In fact, St. John Bosco and Mater Dei have met in the last four matchups between No. 1 and No. 2.
Back in 2017, Mater Dei and Bishop Gorman met under very similar circumstances. The Gaels were the defending MaxPreps National Champs riding a long win streak – 55 in a row – and were ranked No. 2 in the MaxPreps Top 25. The Monarchs won 35-21 and went wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team in the country without trailing at any point in the season.
Mater Dei snapped Bishop Gorman's 55-game win streak when the programs last met in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in 2017. (Photo: Anthony Guillean)
Gorman brings a 27-game win streak into Friday and are once again the reigning national champions.
From 2001 until 2013, the top-ranked teams in the nation only faced each other five times. When Mater Dei and Bishop Gorman square off on Friday, it will be the ninth time over the last decade.
This will be the eighth straight time that a California team is involved in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup. Mater Dei has been involved in all eight games and is 4-3 heading into Friday's matchup.
No. 1 vs. No. 2 since 2000
Oct. 6, 2001
Maurice
Jones-Drew put on a show as a junior for the Spartans leading them to
their 117th consecutive win. He accounted for 165 total yards and all
four touchdowns. De La Salle's victory helped extend a win streak that
eventually ran to 151 games from 1992 until 2004.
Oct. 12, 2002
No. 1 De La Salle 28
No. 2 Long Beach Poly 7
The
two California powers met a year later and it was the same result with
the Spartans winning. Jones-Drew rushed for 161 yards. Senior quarterback Britt Cecil threw for 237 yards and three touchdowns while adding a rushing score. The win extended the Spartans' streak to 130.
Sept. 15, 2007
The
top-ranked Dragons had their 49-game win streak snapped in front of a
crowd of nearly 32,000 at Southern Methodist University's Ford Stadium.
Jacory Harris threw for 280 yards and four scores in the win.
Tommy Streeter had four receptions for 140 yards and three touchdowns.
Riley Dodge, who is now the head coach at Southlake Carroll, threw for 269 yards and two scores.
Oct. 2, 2009
Sept. 6, 2013
Treon Harris led the Tornadoes against their rival accounting for 222 yards of total offense and three touchdowns.
Terry Jefferson iced the game with a 65-yard pick-six in the final seconds.
Dalvin Cook and
Joseph Yearby combined for 200 yards rushing and two scores for the Rockets.
Dec. 5, 2015
The Southern California powers combined for 1,202 total yards and 114
points in the Southern Section Pac-5 championship game.
J.J. Taylor finished with 41 carries for 261 yards and five touchdowns.
Javon McKinley hauled in seven receptions for 132 yards and a score, to go with a 65-yard touchdown pass.
Sean McGrew and
Re-al Mitchell combined for 35 carries for 312 yards and four scores.
Sept. 1, 2017
Oct. 13, 2018
No. 1 St. John Bosco 41
No. 2 Mater Dei 18
This was the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup between the two Trinity League rivals. St. John Bosco dominated from the start.
D.J. Uiagalelei completed 15 of 21 passes for 278 yards and five touchdowns.
Jake Bailey hauled in six receptions for 161 yards and three scores.
George Holani had a huge night rushing for 118 yards and had two total touchdowns. For Mater Dei,
Bryce Young
completed 23 of 41 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns. Bru McCoy
was his favorite target posting nine catches for 114 yards and a score.
Sept. 14, 2019
No. 1 Mater Dei 34
Bryce Young and
Blake Corum
put on a show at Panish Family Stadium in the Trinity League vs. USA
Showcase. Young threw for 247 yards but did most his damage with his
legs. He finished with 14 carries for 105 yards and four touchdowns.
Corum racked up over 200 total yards and a score.
Oct. 25, 2019
No. 1 Mater Dei 38
No. 2 St. John Bosco 24
Young and Uiagalelei faced off for the third time in their careers and
Young improved to 2-1 against the Braves. He threw for 256 yards and
three touchdowns while adding 78 yards on the ground and two more
scores. Uiagalelei threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns.
Kody Epps had a monster game hauling in 11 receptions for 175 yards and three scores.
Nov. 20, 2019
No. 2 St. John Bosco 39
No. 1 Mater Dei 34
The
rematch in the Southern Section Division 1 championship was one of
the best high school football games in recent memory. Mater Dei jumped out to
a 28-5 lead but a late touchdown drive by the Braves at the end of the
first half changed momentum. Uiagalelei threw his first of five
touchdowns to cut the deficit to 28-12 right before halftime. St. John
Bosco scored 34 unanswered points and Uiagalelei completed 26 of 38 passes for 446 yards and five scores.
Kris Hutson and
Logan Loya
combined for 17 receptions for 257 yards and four touchdowns. Young
completed 25 of 41 passes for 405 yards and five touchdowns, but had
three interceptions.
Kyron Hudson and
CJ Williams were his favorite targets combining for 16 catches for 202 yards and three scores.
Oct. 7, 2022
No. 2 Mater Dei 17
No. 1 St. John Bosco 7
This was a defensive battle as the Monarchs went into halftime with a 7-0 lead thanks to an
Elijah Brown touchdown run.
Cameron Jones
tied it for St. John Bosco in the third quarter, but the Monarchs
responded scoring the final 10 points.
Jordon Davison iced the game with
a 38-yard touchdown run with 1:01 left to extend Mater Dei's win streak
to 24. St. John Bosco's starting quarterback
Pierce Clarkson did not play in the second half because of concussion protocol.
Nov. 25, 2022
No. 2 St. John Bosco 24
No. 1 Mater Dei 22
The rematch took place at the Rose Bowl in the Southern Section Division 1 championship. St. John Bosco snapped Mater Dei's 29-game win streak and handed Elijah Brown his first career loss. It was also Bruce Rollinson's last game as head coach. Pierce Clarkson completed 14 of 27 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns.
Jahlil McClain,
DeAndre Moore and
Matayo Uiagalelei all had one touchdown reception. The biggest one came on a 72-yard score to Moore to give the Braves a 21-13 lead with 7:02 left in the third quarter.
Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa led the way on defense racking up a game-high 15 tackles. Jordon Davison scored on a one-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 24-22 with 3:08 left but the Braves defense stuffed the two-point conversion. The win helped the Braves capture their second MaxPreps National Championship.
