Throw out the records, the comparison of coaching tenures, the scouting measurements, all of it — when it comes to the Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) vs. St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) game, one of the grandest high school football matchups in California and the U.S., the overriding intrigue comes from the unknowns.
Last season, the teams split, with Mater Dei taking the October game (at home) and St. John Bosco pulling off a two-point sectional playoff win at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
When the dust settled on the 2022 season, the Braves held the top spot in the USA TODAY High School Sports Super 25.
(Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
Arguably, either could have claimed supremacy.And the same arguments can be created—albeit objectively— for the 2023 game, too.
The Monarchs head into Bellflower ranked No. 1 in the Super 25, while Bosco sits at No. 9. A tough loss in Hawaii for the Braves to then-unranked Kahuku is all that stands in the way of this headliner being a decisive game for the top spot in the rankings.
And it still may have profound implications, even on a historical level.
As we’ve highlighted before, if Mater Dei manages to stay on track for the remainder of the season, it could break a tie for the most Super 25 national champion nods in history, ending the current run along with De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) at five total.
But if there were one team that could play spoiler on that 40-plus-year footnote, it would be St. John Bosco.
Again, rivalries don’t mesh well with expectancies.
High school football fans around the nation who are looking to watch the Super 25 matchup can live-stream the game on the NFHS Network.
(Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
The collaboration with over 40 high school state athletic/activities associations and PlayOn! Sports allows fans to live-stream high school sports on any device, from wherever they are: 27 different regular season and postseason sports, plus other high school activities that highlight the accomplishments of student-athletes, student-broadcasters, and high schools.
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