Entering the game, Mater Dei (7-1) hadn't trailed for a single second the entire season.
But as has been the norm since 2016, the Trinity League rivals could meet again in late November in the Southern Section Division I final.
UCLA commit
Cameron Jones scored two first-half touchdowns and the St. John Bosco (7-1) defense was relentless.
Coming into the showdown Mater Dei had allowed 15 points in the last five games as St. John Bosco nearly matched that with two distinct second-quarter drives.
The first was a nine-play, 69-yard drive that didn't leave the ground. Jones and
Chauncey Sylvester did the work behind a line that opened hole after hole. The second scoring drive was a mix of run and pass, including a circus catch by tight end
William McKissick, that ended with a 16-yard floater from
Caleb Sanchez to Jones.
St. John Bosco running back Cameron Jones bullies his way into the end zone in the second quarter of the No. 9 Braves' 28-0 upset win over No. 1 Mater Dei in a Trinity League showdown. (Photo: Antoine Belote).
And while the offense was grinding out the yards, the Bosco defense limited Mater Dei to 25 yards of offense prior to their final first-half drive, sacking Monarchs quarterback
Elijah Brown three times. Mater Dei didn't gain 100 yards in the first half.
Bosco added to its lead on the first possession of the second half as
Stacy Dobbins took a lateral from Sanchez and found a wide open
Tommy Maher on the double pass for a 27-yard score and a massive 21-0 lead.
After holding the Monarchs to a three-and-out to start the second half, the Bosco defense one-upped itself, forcing a turnover on downs on Mater Dei's second offensive possession deep in Braves territory to take the 21-0 lead into the fourth quarter.
Sylvester added another score late in the fourth for the final margin. It was the first time since 2011 that Mater Dei had been shutout.
Bosco, which lost last year's regular-season game to Mater Dei, beat the Monarchs for the second straight time after turning the tables on their foe in the Southern Section Division I title game. St. John Bosco went on to win the CIF Open Division title and the MaxPreps National Championship.
St. John Bosco running back Chauncey Sylvester eyes the hole in the second half of the Braves' 28-0 upset win over No. 1 Mater Dei. Sylvester scored late in the game as Bosco improved to 7-1 and beat their Trinity League rival for the second straight game. (Photo: Antoine Belote)
St. John Bosco's Frankie Edwards III (21) celebrates his late interception along with Peyton Woodyard as the No. 9 Braves upended No. 1 Mater Dei 28-0 on Friday. (Photo: Antoine Belote)
