Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) and
St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) hasn't just become the best high school football rivalry in California but has emerged as one of the best in the entire country. The Monarchs have finished ranked inside the Top 10 national rankings the last four years while the Braves have done it in five straight seasons.
The next man up at Clemson, DJ Uiagalelei, led St. John Bosco to a 2019 MaxPreps National Championship after leading the Braves to a wild 39-34 win over the Monarchs in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 title game. Bosco knocked off De La Salle (Concord) two weeks later in the CIF Open Division championship to win the school's third state title since 2013.
Two years prior, JT Daniels led the Monarchs to a wire-to-wire finish as the No. 1 team in high school football and they never trailed in any game en route to a perfect 15-0 season.
These two programs have produced some of the best talent in the country and especially as of late.
The following is the top 10 alumni (in alphabetical order) from the two schools in a lead-up to Saturday's 7 p.m. showdown at Santa Ana Stadium.
Finished his high school career throwing for 9,471 yards and 79 touchdowns. Barkley was the top-rated player from the Class of 2009 and became the first non-senior to be named the Gatorade Football Player of the Year and Athlete of the Year during his junior season.
The Monarchs all-time leader in career passing yards (12,014) and passing touchdowns (152) was named the MaxPreps Player of the Year and Gatorade Player of the Year after leading Mater Dei to a wire-to-wire finish as the No. 1 ranked team in the country during the 2017 season.
Dominated on both sides of the ball during his Monarchs career. Grootegoed had 268 tackles, nine interceptions and eight forced fumbles on defense during his final two seasons, while rushing for over 2,500 yards and 35 touchdowns on offense. Grootegoed was a five-star recruit and second-rated outside linebacker in the Class of 2000, according to 247Sports composite rankings.
John Huarte | QB | Class of 1961
The first of two players in school history that has won the Heisman Trophy. The former Notre Dame star won the award in 1964 and beat out the likes of Jerry Rhome, Dick Butkus and Bob Timberlake.
Joined Huarte in 2004 as the only other player in Mater Dei history to win the Heisman Trophy. Named the California Gatorade Football Player of the Year during his senior season after throwing for over 2,800 yards and 28 touchdowns. Leinart was the fourth-rated pro-style quarterback in the Class of 2001 and went on to lead USC to a BCS National Championship in 2004 and was selected 10th overall by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2006 NFL draft.
Todd Marinovich | QB | Class of 1988
Spent his first two years of high school at Mater Dei before transferring to Capistrano Valley (Mission Viejo, Calif.) and was the first freshman to start under center for Bruce Rollinson. He threw for 4,358 yards and 34 touchdowns in two seasons as the starter for the Monarchs and finished his high school career with over 9,900 yards passing. Marinovich was selected 24th overall in the 1991 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Raiders.
Named the MaxPreps Player of the Year after leading the Monarchs to their second consecutive CIF Open Division state title during his senior season. He finished the 2018 season with 78 receptions for nearly 1,500 yards and 18 touchdowns while racking up five sacks on defense. McCoy was a five-star recruit and was the ninth-rated player overall in the Class of 2019, according to 247Sports composite rankings.
He was Daniels' favorite target during his final two years and had 113 receptions for 2,549 yards and 41 touchdowns. St. Brown was a five-star recruit and was the second-rated wide receiver in the Class of 2018, according to 247Sports composite rankings.
Had 14 interceptions during his sophomore and junior season. He had
three pick-sixes in the first half in a 48-14 win over Centennial (Corona, Calif.) in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 semifinals. Ricks transferred to IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) for his senior season and the five-star recruit was the second-rated cornerback in the Class of 2020, according to 247Sports composite rankings.
Named the MaxPreps Co-Junior of the Year with Zach Evans in 2018 and followed that up being named the Co-Player of the Year with DJ Uiagalelei in 2019. Transferred to Mater Dei before his junior season and accounted for over 9,000 yards of total offense and 111 touchdowns during his two years as the starter. Young was the top-rated player overall in the Class of 2020, according to 247Sports.
St. John Bosco
Helped the Braves to a CIF Open Division state championship during his senior season and was the top-rated offensive guard in the Class of 2017, according to 247Sports composite rankings.
Todd Husak | QB | Class of 1996
The only player featured that did not play for current head coach Jason Negro. Husak threw for over 1,700 yards and 15 touchdowns during his senior season before going on to play for Stanford. He led the Cardinal to their first Rose Bowl appearance in 28 years and was selected in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins.
Was the leader in the trenches for the Braves when they won the school's first CIF state championship during his senior season in 2013. Mama was the top-rated offensive guard in the Class of 2014, according to 247Sports composite rankings.
Rushed for 1,800-plus yards in each of his final three seasons and played a major role as a sophomore when the Braves won the CIF Open Division state championship. In a 70-49 win over Centennial (Corona, Calif.) in the CIF Southern California Open Division championship game he accounted for 448 total yards and seven touchdowns. Finished his high school career with 5,762 yards rushing and 76 touchdowns to go with 745 yards receiving and nine scores.
The top-rated quarterback from the Class of 2015 finished his high school career throwing for 8,743 yards and 90 touchdowns to go with 1,139 yards rushing and 14 scores. During his junior season, he led the Braves to a CIF Open Division state title snapping De La Salle's (Concord) 40-game winning streak in a 20-14 victory.
Locked down the top wide receivers in the country during his final three years at Bosco and helped lead the Braves to a CIF Open Division state championship during his sophomore season. Named to the MaxPreps All-American first team in 2018 along with Ricks, Derek Stingley and DeMarcco Hellams. Steele was the fifth-rated cornerback in the Class of 2019, according to 247Sports composite rankings.
Named the MaxPreps Co-Player of the Year with Young during his senior season after leading the Braves to a national championship. Finished his high school career as Bosco's all-time leader in passing yards (10,496) and passing touchdowns (127). Uiagalelei was the second-rated player overall in the Class of 2020, according to 247Sports.
One of the best all-around football players to ever wear a St. John Bosco jersey. During his senior year, he played a huge role on defense, offense and special teams leading the Braves to their first state championship. He finished that season with 115 tackles and four interceptions on defense and had 78 receptions for 1,293 yards and 21 touchdowns on offense. Wadood still owns the record for most receiving touchdowns in a single-season and finished his final three years of high school with 288 tackles and 10 interceptions.
Williams did it all on defense for the Braves and was one of the most versatile players in Bosco history. He lined up everywhere and made a huge impact for the No. 1 team in the country during his senior season. Finished his final two years of high school with 135 tackles while leading the Braves to a 26-2 record during that span playing against the best competition in the nation.
Spent his final two years of high school at Bosco after transferring from Upland (Calif.). Woodbey helped the Braves win a CIF Open Division state title during his junior season and finished his final two seasons with 127 tackles, six interceptions and two forced fumbles. He was the 35th-rated prospect overall in the Class of 2018 and fourth-rated safety, according to 247Sports composite rankings.
