The Brave News

by Michael Barba

The Braves are in hot pursuit of another victory against their next Trinity League opponent, the Santa Margarita Eagles, in their last game of the 22-23 regular season before heading into the CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs, where they will likely meet familiar foes such as The Mater Dei Monarchs. However, the 8-1 Braves have preserved their lethal and hardworking mindset for the 6-3 Eagles, and plan to make a statement against the Eagles prior to beginning the post season.

Within the history of the Bosco Braves vs Santa Margarita Eagles, the Braves have been the perennial favorite, usually coming out on top, often in dominant fashion. The Eagles have always played with house money, using relentlessness and trickery to try and shock the Braves – but in recent years, that has yielded lopsided loses and dominant wins for the Braves. Both teams have faced nothing less than the toughest competition, but with the hard work Bosco Football has put in this season, there is no doubt the Braves will come out on top.

“It’s the preparation, every week the team comes out ready to play and the coaches come out ready with a great game plan. We prepare all week by putting in the work and it is going to show on Friday night so I just feel like it’s just gonna be one of those nights which it has been for the last times we have played them,” said Senior Quarterback Pierce Clarkson. “The thing that has been different was that our energy has been higher as a team and I really feel like it is going to elevate our play tomorrow night.”

The last contest held between both teams ended in a 41-16 win for the Braves, but both teams have upgraded their game since then. As the 22-23 season concludes, the stats both teams have put up this season are proof of the advances made in offense and defense. 

Some of the most impressive stats from the Braves this season are 110 passes completed, 54 touchdowns, 748 tackles and seven interceptions. The Eagles currently have completed 193 passes, scored 40 touchdowns and recorded 561 tackles and four interceptions. The stats both the Braves and the Eagles have produced are some of the best in the country which hopefully will lead to a competitive match-up this Friday.

Although the Braves have been able to dominate almost any team put in front of them, they still treat any team with the respect and energy that they would treat their biggest rivals with. One of keys to the dominance of the Braves is not just the brotherhood but as well as the ability to not underestimate their opponent, which will be one of the reasons the Braves will not disappoint this Friday.

“We worry about everybody, that is when things go wrong, you start overlooking people by looking ahead, but we try taking it one game at a time. We will treat Santa Margarita just like how we treat every other opponent, by preparing and practicing as hard as we can so we can come out victorious” said Coach Lacy.

As the regular season closes, Bosco Football made sure to put up a show last Friday against the Orange Lutheran Lancers. Hundreds of seats were filled at the Panish Family Stadium to watch the Braves dominate the Lancers, and the game ended in a 48-7 blowout victory for the Braves, who recorded the lopsided stat line of eleven completed passes, seven touchdowns, 41 tackles, and a single interception. 

It was truly a magical night for the Braves and they are ready to put on another magic show up this Friday against the Santa Margarita Eagles, inside of Panish Family Stadium at 7:00 p.m.

by Ethan Piechota

The St. John Bosco Braves took care of business once again in Simi Valley last night, defeating Oaks Christian 56-10 to advance to the CIF Southern Section Finals.

The start of this game didn’t go extremely smoothly for the top-ranked Braves, as Oaks Christian came out strong and tied the game at seven early on.

Braves quarterback DJ Uiagalelei threw just his fourth interception on the season and Oaks running back Zach Charbonnet ran for a 61-yard touchdown.

However, the Braves took control and dominated the game from that point on.

Uiagalelei threw four consecutive touchdown passes before halftime hit, two each to junior Kris Hutson and senior Jake Bailey.

The Braves took a comfortable 35-10 lead into halftime, and kept their foot on the pedal in the second half.

George Holani ran for two scores in the second half and sophomore standout wide receiver Beaux Collins reeled in a 71-yard touchdown from Uiagalelei.

Uiagalelei finished the game with six touchdown passes, going 13/15 on his attempts with 361 yards.

The Braves will now prepare for their third consecutive CIF Southern Section Finals matchup against rival Trinity League opponent Mater Dei.

Bosco handled Mater Dei easily back in October, defeating the Monarchs 41-18 on the road in a statement victory.

However, Mater Dei will for sure be better and more motivated to play this time around, so Bosco will need to be ready to play.

The Braves are two wins away from a state and likely national championship, and we’ll have the breakdown here on The Brave News later this week.

 

by Ethan Piechota

The number one ranked St. John Bosco Braves remained undefeated and continued their state and national championship journey with a 56-6 victory over San Clemente High School last night.

The San Clemente Tritons came into Friday’s CIF Division 1 Quarterfinal matchup against the Braves winners of six straight and South Coast League champions. However, they were no match for the best high school football team in the nation.

The Braves put on an absolute show on the defensive side of the ball, with recent All-American commits and cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Chris Steele leading the way.

McDuffie was a monster in all three phases of the game, scoring on both a punt return touchdown and rushing touchdown. He also forced (and recovered) a fumble and came up with an interception.

