What happens when the No. 1 team in the country and in California meet up with a longtime league foe that happens to be the No. 2 team in the state? A terrific football game is what you will get. In this type of clash, somebody has to go home with a check mark in the loss column. In this case, it was the second best football team in California.

No. 1 Mater Dei and No. 2 St. John Bosco finally got to meet up in a Trinity League football matchup on Friday, Oct. 25. As they have shown all year, the Monarchs are just a step above everyone else, which is why they are the top team in the nation.

Mater Dei jumped out to a 14-3 first quarter lead and never looked back on their way to posting a 38-24 win against St. John Bosco. Mater Dei pulled off the victory by utilizing the arm and feet of quarterback Bryce Young, who accounted for five touchdowns. Young completed 19 of 33 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns for the Monarchs.

Young also added 78 yards on the ground and two more scores to pace Mater Dei. As great as Young played, his counterpart, St. John Bosco quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, was no slouch in the pocket himself.
Uiagalele accounted for 320 yards and two touchdowns through the air. The senior quarterback also rushed the ball five times for 39 yards. Both Young and Uiagalele found their favorite targets on the night. In the case of Young, his security blanket was wide receiver Kody Epps, who caught 11 passes for 175 yards and three touchdowns.

Uiagalele had a couple of players step up for him on the receiving end. Logan Loya led the Braves in receiving, catching seven passes for 129 yards and a score. Junior Jode McDuffie caught five balls for 116 yards. The Young to Epps hookup took place in the first, second and third quarters when Mater Dei scored all of its points.

Young and Epps wasted little time putting Mater Dei on the scoreboard, connecting on a 50-yard touchdown to start the game off. Young would also connect with Epps on a 11-yard pass in the second period and a 3-yard scoring toss in the third quarter. St. John Bosco, held to a field goal in the first quarter, would score touchdowns in the final three periods of play.

Dennis has covered and written about politics, crime, race, sports, and entertainment. Dennis currently covers the NFL, MLB, NBA, NCAA, and Olympic sports. Dennis is the editor of News4usonline.com and serves as the publisher of the Compton Bulletin newspaper. He earned a journalism degree from Howard University. Email Dennis at dfreeman@news4usonline.com