Tag: Mater Dei

Freshman QB Elijah Brown stars as Mater Dei topples St. John Bosco

Mater Dei toppled St. John Bosco in Santa Ana on Saturday night.

Mater Dei and St. John Bosco renewed their storied rivalry on Saturday night, and it was a freshman getting his first taste of California high school football’s fiercest heavyweight battle who spearheaded his team to victory.

Mater Dei freshman quarterback Elijah Brown tossed four touchdown passes, leading the Monarchs to a 34-17 win in Santa Ana. Three of Brown’s four touchdown passes came in the first half.

RELATED: Mater Dei freshman QB Elijah Brown tosses three touchdown passes in HS debut

After forcing St. John Bosco to punt on its first offensive series of the night, Mater Dei wasted no time getting on the board, its drive capped by a 12-yard touchdown pass from Brown to Williams. All it took was one play for St. John Bosco to answer back and knot the score up at seven, though, as Jabari Bates broke loose for a 66-yard rushing touchdown on the Braves’ ensuing drive. St. John Bosco stayed hot after Bates’ touchdown scamper, forcing a Mater Dei punt and grabbing a 14-7 lead on a 26-yard touchdown pass from Pierce Clarkson to Matayo Uiagalelei just before the end of the first quarter.

That was about as good as it got for the Braves on the night, as Brown and Mater Dei’s defense took over from that point on.

Brown countered Clarkson’s touchdown pass with a 26-yard scoring strike of his own, tying the score at 14 early in the second quarter. Mater Dei then forced a St. John Bosco punt and Brown immediately went back to work, finding Kyon Ware-Hudson his third touchdown pass of the half, this one an explosive 64-yard strike to put the Monarchs back up by seven.

St. John Bosco drove into the red zone on its ensuing offensive possession, but missed a field goal, keeping the score at 21-14. Mater Dei tacked on three more points before halftime, opening up its lead to double digits for the first time.

St. John Bosco cut into Mater Dei’s lead with a field goal in the third quarter, but its single-digit deficit was short-lived, as Brown hit Josiah Zamora for a 12-yard touchdown to make it a 31-17 game with 2:58 remaining in the quarter.

Mater Dei continued to lock in defensively with its lead up to 14 points, holding St. John Bosco scoreless in the fourth quarter. Junior cornerback and five-star USC recruit Domani Jackson effectively sealed the game with a later interception, bringing an abrupt end to St. John Bosco’s last-ditch comeback effort.

With the win, Mater Dei improves to 5-0 and clinches its latest Trinity League title. St. John Bosco, meanwhile, drops to 5-1.

California powerhouse Mater Dei starting freshman Elijah Brown at QB

Mater Dei has a new starting quarterback and it’s freshman Elijah Brown.

Mater Dei has long been one of the most dominant high school football programs in California and churns out elite talent on a yearly basis.

Could Elijah Brown be the next Mater Dei product to rise to stardom? There is a good chance that is the case, as Mater Dei is rolling with Brown as its starting quarterback in his freshman year, according to the Los Angeles Times.

It’s very rare that a freshman strolls into Mater Dei and seizes the starting quarterback gig, but Brown has managed to pull it off. Senior Miller Moss was supposed to be Mater Dei’s starting quarterback this season, but with the COVID-19 pandemic pushing California’s high school football season to the spring, Moss opted to enroll early at USC. That left the door open for Brown to win the job in a competition with incoming junior transfer Emmett Brown, who has Power 5 offers to his name.

Brown joins Matt Barkley, Georgia quarterback and former five-star recruit J.T. Daniels and Todd Marinovich as the fourth freshman to start under center for Mater Dei. He is set to make his first career start against JSerra Catholic on Friday.

“There’s a lot of mystery in that we have heard about this kid for a while but have yet to really see him throw and be active in actual games,” 247Sports’ Greg Biggins said. “It’s going to be fascinating.”

RELATED: 5-star QB Sam Huard inches closer to Washington passing record in senior season debut

Defensive Back Recruit Cooper Barkate Gets Offer From Notre Dame

Much of the hype surrounding Cooper Barkate has surrounded his receiving skills.