Steele also had an interception and locked down every wide receiver the Tritons lined up against him for 48 minutes.

Bosco started slow offensively, with quarterback DJ Uiagalelei throwing just his fourth interception of the season on the Braves first drive of the game.

However, DJ and the rest of the offense couldn’t be stopped the rest of the way, as the five-star junior finished the game 6-9 for 245 (!!!) yards and three long touchdown plays.

Jode McDuffie also had a punt return touchdown for the Braves on the night, as both brothers flashed their extreme talent on special teams.

Colby Bowman, Kris Hutson, George Holani, and Matt Colombo all scored offensively for the Braves in the blowout victory.

San Clemente quarterback Brandon Costello – an Oklahoma State commit – was under duress all night. Sua’ava Poti and Cole Aubrey both came up with sacks for the Braves in a dominating effort on the defensive side of the ball.

These kinds of shutdown performances from the defense are extremely important to Bosco’s success for the rest of the postseason, especially against high-powered offenses that the Braves may face in remaining games.

The Braves advance to the semifinals and will take on the winner of league rival JSerra and Oaks Christian, a game that will be played tonight.

Mater Dei and Centennial will face off in the other semifinal game next week, so a rematch with the Monarchs is still possible in the championship for the Braves.

 

by Ethan Piechota

Following a 49-0 beatdown of Serra in round one of the 2018 CIF Division 1 Southern Section playoffs, the St. John Bosco Braves will travel to take on San Clemente High School this Friday.

The St. John Bosco Braves are the clear number one team for high school football in America. This season, they’ve faced very little competition in many matchups, but the road gets harder from this point on.

Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has been unbelievable all season for the Braves, currently posting a ridiculous 38 touchdowns to just two interceptions on the year over 2610 yards.

St. John Bosco running back George Holani has been a workhorse all year as well, posting a 9.3 average in yards per carry and scoring a total of 21 times. Receivers Kris Hutson, Jake Bailey, Colby Bowman, and Jude Wolfe have been huge all year as well, collectively combining for 31 of Uiagalelei’s 38 total passing touchdowns.

Bosco’s defense, led by recent All-American Bowl commits and cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Chris Steele have shut down teams all year, and will look to continue that throughout the postseason.

The San Clemente Tritons are easily one of the hottest football teams in Southern California, especially after a very lackluster 1-4 start. Since that tough start, the Tritons have won six straight games, including last week’s 49-26 victory over Murrieta Valley in round one of the playoffs.

Back on September 7th of this year, San Clemente lost to Murrieta Valley 55-38, showing their much-apparent improvement over the last few months.

The Tritons statement win came against league rival Mission Viejo, when they defeated the Diablos 21-20 in an extreme grind-it-out game to wrap up their perfect 4-0 league record.

On paper, the Braves are clearly the more skilled team and are more physically-gifted then the Tritons. Even with Bosco’s long road trip and the pressure of a playoff game, it’s going to be extremely hard for San Clemente to win this game.

The combination of the Braves high-powered and explosive offense and lockdown defense should make this a game decided early on. However, at this point in the year, no team can be overlooked. One bad game sends you home.

If the Braves do return to Bellflower victorious after Friday night, they’ll take on the winner of league rival JSerra and highly-ranked Oaks Christian in the semifinals at Cerritos College.

However, one game at a time. The Braves will look to get the job done this Friday and continue their state and national championship push.

 

by Ethan Piechota

This Wednesday at St. John Bosco High School, seniors Chris Steele and Trent McDuffie were both honored with 2019 High School Football All-American Game invitations.

Steele and McDuffie have been anchors all year for a top-ranked Bosco defense, both playing cornerback for the Braves the majority of the year.

The two have made a dominant duo at the position, affecting the passing game of opposing teams week-in and week-out.

Steele has played at and attended Bosco all four years of high school, developing into a five-star cornerback and earning multiple scholarship offers for his tremendous performance on the field and in the classroom.

McDuffie recently transferred to St. John Bosco from Servite High School last year, and is also a five-star prospect, listing as an athlete because of his positional versatility as a cornerback, running back, wide receiver, kick returner and punt returner.

The All-American Bowl sent two representatives to honor McDuffie and Steele with official jerseys for which they will wear at the game. Both McDuffie and Steele expressed their gratitude and reflected on their successes in their speeches they gave after.

Recent All-American Game participants have included NFL players Christian McCaffrey, Odell Beckham Jr, and Haloti Ngata, so this invitation for Steele and McDuffie says a lot about their ability and future in football.

The All-American game will take place on January 5th, 2019, and will most likely be shown on ESPN or some other major television network. Make sure to tune in to support the two as they showcase their talents.

Both players will be playing Division 1 college football next year barring something unforeseen.

For now however, the two will look to continue to anchor Bosco’s defense and lead the Braves to a state championship and possibly their first national championship in five years.

 

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.