Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) at St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)
Kyle Sweet is the new quarterback at Santa Margarita and he's kept the ship afloat, as the Eagles can still win the Trinity League by beating St. John Bosco.
Photo by Mark Chodzko
Santa Margarita (8-1) will win a piece of the Trinity League title for the first time if it can beat St. John Bosco. This team was in the top five of the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 before a season-ending knee injury to Nebraska-bound quarterback Johnny Stanton and a subsequent loss to Mater Dei (Santa Ana) on Oct. 12. While the offense has searched for a new identity without Stanton, the Eagles defense has remained consistent and stout. Leading tackler
Sammy Gibbs added 11 tackles to his team-high season total of 103 during a 42-0 blowout of JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano) last week. It was the Eagles' fourth shutout of the year.
See where these teams stack up in the MaxPreps California Bowl Game RankingsSt. John Bosco also wants to capture its first Trinity League title, and would do so in outright fashion with a win Friday night. The Braves, unbeaten in conference play, are officially 5-4 overall. But all four losses are by forfeit for using an ineligible player. On the field, their average margin of victory is 25 points. Last week's 39-13 rout of Servite (Anaheim) broke a seven-game losing streak to the Friars. Quarterback
Josh Rosen threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns. The talented sophomore has 1,575 passing yards and 18 touchdowns this season.
Mitch Stephens: Santa Margarita 21, St. John Bosco 20
Steve Montoya: St. John Bosco 28, Santa Margarita 21
Stephen Spiewak: St. John Bosco 35, Santa Margarita 21
Kevin Askeland: Santa Margarita 24, St. John Bosco 21
Leland Gordon: St. John Bosco 21, Santa Margarita 16
Jamie DeMoney: St. John Bosco 27, Santa Margarita 21