Much of the hype surrounding Cooper Barkate has surrounded his receiving skills. After all, there are a few videos out there celebrating that aspect of his game. However, he is equally valued while playing in the secondary. Brian Polian and Marcus Freeman recognize this and want him at Notre Dame, where he could team up with Kyle Hamilton if Hamilton stays in South Bend through his senior season.

Barkate, who hails from Santa Ana, California, and plays at Mater Dei after spending his first two football seasons with St. Margaret’s Episcopal, has received plenty of offers already. Notre Dame is the 18th school to offer him an opportunity to suit up. Six of the eight Ivy League schools have reached out to him, so he obviously has the smarts to go to a prestigious college. The other offers he’s received are from Purdue, Nebraska, Kansas, Utah, Oregon, Arkansas, Virginia Tech, Hawaii, UNLV, Arizona State and Illinois State.

 

UGA football player card: QB JT Daniels

Georgia Bulldogs redshirt sophomore quarterback JT Daniels comes to UGA after spending the first two seasons of his career at USC

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Quarterback JT Daniels (No. 18):

Class: Redshirt Sophomore

Height: 6-3

Weight: 210 pounds

Hometown: Irvine, California

High School: Mater Dei High School

Georgia Bulldogs redshirt sophomore quarterback JT Daniels comes to UGA after spending the first two seasons of his career at USC. Daniels transferred from the Trojans following an ACL injury he suffered during the 2019 season opener. Daniels is still rehabbing the injury and isn’t fully cleared to play as of late Aug. 2020.

Daniels has an opportunity this season in Athens with the departure of Buffalo Bills quarterback Jake Fromm. He will compete with Jamie Newman, Carson Beck, and more for the starting job. The NCAA granted him immediate illegibility on his transfer.

Georgia’s quarterback position has more depth this season than during the 2019 season. Georgia will have several options ready to step up if the starter suffers an injury. Wake Forest transfer Jamie Newman is projected to be the starter.

In three seasons at the prestigious Mater Dei High School, JT Daniels averaged more than 50 touchdown passes and 4,000 passing yards per season. Daniels was rated as the third ranked quarterback in his recruiting class behind Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields.

Daniels has solid experience from his days at USC. In 2018, Daniels threw for 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for the Trojans. At the very least he will provide the Georgia Bulldogs with a solid, experienced option as a back up. He’s got the talent to earn the starting role this season and beyond.

Nov 24, 2018; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback JT Daniels throws a pass against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

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Bronny James and Sierra Canyon defeat Mater Dei to win Open Division championship

Bronny James and Sierra Canyon defeat Mater Dei to win Open Division championship as Ziaire Williams and Brandon Boston Jr. show out for Trailblazers.

Bronny James’ Sierra Canyon Trailblazers are led by two seniors who will be playing in the 2020 McDonald’s All-American game on April 1 at the Toyota Center in Houston. Both of these young superstars—Brandon Boston Jr. and Ziaire Williams–showed out in a big way on Friday to help their team win the Open Division title against California powerhouse Mater Dei.

Williams, who is currently undecided on which collegiate program he will play for next year, scored a game-high 25 points to help deliver a 59-48 victory. Meanwhile, Boston–who will be attending Kentucky next season–added 16 points of his own. Fellow Kentucky commit, Devin Askew, scored 15 for Mater Dei while Wilhelm Breidenbach led the Monarchs with 18 points and 14 rebounds.

Bronny James did not score in the contest but he did compete defensively and provide energy off the bench as evidenced in the clip below shared by L.A. Daily News reporter, Tarek Fattal.

Sierra Canyon will now move on to the Southern California regional playoffs that begin on Wednesday as the high school basketball postseason continues to heat up.

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No longer a rim grazer: Kentucky commit Devin Askew shows off new athleticism at Hoophall West

“One of my first big dunks.”
With a thunderous slam over a five-star forward, Devin Askew showed off his new athleticism.

Devin Askew got the pass on a fast break, sized up five-star, 6-foot-9 forward Dylan Anderson, and rose up.

He flushed it down.

It’s a new Devin Askew. He’s always had athleticism, but this dunking prowess is not something the nation is accustomed to from the Chosen 25 point guard, listed at 6-foot-3.

“I could rim graze,” he said.

He’s no longer that player at the rim.

“One of the things that I was told when I went to the Nike Skills Academy … just get my athleticism up,” Askew said. “Start finishing better around the rim, and I’ve been doing that.”

