High school football: Mater Dei finishes atop MaxPreps Top 25 California rankings after win over No. 2 St. John Bosco

By Mitch Stephens Apr 20, 2021, 9:45am

Monarchs finish No. 1 after win over Braves; San Clemente, Alemany pull out season-ending wins; Pittsburg enters rankings.

California's shortest season — the first one conducted in the spring — essentially ended Saturday night, appropriately with a battle for No. 1 in the final MaxPreps Top 25 rankings.

Top-ranked Mater Dei (Santa Ana) held serve by topping No. 2 St. John Bosco, 31-17, at Santa Ana Stadium behind four touchdown passes from freshman quarterback Elijah Brown and a big defensive play at the start of the fourth quarter.

Bosco, which got two spectacular touchdowns, one from sophomore tight end Matayo Uiagalelei and the other from speedy junior tailback Jabari Bates, looked like it was going to close to within a touchdown when quarterback Katin Houser was stripped of the ball by Quincy Craig and teammate Jacob Kongaika fell on it in the end zone. The Braves wouldn't recover.

Brown (14-of-23, 203 yards) had lots of offensive support from the running tandem of Marceese Yetts
and Raleek Brown, who combined for 26 carries and 152 yards, and the receiving trio of CJ Williams, Karon Ware-Hudson and Josiah Zamora (combined 10 catches, 184 yards and all four touchdowns).



With 59 players (31 for Bosco) boasting either 3-star recruiting rankings or FBS college offers, this was one heck of a spring finale, but it's also just the beginning. Only 14 of the 59 were seniors, meaning there's a whole lot more to look forward to between those two teams next season and beyond.
Mater Dei freshman Elijah Brown threw for four touchdowns Saturday.
Mater Dei freshman Elijah Brown threw for four touchdowns Saturday.
Photo by Louis Lopez
The one Southern California team that could present big problems next season resides from its own Trinity League.

CALIFORNIA SPRING COMPUTER RANKINGS: Compare to human rankings below

Servite, which finished No. 4, ended its season with a 42-13 win over previous No. 23 Santa Margarita, returns most of its top players including starting quarterback Noah Fifita, wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan and tight end Keyan Burnett. All were preseason No. 1 ranked players at their positions in the state. Servite gave both the Monarchs and the Braves all they could handle in respective 24-17 and 38-28 losses this spring.

Third-ranked De La Salle (Concord) kept its almost unfathomable unbeaten streak against Northern California opponents alive — 30 seasons and 316 games (314-0-2) — with a 21-7 victory over 2019 state Division 1-AA champion Clayton Valley Charter (Concord). The Spartans also return many of the their top players, including a very talented 2023 Class.

There were few other close games in the final week, though previous No. 15 San Clemente downed previous No. 6 Mission Viejo, 10-7, on a 25-yard Sean Harry field goal on the game's final play. Arizona-bound running back James Bohls rushed for 132 yards. San Clemente vaulted to No. 8 in the final rankings and Mission Viejo fell to No. 12.

The other thriller among the Top 25 was Alemany's 25-24 win over Serra (Gardena) as a blocked punt and 50-yard return for touchdown by Tyler Scott and ensuing two-point conversion with three minutes to go won it for the Warriors. Alemany moved up two spots to No. 20, while Serra dropped to 22.



Though the spring season lasted only six weeks, it wasn't short to the players and coaches involved, said Serra (San Mateo) coach Patrick Walsh.

He helped start a California coaches group of more than 700 in December to fight for a season period. After leaders of the Golden State High School Football Coaches Community met three weeks with state politician, health officials and the California Interscholastic Federation, a season was salvaged. It was filled with anxiety and stress due to weekly coronavirus tests and COVID-19 protocols.

After his No. 15 Padres (5-0) finished the season Saturday with a 34-3 win at previously unbeaten St. Ignatius, Walsh was left with a mixture of feelings. Much like coaches throughout the state.

