5 takeaways from St. John Bosco's win over Chaminade-Madonna

On a night filled with turnovers and players going down with cramping, St. John Bosco held off Chaminade-Madonna in the Broward County National Football Showcase

Chaminade-Madonna's Jensen Lopez, who had 10 catches for 114 yards, fights for a first down against the St. John Bosco defense. It was a heavyweight showdown between two Top 10 teams. Here is what we learned from the game. / Matt Christopher

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA – It was exciting. It was exhausting. And it came down to a thrilling finish.

It also wasn’t the cleanest display of high school football, as both teams combined for more than 40 penalties.

But in the end, St. John Bosco (California) held off Chaminade-Madonna, 34-27, late Saturday night in the finale of the Broward County National Football Showcase at St. Thomas Aquinas.

On a night two nationally-ranked schools squared off, SBLive was on hand, and is now offering our five takeaways.

The Lions were ready to go for two

Had Chaminade-Madonna scored a touchdown in the final minute, what would they have done next? Kick the PAT or go for two?

Quick refresher. On fourth down from the 15-yard line, Chaminade’s final play was an incomplete pass from quarterback Tyler Chance to receiver Denairius Gray (Auburn recruit).

Gray made a diving attempt in the left corner of the end zone.

Had the Lions scored, coach Dameon Jones would have had to make a decision to either kick the extra point for a tie at 34, and take the game into overtime, or go for the win and a 2-point conversion.

“I was going for two,” Jones said. “By the way bodies were dropping, I was going for two. It was going to be what it was.”

St. John Bosco boosted by Maliq Blackwell-Allen's big run

After falling behind by a touchdown in the second half, the Braves showed why they’re a top-five team in the nation. Against a formidable opponent like Chaminade, they took the lead for good on Maliq Blackwell-Allen’s 71-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

The long run came on the first play after the Braves’ defense forced a Chaminade punt.

Quarterback Matai Fuiava had a busy night passing, including hooking up with Daniel Odom with second half.

In a game that swung back and forth, Bosco was able to execute with the game on the line.

“I don’t think people realize how difficult and challenging this is, especially the first game out of the block,” Braves coach Jason Negro said. “There were two heavyweights going at it the entire night.”

Tyler Chance gets bulk of the playing time at QB

It’s no secret, the Lions are loaded with new faces, as well as plenty of talent.

Entering the game, Jones hadn’t publicly said who would be the starting quarterback: Tyler Chance or Zac Katz.

The quarterback position had been secured the past few years with Cedrick Bailey. But he’s now at North Carolina State.

On Saturday, Chance worked the first series, and Katz saw action as well. But in the first half, Jones stuck with Chance, who went the rest of the game.

The sophomore ended up completing 27 of 40 attempts for 266 yards and three touchdowns.

“They came to play,” Chance said. “We’re Chaminade, and we’ve got targets on our back. We’re not coming out of this result with a good feeling.”

Jasen Lopez among the many Chaminade weapons

A year ago, the Lions receiving corps, which included Jeremiah Smith and Joshisa Trader, was considered the best in the nation.

Even with both of those stars now in college, Chaminade-Madonna’s collecting pass-catching unit still be might the best in the country.

The unit features newcomers like Koby Howard and Jabari Brady.

Jasen Lopez, a junior, is a big part of the list. Lopez, also a basketball standout, transferred in from True North Classical.

In Saturday’s loss, Lopez made an impact with 10 catches for 114 yards.

The running back boosted Derrek Cooper, who had 78 yards on 16 carries. Howard is among the most versatile players in the state. The Penn State recruit had five rushes for 66 yards and four catches for 41 yards.

Derrek Cooper of Chaminade-Madonna picks up yardage on a screen pass against St. John Bosco in the Broward County National Football Showcase / Joe Frisaro

“We worked hard all summer, spring, and fall,” Lopez said. “We came here doing what we do best. Our defense got a couple of stops for us at the end, and we couldn’t execute. But we’ve got a whole season ahead of us, and we’re looking forward to it.”

Penalties and injuries fed into the sloppy game

Mistakes happen. Especially in the first game of the season.

Still, few could have predicted two established programs like Bosco and Chaminade would play in such a choppy game.

When the dust settled, Bosco racked up 14 penalties for 155 yards, and Chaminade was called for 12 penalties for 110 yards.

Chaminade-Madonna and St. John Bosco each flashed their enormous talent with many highlight plays. They also combined for 265 yards in penalties, which took away from the flow of the game. / Matt Christopher

“They made a lot of mistakes, so did we,” Negro said. “We had penalties. We couldn’t line up. The one thing we did a good job of is we protected the football.”

Add in repeated game stoppages because players succumbed to cramping in the intense humidity, and you had a game end after midnight ET.

“For a young group, that’s what I wanted to see, if they were going to stand up, under the lights,” Jones said. “A lot of them hadn’t been in this environment before. And they did. They came out and battled, and fought. But we’ve got a lot of stuff we’ve got to clean up and get better at. But the first game of the season. To be expected.”