Can No. 1 Mater Dei be challenged? - Monarchs blow out No. 2 St. John Bosco

Mater Dei shows why it’s the No. 1 team in the country, and also showed there’s a big gap between itself and No. 2 St. John Bosco Friday night.

Mater Dei routs St. John Bosco at Santa Ana Stadium on Friday, October 25, 2024. / Heston Quan

SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA — It only took 16 minutes of football to unravel the 'No. 1 vs. No. 2 in the country’ headline for Friday night’s tilt between Mater Dei and St. John Bosco.

Mater Dei’s CJ Lavender Jr. danced after an interception. Aaryn Washington was doing backflips in the end zone like Simone Biles after a pick-six. Quarterback Dash Beierly made a hand gesture to a St. John Bosco defender before crossing the goal line to score a 40-yard touchdown.

All resulted in unsportsmanlike penalties. It didn’t matter.

In the opening 16 minutes, Mater Dei forced three turnovers, scored 22 points off turnovers and took a 31-0 lead en route to an eventual 59-14 victory over Trinity League rival St. John Bosco at the Santa Ana Bowl Friday night.

“It was a great team win and might be my last chance playing Bosco, so I’m (feeling) great with this,” Mater Dei senior Nasir Wyatt said. “

It was 45-0 at halftime.

“It was like an avalanche,” St. John Bosco coach Jason Negro said. “It was not what we expected.”

Washington commit Dash Beierly threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns on 19 of 30 passing. Oregon-bound tailback Jordon Davison finished with 92 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Wideouts Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and Marcus Harris totaled 114 and 87 yards receiving, respectively.

Can anyone beat the Monarchs? Probably not. Can anyone challenge them? Maybe.

“We’re for sure bringing the (national championship) home this year,” Wyatt said. “As far as I’m concerned, I don’t think any team in the country can beat us. We’re the best team in the world right now.”

St. John Bosco showed a sign of life early in the third quarter when Maliq Allen broke for a 71-yard touchdown run to make it 45-7.

It was a rough night for St. John Bosco freshman quarterback Koa Malau’ulu, who was hounded the entire night with pressure from every angle. Malau’ulu threw two interceptions and fumbled. Two of those turnovers resulted in a pick-six and a fumble recovery for a touchdown (by Nasir Wyatt).

Malau’ulu finished with 117 yards passing and one touchdown (to Carson Clark).

Wyatt’s fumble recovery for a touchdown made it 59-7 at the end of the third quarter.

History indicates that when these two teams meet twice in one season — which has happened in six of the last eight seasons — the winner of the Trinity League game goes on to lose when the two meet in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 final. It’s easy to see Mater Dei reaching the Division 1 final, but can St. John Bosco?

“We clearly have a lot to work on,” Negro said.