensive line came in and kept him clean as well, doing an excellent job of containing defensive end Bru McCoy amongst others.

The Braves started the game with a perfectly-executed, balanced drive that culminated with Uiagalelei throwing a 10-yard touchdown strike to star senior receiver Jake Bailey. Bailey was a star on the night for the Braves, catching six passes for 161 yards and THREE touchdowns (offer that man please).

Mater Dei would answer back on the next drive, with McCoy catching a screen pass for 39 yards and quarterback Bryce Young scrambling for 48 yards to set the Monarchs up at the 5-yard line. However, Bosco’s defense made a great goal line stand, ending with defensive back Kourt Williams II sacking Young to force Mater Dei into a field goal try.

Right away, the Braves high-powered offense answered back, as Uiagalelei threw a 24-yard touchdown to wide receiver Kris Hutson, giving the Braves a 13-3 lead after a missed extra point.

Still in the first quarter, Young drove his team down the field and threw a 8-yard touchdown pass to McCoy, trimming Bosco’s lead to 13-10.

But this was the last time Mater Dei’s supposed highly-skilled offense would be heard from, as Bosco’s defense shut down Young and company for the rest of the half, and really, until the fourth quarter.

Uiagalelei threw touchdowns on back-to-back drives to Bailey and star running back George Holani, as Bosco took a 27-10 lead into halftime.

 

Both teams drew a standstill for the third quarter, but Holani opened up the fourth with an electrifying 75-yard run, something we’ve seen so often from him this year. He finished the game with 12 carries for 118 yards, matching his 9.8 yards per carry average on the season.

In a final effort, Mater Dei put together a touchdown drive with a Young pass to tight end Mike Martinez for a 20-yard touchdown, and a following two-point conversion to him.

But from there, Bosco capped off the night with a Uiagalelei touchdown strike to Jake Bailey again for 30 yards, increasing their lead to 41-18.

Bosco would hold on to win the game 41-18 as well, proving to everyone who the number one team in the nation is. Head coach Jason Negro’s record is now 8-4 all-time against Mater Dei since his arrival at Bosco.

“I thought we did a great job tackling in space,” Negro said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. “The mentality of this football team is next level.”

The Tribe showed out as well last night, providing an excellent boost from the sidelines all night with constant cheers and noise towards the Mater Dei players.

The Braves continue their national championship quest next Friday, taking on Santa Margarita in an away game.

by Ethan Piechota

On October 5th, the St. John Bosco Braves remained undefeated and beat Orange Lutheran 63-28 at Panish Family Stadium behind three special teams touchdowns. 

The Orange Lutheran Lancers came into this highly-anticipated Trinity League matchup against the Braves ranked 10th in the nation, and they played Bosco tough for the first two and a half quarters.

Braves junior sensation DJ Uiagalelei showed out again, completing 22 of 27 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns. Uiagalelei again played clean football, with no turnovers to his name.

Five star quarterback Ryan Hilinski threw for 258 yards and three touchdowns, but the Braves kept him in check, forcing him into two interceptions on the night.

The Lancers battled hard in the first half, tying the game at 21 right before halftime on a Hilinski touchdown strike to wide receiver JoJo Hawkins, one of his two touchdown catches on the night.

However, junior receiver Tyus Poyer returned the ensuing kickoff all the way to the house with no time left on the clock before halftime, giving the Braves a 28-21 lead and all the momentum heading into the locker room.

Junior Kris Hutson then followed up Poyer’s act by returning the opening second half kickoff for a touchdown as well, one of three Braves special teams touchdowns on the night. Huston also returned the opening kickoff for a score.

Hilinski and the Lancers answered back with a scoring drive capped off by a Logan Loya touchdown, bringing the Braves lead back to 35-28.

From there however, Bosco’s offense and defense clicked simultaneously, with back-to-back throws from Uiagalelei to Huston for touchdowns and a George Holani 40-yard touchdown run. The Braves finished the game with a 63-28 commanding victory.