With PJF Performance, he started working on techniques to help his jump and build up his fast-twitch reactions in his legs. Now bouncier, more athletic and able to better move laterally and toward the rim, Askew’s game is expanding.

“Layups and shooting, that was a lot of my game. Similar to how I play now, I just wasn’t as athletic,” he said.

At Hoophall West on Saturday, Askew led No. 14 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) to a win over Perry (Gilbert, Arizona). His most impressive play was the dunk over Anderson, another five-star player.

“One of my first big dunks,” Askew said with a smile.

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After reclassifying and signing with Kentucky, Askew has one last season of high school basketball to get some more big dunks in before going to the NCAA.

The Wildcats program is good at helping players achieve their goals, Askew said — and he has lofty aspirations.

“I want to be an NBA point guard. I want to play in front of thousands of people and lead an NBA team,” he said.

Askew is already a good shooter and a crafty ball handler. He has good timing with his passes as he controls the flow of the game. There were a couple times Saturday it looked like his dribble moves got him room in a lane, but he elected to pass. As Askew continues to get more athletic and experiment with his abilities, he should become more confident at driving into tighter spaces and finishing.

Based on one of his takeaways from his Kentucky visit, he won’t get content with just a couple big dunks.

“Seeing all the players, how they work in the gym, that’s what I like the most. That’s what I find fun, working hard in the gym,” Askew said.

No. 4 St. John Bosco scores 34 consecutive points to conquer No. 1 Mater Dei in comeback

St. John Bosco has done it. The Braves went on a 34-0 run to mount an epic comeback over No. 1 Mater Dei and win the CIF-SS Div. 1 championship.

Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) which looked unbeatable through the first 14 weeks of the season, led St. John Bosco 28-5 in the first half of the CIF-SS Div. 1 championship game on Saturday night.

It was going to be a runaway victory. The No. 1 team was going to win again and play in two weeks for its third straight National Championship.

Then St. John Bosco scored 34 points in a row. The Braves fought back in the second half and took down the two-time reigning champions 39-34.

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Wide receiver Logan Loya, who transferred to St. John Bosco from Orange Lutheran (California), scored the final two touchdowns for the Braves.

After taking the lead, St. John Bosco went for a fourth-down conversion needing one yard with a five-point lead and about three minutes remaining. The ball at their own 29-yard line, the Braves needed just one yard to convert.

It was an aggressive move, but it made sense. The only proven way to stop Monarchs quarterback Bryce Young from scoring was to keep it out of his hands.

St. John Bosco did not convert. Mater Dei got the ball back with great field position.

But St. John Bosco found one more way to prevent Young from scoring and keep the ball out of his hands: Knock it out of them.

Ma’a Gaoteote stripped Young at the 13-yard line, getting St. John Bosco possession back with about 1:30 left in the game. The Braves could not ice it and had to punt, leaving Mater Dei 23 seconds to drive without any timeouts remaining.

It was not enough time.

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The Monarchs have been a first-half team throughout season, but the primary reason was because they so often took insurmountable leads in that half and used the second half to run out the clock and stop playing aggressive.

Against Centennial (Corona, California) in the opening week, Mater Dei led 35-0 at the break. Against St. Frances Academy (Baltimore), the Monarchs took a 31-6 lead early in the third quarter. Against Mission Viejo (California) last week, they led 28-3 at the half.

St. John Bosco is better than all those teams. Its defense was phenomenal in the second half and quarterback DJ Uiagalelei showed what made him the ALL-USA Offensive Player of the Year last year, finishing the game with 444 passing yards and five touchdowns.

For much of the year, it looked like the only way the Monarchs could lose was if they beat themselves. In the first matchup against St. John Bosco this season, Mater Dei nearly allowed a comeback largely due to penalties.

This time around, turnovers in key situations did them in. Wide receiver Kyron Ware-Hudson, fumbled late in the third quarter with a nine-point lead, which led to a St. John Bosco score. On the next drive, Young threw an interception. He also fumbled on the potential game-winning drive.

Whatever self-inflicted wounds Mater Dei had with turnovers this season, it was never a turnover-prone team. The receiving corps has great hands. Young escapes pressure better than any other quarterback in the nation. The running game was good enough to keep defenses on their toes.

