This past Friday night there was a clash of the titans on the west coast. Number one-ranked St. John Bosco Braves faced off against the number two-ranked Mater Dei Monarchs in an old-school hard-hitting and hard-nosed football game. With numerous blue-chip prospects all over the field for both schools, you would think that this high-powered matchup between these two top programs would produce a high-scoring game. But what we got was a low-scoring defensive slugfest, and the feel was nostalgic, to say the least. This game was tied 7-7 going into the fourth quarter, and in the fourth and final quarter is where we saw Mater Dei pull away, finishing the game with a final score of 17-7. They shut out the Braves of St. John Bosco in the last quarter, outscoring them 10-0. Now I’ll be highlighting only a few of the top prospects in this matchup.
St. John Bosco (CA)
Matayo Uiagalelei (2023)
A couple of things stand out about this kid right away. The first is pretty obvious which is the last name, yes Matayo Uiagalelei is the younger brother of the current Clemson starting quarterback, DJ Uiagalelei. The second thing I would say is obvious, is Matayo’s size. Standing tall at 6’5 and weighing 265 lbs, this kid is an absolute unit. He’s a top-five-ranked EDGE defender for a reason. Uiagalelei right now possesses the physicality that you need from your edge rushers on the next level and he’s only a Senior in high school. He’s impossible to move off the line of scrimmage and has sneaky speed skills and speed moves in his arsenal. Combine that with his bull rush power and you have the perfect EDGE prospect. Matayo is one of the top prospects that have yet to commit to a school, but it looks like he’s down to a top-four of Ohio State, Oregon, USC, and Alabama.
(28th-ranked player in the nation, fourth-ranked EDGE in the nation, the fourth-ranked player in the state of California.)
St. John Bosco’s Secondary
It would have been a disservice to leave any player in this unit out, so I decided to highlight the entire unit as a whole. Despite the result of the game, the Braves defense played lights out for four quarters. Whether it was press man coverage or zone coverage, this group played their assignments soundly and with poise. They made it extremely difficult for Elijah Brown to establish a rhythm the entire game. There is no question that this group is well-coached. I will highlight some of the players below.
- Aaron Williams (2023) 4-star CB – Louisville commit
- R.J. Jones (2023) 4-star S
- Jshawn Frausto-Ramos (2023) 4-star CB – Stanford commit
- Ty Lee (2023) 3-star S – UCLA commit
- Peyton Woodyard (2024) 5-star S
- Marcelles Williams (2024) 4-star CB
Mater Dei (CA)
Elijah Brown (2024)
I will go on record and say that I believe Elijah Brown is not only one of the more under-the-radar quarterbacks in his class, but I also believe that he is the best quarterback in his class. This kid is nothing more than a bonafide winner. He has never lost a game as a starter at Mater Dei, with an impressive record of 24-0 as a starter. I was thoroughly impressed by his pocket presence, poise, and confidence he has at the position. Brown is an excellent game manager and rarely makes mistakes. Elijah has that harmful cerebral component to his game that every coach in the country wants his quarterback to have. He also makes plays and extends plays with his legs. Whoever lands the commitment of Brown, you are getting yourself a leader on and off the field. He’s currently uncommitted, but I predict that his recruitment process will be one of the more closely followed out of all players in his class.
(56th-ranked player in the nation, seventh-ranked QB in the country, the fifth-ranked player in the state of California.)
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Jordon Davison (2025)
Sophomore sensation Jordon Davison lived up to the hype bestowed upon him since his freshman year. His size is very impressive for only being a sophomore, standing at 5’11 and weighing 210 lbs. Davison can run in between the tackles with a thump, and he can bounce runs outside for big gains as well. I was also impressed with his patience as a runner hitting the holes, his speed burst after getting to the second level will catch the eyes of every coach across the country as well. Davison sealed the game with a 34 yd rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter to put the Monarchs ahead of the Braves 17-7 with a minute to go in the ballgame. He currently has a plethora of offers all across the country from power five schools, as he is one of the most highly touted underclassmen in the nation.
(14th-ranked player in the nation, first-ranked RB in the nation, the first-ranked player in the state of California.)
Mater Dei Defense
The entire Mater Dei defense deserved the game ball from this contest. Before this game, St. John Bosco’s offense averaged 55 ppg through six games. The Monarchs’ defense held them to seven, which is extremely impressive. This defense played strong and fast, and we were flying to the ball all game long. The defensive unit won this game for them by holding firm through four quarters only allowing a score from the high-octane offense of the Braves. I will highlight a few players from the Mater Dei defense below.
- Leviticus Su’a (2023) 4-star LB
- Aydin Breland (2024) 4-star DL
- Zabien Brown (2024) 4-star CB
- Khristian Dunbar-Hawkins (2024) 4-star CB
- Ramere Davis (2024) 3-star LB