A great second half performance from both units gives Bosco some great confidence heading into this week’s matchup of the year against rival Mater Dei.

Both teams are ranked at the top of the nation, with Bosco getting the majority of votes for the number one spot. The game will be the ultimate test for both teams, who are both in contention for a national championship at the end of the year.

The game will be played at the Santa Ana Bowl on October 12th, and both schools expect limited seating, so get your tickets in advance.

It’s Mater Dei week at Bosco, and it’s time for the Braves to assert their dominance as the number one team in the nation in high school football this year.

by Ethan Piechota

The number one ranked St. John Bosco Braves defeated the JSerra Lions on Friday in their Trinity League opener behind four touchdowns from George Holani.

Welcome to the Trinity League. A quest for a national championship is never easy through one of the best leagues in high school football across the country.

It wasn’t a pretty win from the Braves last night, but the most important thing to realize at this time of the year is that they got the win and battled through some intense adversity from a talented JSerra squad.

The Braves led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter, credited by an early George Holani touchdown, one of four on the night for the senior running back.

In the second quarter, the Lions came out firing and dropped 21 unanswered points on the Braves, tying up the game at 21 heading into the half.

In the third quarter, the Braves came out and on their second drive, quarterback DJ Uiagalelei connected with Holani on a 15-yard touchdown strike, giving the Braves a 28-21 lead.

The Braves defense held strong for pretty much the entire quarter and almost the entire rest of the game after that, showing their true talent and potential on that side of the ball.

Holani would put the icing on the cake for the Braves, running through the entire JSerra student body, faculty, staff, players, and alumni with a beast mode-esque run for a 57-yard score, giving the Braves a 35-21 lead in the fourth quarter.

Holani finished the game with a ridiculous stat-line of 24 carries for 158 yards and 3 touchdowns, also adding two catches for 30 yards and a score in the passing game.

In a game where junior five-star quarterback DJ Uigalelei struggled a bit, Holani stepped up and delivered the game of his career for the Braves, guiding them to victory.

However, Bosco was sloppy on special teams and the defense underperformed in the first half, which is something that will need to be cleaned up heading into the coming weeks against top Trinity League opponents in Orange Lutheran and Mater Dei.

Mater Dei is coming off a stellar victory over top-ranked IMG last week and a beatdown of Servite this week, showing their talent. Bosco needs to deliver a good performance on both sides of the ball next week against Orange Lutheran to show they’re ready for the Monarchs in Santa Ana on October 12th.

Orange Lutheran QB Ryan Hillinski will provide a test for the Braves top-ranked defense next week, and it’ll be interesting to see how they fare against him at home at Panish Family Stadium.

At the end of the day, the Braves are still the top team in the nation and undefeated, and with a national championship on their minds, it’s going to take a lot to knock off this talented group going forward.

 

by Ethan Piechota

The number one high school football team in America dominated again last night in West Hills against Chaminade, winning 56-20 and capping off an undefeated preseason before league play begins.

Bosco started hot again behind star junior quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, who led the team to a huge lead at halftime. Uiagalelei is still near-perfect on the season, going a ridiculous 52/69 in passing attempts with 16 touchdowns through the preseason.

The Braves offense got a great contribution from senior running back George Holani last night, who punched in three touchdowns on the ground for the team, all in the first half. Junior Keith Savage also had a rushing touchdown.

Senior tight end Jude Wolfe and senior wide receiver Colby Bowman also caught touchdown passes in the first half from Uiagalelei, as the Braves offense routed Chaminade’s defense.

Bosco’s defense also did it’s job – as it has all preseason – last night. Both units are working very well and cohesively at the moment, which is a great sign leading into league play in just two weeks.

The Braves have a bye week next week to rest and time to prepare for their first league game, September 28th at Panish Family Stadium against JSerra. The game has already been pre-labeled as the Fox Sports “Game of the Week” and will be televised.

This game should be the first true test Bosco receives this year, and it will be exciting to see how this talented Braves squad reacts to potential adversity. “The Tribe” will need to be out in full force and in heavy support for this one.