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    Mater Dei football stumbles in stunning shutout loss to St. John Bosco
    • October 14, 2023

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    BELLFLOWER — Mater Dei’s quest to redeem a painful loss last season continued Friday against the rival who spoiled its storybook ending.

    The Monarchs’ football team will need to regroup after their trip to St. John Bosco on Friday.

    Before a sellout crowd of about 9,000, the Braves defeated Mater Dei 28-0 to grab sole possession of first place in the Trinity League and take a huge step toward securing the top seed for the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.

    Mater Dei running back Jordon Davison hauls in a catch against St. John Bosco in a Trinity League football game in Bellflower on Friday, October 13, 2023. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)

    St. John Bosco running back Cameron Jones breaks through for a touchdown in the second quarter against Mater Dei in a Trinity League football game in Bellflower on Friday, October 13, 2023. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)

    St. John Bosco linebacker Max Amasio celebrates sacking the Mater Dei quarterback in a Trinity League football game in Bellflower on Friday, October 13, 2023. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)

    St. John Bosco running back Cameron Jones gains yards against Mater Dei in a Trinity League football game in Bellflower on Friday, October 13, 2023. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)

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    Mater Dei (7-1, 2-1) entered with a No. 1 ranking in several rational polls while St. John Bosco (7-1, 3-0) was ranked ninth nationally by MaxPreps.

    The Braves snapped a four-year losing streak in league to Mater Dei and handed the Monarchs their shutout loss since 2011 to Orange Lutheran. That score was also 28-0.

    St. John Bosco held Mater Dei to 182 yards on offense.

    “They played great,” first-year Mater Dei coach Frank McManus said of Braves. “There’s some things we can do, we’ll look at differently. I think the coaches got surprised a little bit and tried to make some adjustments. It just didn’t happen. Great game plan for the home team.”

    The schools’ rivalry centers on the Division 1 title and that’s ultimately what senior-led Mater Dei wants, especially after the way last season ended at the Rose Bowl.

    Mater Dei quarterback Elijah Brown said before this season that his squad was seeking “redemption” for a 24-22 loss against St. John Bosco in the 2022 Division 1 final in Pasadena. The Stanford-bound senior said his class felt somewhat responsible for the defeat, which marked the final game of legendary Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson.

    “The season is not over,” McManus said. “There’s plenty of opportunity for us to grow and get better as a team.”

    Mater Dei’s trademark so far under McManus, a defensive back coach under Rollinson, has been defense. The Monarchs entered the showdown having allowed only 29 points on defense.

    But St. John Bosco’s defense held the advantage from the start, recording three sacks to help the Braves take a 14-0 lead at intermission.

    UCLA committed running back Cameron Jones (138 yards rushing) took care of the early offense for St. John Bosco.

    The 6-foot-2, 235-pound senior scored on a 1-yard run on third-and-goal in the middle of the second quarter as the Braves opened a 7-0.

    It was the first time Mater Dei trailed on the season.

    Jones set up the score by breaking a 37-yard run — the longest play of the opening half — to the Mater Dei 5-yard line.

    After St. John Bosco sacked Brown twice on the ensuing possession, Jones capped a 54-yard drive with a 17-yard touchdown reception from Caleb Sanchez. Jones lined up at tight end on the play as the Braves led 14-0.

    To make matters more grim for Mater Dei, running back Jordon Davison walked off at halftime with the aid of crutches. He finished with one carry.

    St. John Bosco extended its lead to 21-0 in the middle of the third as it executed a double-pass. Wide receiver Stacy Dobbins took a lateral from Sanchez and threw to a wide open Tommy Maher for a 28-yard touchdown on the trick play.

    The Braves added a 9-yard TD run Chauncey Sylvester and sealed the shutout with a late interception in the end zone by Frankie Edwards III.

    Next week, Mater Dei plays on Thursday, Oct. 19 when it takes on Orange Lutheran at Orange Coast College. St. John Bosco travels to JSerra on Oct. 20.

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    ​ Orange County Register 

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