No. 11 St. John Bosco outlasts No. 12 Centennial 49-47 in SoCal playoff shootout

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In a playoff showdown between national Top 25 powers in California, No. 11 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) outscored No. 12 Centennial (Corona, Calif.) 49-47.

With the win, the Braves advance to the Southern Section Division 1 championship game — used to be known as the Pac 5 Division — for the third consecutive year.

The teams combined for nearly 100 points and 1,100 yards and that's what everyone has come to expect when these two SoCal powers tangle. But this one was special.

Re-al Mitchell sprinted around right end for a 67-yard touchdown run with 5:11 remaining in the game to help secure the victory, capping one of the most amazing six minutes in the history of the Southern Section.

The first six minutes of the fourth quarter featured six lead changes, including a 99-yard kickoff return by Berkeley Holman and 50-yard TD pass from Mitchell to Terrell Bynum for the winners, who also got three early touchdowns from Demetrious Flowers.

St. John Bosco (11-2) will now face No. 3 Mater Dei for the title and a chance at the state championship.

Mater Dei and top-ranked Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) defeated St. John Bosco earlier this year. In both games, Bosco squandered halftime leads. Not this time after taking a 21-14 lead after two quarters.

In those loses "we came out strong but we didn't finish," Holman told a FOX West audience. He finished with seven catches for 137 yards. "Tonight we finished."

Bosco vs. Centennial: Play-by-play and scoring summary

Miles Reed scored his third touchdown on an improbable 59-yard touchdown run, breaking several tackles, to give Centennial a 47-42 lead with 5:54 to play. It was the fifth touchdown of the quarter, before Mitchell broke loose for the game's final touchdown.

Mitchell was outstanding all night, completing 17 of 22 for 277 yards and three scores. He also rushed for more than 100 yards.

Tanner McKee, who threw for three touchdowns and ran for another, gave Centennial a 14-0 lead with early TD passes to Justin Fisher and Simon Hall.

Bosco responded with four straight touchdowns, three scored by Flowers on two short runs and a 9-yard pass from Mitchell, to go up 28-14. But Centennial (11-2) responded with a 20-point run to go up. 34-28 following a 28-yard TD scramble by McKee with 11:11 to go.

And that's when the game went crazy, with teams exchanging long scores and the lead with the greatest of ease.

* Holman faked a reverse and sprinted 99 yards down his own end zone to put Bosco up 35-34 with 10:48 remaining.

* McKee found Fisher down the right sideline for a pretty 39-yard score, putting Centennial up 41-35 with 10:14 left, and capping a three-score flurry in 57 seconds.

* Mitchell found Bynum over the middle on a 50-yard score to give SJB back the lead 42-41 with 6:46 left.

* Right back came Reed, with his bullish 59 yard run 52 seconds later. Centennial decided to go for two, but a perfect pass from McKee was dropped, leaving the score at 47-42.

Then Mitchell, a 10.60 sprinter in the 100 meters, finished off the scoring with his sprint down the sideline.

"It's a relief and a blessing," Mitchell said. "I couldn't be happier."

The numbers couldn't have been more telling of how evenly matched and well played the game was. There was only one turnover, an interception thrown by McKee in the second quarter.

Centennial rushed for 310 yards and passed for 236 for 546 yards. Bosco rushed for 274 and passed for 277 for 551. Centennial had 25 first downs and Bosco 22. Each team scored seven touchdowns.

With all that offense, a blocked extra point and failed two-point conversion was ultimately the difference. Now Bosco gets another shot at Mater Dei, which beat Rancho Cucomonga 48-21. Mater Dei beat Bosco 26-21 on Oct. 21.

"We're ready," Holman said. "We can't wait."