"It was the longest season ever," he said. "It wasn't short at all. It was a bitter, long painful journey that had a lot of anxiety and depression and ended with a lot of joy, a lot of love and a lot of brotherhood here at Serra. I can't be more proud of this group."
St. John Bosco tight end Matayo Uiagalelei (11) catches TD pass over Quincy Craig (24). Both will be back in the fall of 2021 when the two national powerhouses meet again.
St. John Bosco tight end Matayo Uiagalelei (11) catches TD pass over Quincy Craig (24). Both will be back in the fall of 2021 when the two national powerhouses meet again.
Photo by Louis Lopez
MaxPreps Top 25 California Football Rankings

Record: 5-0 | Last week: 1
Result: Beat St. John Bosco, 31-17
Season points-points allowed: 208-57

2. St. John Bosco (Bellflower)
Record: 5-1 | Last week: 2
Result: Lost to Mater Dei, 31-17
Season points-points allowed: 283-125



3. De La Salle (Concord)
Record: 6-0 | Last week: 3
Result: Beat Clayton Valley Charter (Concord), 21-7
Season points-points allowed: 258-84

4. Servite (Anaheim)
Record: 4-2 | Last week: 4
Result: Beat Santa Margarita, 42-13
Season points-points allowed: 250-94

5. Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth)
Record: 5-1 | Last week: 5
Result: Beat Paraclete, 51-2
Season points-points allowed: 249-44

6. Los Alamitos
Record: 6-0 | Last week: 7
Result: Beat Newport Harbor, 41-3
Season points-points allowed: 304-74

7. Cathedral Catholic (San Diego)
Record: 5-0 | Last week: 8
Result: Beat Madison (San Diego), 51-0
Season points-points allowed: 223-14

8. San Clemente
Record:
5-0 | Last week: 15
Result:
Beat Mission Viejo, 10-7
Season points-points allowed: 156-62

9. Norco
Record: 5-0 | Last week: 9
Result: Beat Roosevelt (Eastvale), 62-20
Season points-points allowed: 258-68

10. Centennial (Corona)
Record: 4-1 | Last week: 10
Result: Beat Corona, 62-0
Season points-points allowed: 277-50

11. Long Beach Poly (Long Beach)
Record: 4-0 | Last week: 12
Result: Beat Millikan, 48-0
Season points-points allowed: 161-21



12. Mission Viejo
Record: 4-1 | Last week: 6
Result: Lost to San Clemente, 10-7
Season points-points allowed: 183-57

13. Folsom
Record: 6-0 | Last week: 12
Result: Beat Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills), 54-21
Season points-points allowed: 238-91

14. Loyola (Los Angeles)
Record: 4-0 | Last week: 13
Result: Beat Crespi, 54-6
Season points-points allowed: 154-44

15. Serra (San Mateo)
Record: 5-0 | Last week: 15
Result: Beat St. Ignatius (San Francisco), 34-3
Season points-points allowed: 191-49

16. Oaks Christian (Westlake Village)
Record:
3-2 | Last week: 17
Result: Idle
Season points-points allowed: 94-90

17. Buchanan (Clovis)
Record: 5-0 | Last week: 18
Result: Beat Clovis East, 36-13
Season points-points allowed: 201-88

18. La Habra
Record:
6-0 | Last week: 22
Result:
Beat Sunny Hills, 28-21
Season points-points allowed:
230-79



19. Chaminade (West Hills)
Record: 4-2 | Last week: 21
Result: Beat Cathedral (Los Angeles), 42-20
Season points-points allowed: 163-15

20. Alemany (Mission Hills)
Record: 4-1 | Last week: 22
Result: Beat Serra (Gardena), 25-24
Season points-points allowed: 141-109

21. Rancho Verde (Moreno Valley)
Record: 5-0 | Last week: 19
Result: Beat Heritage, 26-12
Season points-points allowed: 193-21

22. Serra (Gardena)
Record:
4-2 | Last week: 16
Result:
Lost to Alemany, 25-24
Season points-points allowed: 139-103

23. Carlsbad
Record: 5-0 | Last week: 24
Result: Beat Granite Hills, 63-14
Season points-points allowed: 240-42

24. Edison (Huntington Beach)
Record: 5-1 | Last week: 25
Result: Beat Huntington Beach, 56-8
Season points-points allowed: 262-97

25. Pittsburg
Record:
5-0 | Last week: NR
Result:
Beat Antioch, 47-8
Season points-points allowed:
263-53

Dropped out: Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita)

MaxPreps National Football editor Zack Poff contributed to this report.
A pair of seniors finished off their high school careers Saturday, St. John Bosco's Edward Riley (51) and Mater Dei's Ross Ulugalu-Maseuli (75).
A pair of seniors finished off their high school careers Saturday, St. John Bosco's Edward Riley (51) and Mater Dei's Ross Ulugalu-Maseuli (75).
Photo by Louis Lopez