In the end, Mater Dei sophomore
Elijah Brown seared the Bosco secondary for 257 yards and five touchdowns, leading his top-ranked Monarchs to a 42-21 victory over the No. 3 Braves, who got a combined 377 yards passing from the torrid tandem of Katin Houser and Pierce Clarkson.
Following a dead even first half, the Monarchs (4-0, 1-0) scored three unanswered touchdowns after intermission to beat their Trinity League rivals in this annual high profile October meeting that has drawn national attention over the last five years. This one, with fans draped over rails clad in Mater Dei cardinal red and Bosco navy blue, didn't disappoint as it featured more than 800 yards of offense, hard-hitting defense, pinpoint passes, terrific receptions, determined runs and no turnovers.
Mater Dei's second-half onslaught, led also by a shutout defense propelled by
senior linebacker Malaki Te'o and defensive end David Bailey, gave the Monarchs their seventh win over Bosco in their last 11 meetings.
In their last game in April, Brown, one of the top sophomore quarterbacks in the country, threw for four touchdowns in a 34-17 victory as a freshman. He was even better Friday before a packed house of more than 6,000 at Panish Family Stadium, throwing two touchdowns each to Notre Dame-bound
C.J. Williams and Cooper Barkarte.
"He was dropping dimes tonight," Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson told Bally Sports. "You're looking at a kid playing in his eighth or ninth varsity game. To
have that kind of composure. ... It was fun, I'll tell you that."
That's depending on who you talk to.
Said Brown: "There was a lot of preparation and film that went into this. We have great coaches who put a great game plan together. I'm
just thankful for the staff we have and the teammates I have."
Only a sophomore, Mater Dei quarterback Elijah Brown is already 2-0 as a starter in high school football's hottest rivalry.
Photo by Heston Quan
A 31-yard touchdown pass from Brown to the Harvard-bound Barkarte broke a 21-21 tie with 5:56 left in the third quarter. Just before the end of the quarter, the Monarchs had their first two-score advantage of the game as Brown connected on a 22-yard scoring pass to
Jack Ressler to put the Monarchs in command.
Ressler, another sophomore, made a juggling catch over the middle, absorbed contact, then leaped into the end zone to give the Monarchs the momentum heading into the fourth. It was the ninth touchdown pass for Brown over two seasons against the No. 3 team in the nation.
Asked about his poise and ability to stay composed under pressure, Brown said: "I've always been cool and collected, but my teammates help a lot because
I know I can count on them. They make everything easier."
Yet another sophomore Ajon Bryant put the finishing touches on this one with a 29-yard burst with 2:11 remaining.
Bosco, which dropped to 5-0 and 0-1, actually outgained Mater Dei, 442-379 but untimely sacks, penalties (they had one touchdown called back)i and red zone troubles did in the Braves.
Besides the passing game, the Monarchs also moved the ball effectively on the ground behind Oklahoma-bound senior tailback Raleek Brown (21 carries, 93 yards), who also had a couple big catches and gains. The Braves were held to just 54 yards rushing which included three sack losses.
"Once again, that was just a great high school football game between two great teams," Rollinson said. "We knew we were ready on Monday. I thought I was going to have to tone it down because they were just crushing one another."
Instead they crushed it from the start. Both teams did.
The Monarchs put points on the board first with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Brown to Williams capping a 73-yard drive to start the game, keyed by a 39-yard reception by Barkarte.
Bosco responded immediately, keyed by beautiful move up the pocket by the Michigan State-bound Houser and 50-yard completion to a streaking Chedon James. A 19-yard catch by five-star junior Matayo Uiagalelei put the ball at the 2. From there, Houser made another outstanding athletic move and scrambled home to tie the game at 7-7 with 6:45 left in the quarter.
Both teams moved the ball between the 20s, but it wasn't until Houser found
Colin Chase
on a 48-yard touchdown that the scoreboard changed, giving Bosco a 14-7
lead with 7:46 left in the second quarter. Chase took a big hit at the 25, somehow remained on his feet at the 25 and sprinted into the end zone, giving the Braves
their first lead.
Receiver Jack Ressler dives into the end zone for a Mater Dei touchdown in the third quarter to give the Monarchs a 35-21 lead.
Photo by Heston Quan
Clarkson hooked up with James again on a perfectly-placed 24-yard pass to set up
another connection between the two, a 22-yarder to give Bosco a 21-14 lead with 2:25 left in the half. By halftime, James had five catches for 123 yards.
That
was an eternity for Brown and the Monarchs, who took just three plays
to go 50 yards, capped by a another perfectly placed 23-yard TD pass from Brown
to a twisting Barkarte, who was also well covered, this time in the left corner of the end zone. A nifty 40-yard kickoff return by Joshua Hunter set up the score, which tied the score at 21-21 with 1:21 left in the half.
Bosco, which received the second half kickoff, ran out the clock to cap a wildly entertaining half.
Despite piling up more than 400 yards, the Braves went scoreless the second half.
"We made some good adjustments especially on defense," Rollinson said. "We mixed up some stuff. Called up a couple blitzes. We kept the
pressure on them. We wanted to stop the running game which we did.
Give (Bosco) a ton of credit. Both those quarterbacks were throwing dimes out there." 
Bosco quarterback Katin Houser threw for more than 200 yards and accounted for two touchdowns.
Photo by Heston Quan
Fans definitely got their money's worth for a hot-selling ticket. The remaining 2,500 general admission seats of the 6,000 stadium sold out in four minutes Monday.
Tickets were scalped online for as high as $350.
A Bosco-Mater Dei ticket has been gold since the Trinity League rivals
both emerged national powers starting in 2016. Since then the teams have
gone a combined 122-11 with four state and three national titles
between them.
Both teams go on the road next week, Mater Dei to Orange Lutheran (Orange) while the Braves play at JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano).
Mater Dei receiver C.J. Williams caught two touchdown passes in the first half.
Photo by Heston Quan