But St. John Bosco found a way to execute and force Mater Dei to give up the ball. With the sound defense forcing turnovers, Uiagalelei could get enough chances to get the ball to his play makers.

Give the Clemson quarterback commit, ranked No. 1 at his position in the country, enough opportunities, and he will do that.

That’s just what he did, leading St. John Bosco to an epic comeback over the top team in the country.

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Now, Uiagalelei has one more game to secure his high school legacy. With the Player of the Year award last year but two losses in the CIF-SS Div. 1 title game to Mater Dei, he was just missing that championship.

He has finally taken them down. He earned the Southern Section trophy. Now, one win against De La Salle (Concord, California) in the California Open Division title game will send him out on top.

Mater Dei’s defense, so sound this season, could not stop him long enough. The offense, so explosive, could not maintain control.

The team, so unbeatable, could not hold on.

St. John Bosco got the victory. The Braves took down Mater Dei.

High school football schedule: Top games of Week 15

Katy vs. North Shore and Mater Dei vs. St. John Bosco are just two of the exciting high school football games on this week’s schedule.

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There are championships abound and playoff games to watch for, and the two most highly-anticipated rematches have rolled around: Mater Dei vs. St. John Bosco in California and Katy vs. North Shore in Texas.

See those and eight other high school football games to keep an eye on this week as the season nears its close.

For many teams, this will be the end of the season.

SUPER 25: National football rankings

Katy receiver Jordan Patrick (13) catches a pass along the sidelines and is tackled by North Shore defensive back Upton Stout (5) (Photo: Joe Buvid, Houston Chronicle Contributor)

MATCHUP

No. 7 Katy (Texas) (12-0)

vs.

No. 13 North Shore (Houston, Texas) (11-1)

When: 11/29, 5 p.m. ET

Tale of the Tape: The North Shore Mustangs started the season at the No. 2 spot in the Super 25. They dropped their first game of the season, a 24-21 loss to Katy. It was revenge from the Tigers, who fell to North Shore in the playoffs last year, a 49-38 game. Now, while this is just the regionals of the six-round Texas playoffs, this could be the best game of the entire gauntlet. If running back Ron Hoff is unable to go for Katy, the Tigers will have to find production from its running back position to counter North Shore’s Zach Evans. Maybe Jalen Davis can pick up where he left off last week – a 30 carry, 219-yard, two-touchdown performance.

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DJ Uiagalelei, Bryce Young to face off for championship as top 2 quarterbacks in class

DJ Uiagalelei and Bryce Young will be the first QBs ranked at the top of their class to play for a title when St. John Bosco plays Mater Dei.

A championship game between two juggernauts featuring the two top quarterbacks in their respective class.

This doesn’t happen in high school football.

On Saturday, No. 1 pro-style and No. 1 overall quarterback DJ Uiagalelei and St. John Bosco (Bellflower, California) will play against No. 1 dual-threat and No. 2 overall quarterback Bryce Young and Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California).

The two have played against each other four times overall and once already this year.

“We’re almost kind of used to these guys competing in close proximity for so long now, but now that this moment has arrived, it truly is kind of the last head-to-head battle in high school with these two, it is pretty startling how rare this is,” said 247Sports Director of Scouting Barton Simmons.

Last year, though Young was regarded as one of the top quarterbacks, he wasn’t a widely-held No. 1 dual-threat quarterback. That changed as he tore through this year’s schedule.

The first Mater Dei vs. St. John Bosco matchup of the season, a 38-24 Monarchs win on Oct. 25, was the first time two quarterbacks ranked No. 1 and 2 in the class faced off in the modern recruiting era, based on 247Sports Composite Rankings.

“I don’t think there’s (been) anything (like) the magnitude of these two,” said co-founder and editor-and-chief of High School Football America Jeff Fisher.

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Fisher recalled Kyler Murray vs. Shawn Robinson in the Tom Landry Classic in 2015. Murray ended high school as the No. 1 dual-threat QB in 2015, but Robinson was the No. 6 dual-threat in 2017 and not as well-known as a sophomore in that matchup.

Current USC quarterback JT Daniels, No. 2 pro-style in the Class of 2018, faced off against highly-touted prospects including 2016 No. 3 pro-style KJ Costello (Stanford), 2018 No. 2 dual-threat Dorian Thompson-Robinson (UCLA) and 2019 No. 2 pro-style Ryan Hilinski (South Carolina). Hilinski had a tough run, also facing Young, Uiagalelei and 2018 No. 3 pro-style Tanner McKee (Stanford).

