St. John Bosco freshman Koa Malau’ulu shows he’s QB of the future in stellar performance at SoFi Stadium

St. John Bosco defeated Servite at SoFi Stadium Friday night thanks to stellar performance from freshman QB Koa Malau’ulu.

Koa Malau'ulu of St. John Bosco / Tarek Fattal

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA — Koa Malau’ulu is either too naive to know any better or he’s simply built for it.

Only time will tell. He will get the biggest challenge of his young high school football career when St. John Bosco takes on rival Mater Dei — currently the No. 1 team in the nation — in Santa Ana on October 25.

As far as the ‘big stage’ test, Malau’ulu passed with flying colors in the Braves’ 27-17 win over Servite at SoFi Stadium in Trinity League action in front of an estimated attendance of 6,900.

“He’s mature beyond his years,” St. John Bosco coach Jason Negro said. “He’s kind of unflappable. Regardless of a bad play, he really doesn’t change his demeanor, and the best thing about Koa is he’s a competitor.”

St. John Bosco moves to 8-0 and 3-0 in league play. Servite drops to 6-2 and 1-2 in league play.

“Trinity League is the toughest conference in the country,” Negro added. “For him to get us three Trinity League wins is a pretty good start to his career.”

Malau’ulu showed no signs of nerves, tossing for 185 yards on 14 of 20 passes and three touchdowns — two to superstar junior Madden Williams. Carson Clark was the recipient of the other touchdown pass.

“All glory to God, he’s given me the opportunity to play this game and I’ve really taken it to another level with this team,” Malau’ulu said in his postgame interview on Bally Sports West. “But we need to keep our heads down and keep working.”

Junior Matai Fuiava started the year as St. John Bosco’s QB1 with Malau’ulu getting reps in every game this season. However, a few weeks ago, Fuiava suffered an injury that sidelined him and gave way to Malau’ulu, who took full advantage of the opportunity in a game against Orange Lutheran, completing 24 of 32 in the second half for 272 yards and four touchdowns.

News of Fuiava transferring to Hawaii Kahuku broke earlier this week, making Malau’ulu the QB1 not just for 2024, but for the foreseeable future.

“Right now, (Koa) has the keys to the ship,” Negro said. “We’re going to trust him, and that’s what you have to do with a veteran coaching staff with a young player like Koa — allow him to play freely — and that’s what he’s able to do. His best days are ahead of him.”

The freshman standout already has a 3-star rating on 247Sports.com and is listed at 6-foot-1, 165 pounds.

Servite running back Quaid Carr was stellar in defeat. The San Diego State commit ran for 145 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. He amassed more than 100 yards by midway through the second quarter.

HIGHLIGHTS

Koa Malau’ulu to Carson Clark. 32-yard TD connection for St. John Bosco.

Servite 7, SJB 7. 2:53, 1Q pic.twitter.com/8EBgY7TIBo

— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) October 19, 2024

Koa Malau’ulu to Madden Williams on 5-yard TD toss and catch.

St. John Bosco leads Servite 20-10 midway through the 3Q. pic.twitter.com/atM9juVf09

— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) October 19, 2024