The highly anticipated showdown between the nation’s top high school football teams turned one-sided on Friday as No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) dominated No. 2 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) with a decisive 59-14 victory.
With an 8-0 record, Mater Dei was unstoppable, establishing an overwhelming 45-0 lead by halftime, which effectively closed the door on any potential comeback and resulted in a running clock in the fourth quarter. This score marked the most points Mater Dei has scored against their rival St. John Bosco in a series that dates back to 1966.
Quarterback Dash Beierly led the charge, throwing for four touchdowns, while Jordon Davison anchored the ground game. The Monarchs’ defense was relentless, forcing four turnovers that contributed to 32 points.
For St. John Bosco (8-1), history provides a slim silver lining: the regular-season loser has often emerged victorious in a postseason rematch, having done so five of six times since 2016, with 2021 being the only exception.
Mater Dei scored quickly, capitalizing on a St. John Bosco turnover on the Braves’ third play. Beierly connected with Kayden Dixon-Wyatt for a 35-yard touchdown on a flea-flicker, followed by a 23-yard field goal to make it 11-0. Davison’s 2-yard touchdown run capped a 10-play, 65-yard drive, pushing the lead to 17-0 early in the second quarter.
On the next drive, Bosco’s freshman quarterback Koa Malau’ulu was intercepted by C.J. Lavender Jr., setting up Beierly’s 40-yard rushing touchdown that brought the score to 25-0. Shortly after, Mater Dei extended their lead to 31-0 with Aaryn Washington returning an interception for a 45-yard score.
Beierly threw two more touchdowns before halftime, a 19-yard pass to Gavin Honore and a 1-yard toss to Semi Taulanga, giving Mater Dei a 45-0 advantage.
Bosco broke their scoreless streak with a 71-yard touchdown run by Maliq Allen early in the third quarter, though Mater Dei soon answered with a Beierly-to-Mark Bowman connection and a 5-yard defensive touchdown by Nasir Wyatt, increasing the score to 59-7.
Bosco added a fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Malau’ulu to Daniel Odom, wrapping up the game’s scoring.
Since 2016, the two teams have collectively won seven Open Division state championships, with Mater Dei claiming titles in 2017, 2018, 2021, and 2023, while Bosco triumphed in 2016, 2019, and 2022. Friday’s clash was the 15th No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in MaxPreps Top 25 history and the sixth to feature these powerhouse teams. Mater Dei now holds a 4-2 advantage in those matchups and has won 10 of their last 15 encounters against Bosco. Impressively, Mater Dei has a 95-0 record against all teams except Bosco in that period.