But none of those fit the specifications of the top two quarterbacks. And none were in the championship game.

Future NFL quarterback Carson Palmer played against future NFL running back DeShaun Foster for a title in 1997, Fisher remembered. But that was simply a matchup between stars, not a battle between ranked quarterbacks.

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Expanding to players in different classes, maybe the closest to come to it was Uiagalelei two years ago, his first championship game vs. Mater Dei.

“Since he’s been the guy that everybody’s had marked for greatness … he really started it in the Mater Dei rivalry in ’17,” Fisher said. “That was against JT Daniels.”

Time and location might be the defining reason – beyond talent level, of course – that Uiagalelei and Young are facing off for a title game as the top quarterbacks. It’s not a coincidence so many players named in this article are from California, a QB hotbed with many teams able to travel around and play the likes of other national powers.

But even so, proximity doesn’t define if two teams will play. Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields, the No. 1 pro-style and dual-threat quarterbacks in 2018, respectively, both lived in Georgia. Neither faced off in high school.

As early as Johnny Unitas, western Pennsylvania was home to future legends at quarterback. Joe Montana and Jim Kelly, both in the 1983 NFL Draft Class, grew up in the area. It doesn’t appear they ever matched up at the high school level, though, and even if they had, there were no championships, let alone player rankings.

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“I think it’s more of a modern day thing, because if you think about it, ratings haven’t been around for a long time,” Fisher said. “The Elite 11 only dates back to what, the late ’90s? So, where anybody kind of put things in perspective to say somebody’s one, somebody’s two, is more modern.”

Today, high school ranks are shared widely, much more so than in the ’70s or even the ’90s. As high school transfers become more prominent, rankings more advanced and schedules developed to satisfy the crave for national matchups, Fisher thinks may be more and more games between top QBs.

With Young rocketing up recruitment rankings in his dominant senior season, this matchup is set.

For the second year in a row, Young and Uiagalelei will play for the championship. It’s their fourth game overall against each other. The stakes are higher than ever.

If No. 1 Mater Dei can pull off the win, it would be the Monarchs’ third straight CIF-Southern Section title and put them one win away from a three-peat as state and potential National Champions. If that does happen, they would be just the fourth group to accomplish this feat since USA TODAY joined the list of selectors in 1982.

As for No. 4 St. John Bosco, Uiagalelei enters his third straight championship appearance after losing the last two to Mater Dei. He has the individual accolades, being named ALL-USA Offensive Player of the Year last year, but the Braves ultimately fell short of their title aspirations both of the last two years.

A win here would put them in position to play in the California State Open Division title game and cap off a historic career for the Clemson quarterback commit.

“Going back through not only my brain but my record book, don’t see anything like this so people should just sit back and enjoy it,” Fisher said.

High school football schedule: Top games of Week 13

Some teams are in the playoffs. Others are in the championship game. Take a look at the top 15 high school football games of the week.

Some states are in the playoffs. Others are deciding champions.

This rendition of Top Games of the Week features 15 teams in win-or-go-home situations. One team has four straight championships on the line; another is set to play for its 11th in a row.

Take a look at the schedule of best games of the week.

RELATED: Super 25 National | Regional Rankings

Southlake Carroll wide receiver Wills Meyer (Photo: Cameron Been/Friday Night Glory)

MATCHUP

No. 18 Southlake Carroll (Texas) (11-0)

vs.

DeSoto (Texas) (9-2)

When: 11/22, 6:30 p.m. ET

Tale of the Tape: DeSoto may have been beaten twice this year, but both of those losses were one-point games. This team is just a couple breaks away from being undefeated. Southlake Carroll, though, is undefeated; the closest game was a 12-point win, and last week, the Dragons won by 78 points. They have been unstoppable behind sophomore quarterback Quinn Ewers and freshman running back Owen Allen. It will take a big performance from some DeSoto player to keep up: maybe cornerback Jabbar Muhammad or Devyn Bobby, or perhaps an offensive weapon like leading wide receiver Lawrence Arnold. More likely, it’ll take a big performance from several Eagles.

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