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National no. 1 Mater Dei and no. 4 St. John Bosco in rematch this Fri., Nov. 25 at Rose Bowl

CAMoleskinner

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Jun 4, 2019
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Speaking of high school playoffs, out here in SoCal there's a monster game coming up next Friday. It's the rematch of Mater Dei (currently ranked number 1 in the land) and St. John Bosco which is set at number 4 presently but which looks to be number 2 after St. Frances (Baltimore) -- number 2 before this weekend -- was tripped up by IMG while current number 3 Central Miami just got by Miami Northwest, 34-30.

Folks might recall that the two Trinity League powerhouses met earlier this season when it was then 1 vs. 2 with the Monarchs turning the Braves back, 17-7.

Check it: This game -- which is for the CA State Playoff arrangement Southern Section Division 1 Championship -- is being played at the Rose Bowl (yes - the Rose Bowl where SC nipped UCLA in a shoot out last night, 48-45).

Mater Dei is on a 29 game winning streak and the level of talent that will be on display is off the charts.

Here's a clip from an article this morning on the match-up:

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Mater Dei-Bosco II for the Southern Section Division I crown will go down Friday, Nov. 25 at the Rose Bowl. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The two teams have a combined 74 players that are rated as a two-star recruit or higher by 247Sports or have landed at least one FBS offer.

Mater Dei heads to the Rose Bowl winners of 29 in a row and 83 of its last 86 games since 2016. The Monarchs (2017, 2021) and Braves (2019) have combined to claim three of the last five national titles.
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That is not a typo -- 74 players that suit up are two star or better.

That's insane.

Course, the players are not just from the warm and sunny climes of football crazed SoCal but all over the west coast -- and I think there are a few Pacific Islanders suiting up too.

I have been to various of these local high school contests over the last many years and what is striking -- when you attend -- is that talent is so vast. It's not just one or two kids who are obviously "a cut above" it's the volume of personnel (you get a sense it's next level).

Being a southeast PA native I am not happy seeing the way PA has become an also ran in football with what seems to be less and less overall interest. That is especially so when you live in an area that still considers high school ball to be a religious experience (perhaps not Texas style as there are so many distractions out here -- but it's serious).
 
Speaking of high school playoffs, out here in SoCal there's a monster game coming up next Friday. It's the rematch of Mater Dei (currently ranked number 1 in the land) and St. John Bosco which is set at number 4 presently but which looks to be number 2 after St. Frances (Baltimore) -- number 2 before this weekend -- was tripped up by IMG while current number 3 Central Miami just got by Miami Northwest, 34-30.

Folks might recall that the two Trinity League powerhouses met earlier this season when it was then 1 vs. 2 with the Monarchs turning the Braves back, 17-7.

Check it: This game -- which is for the CA State Playoff arrangement Southern Section Division 1 Championship -- is being played at the Rose Bowl (yes - the Rose Bowl where SC nipped UCLA in a shoot out last night, 48-45).

Mater Dei is on a 29 game winning streak and the level of talent that will be on display is off the charts.

Here's a clip from an article this morning on the match-up:

--------------------
Mater Dei-Bosco II for the Southern Section Division I crown will go down Friday, Nov. 25 at the Rose Bowl. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The two teams have a combined 74 players that are rated as a two-star recruit or higher by 247Sports or have landed at least one FBS offer.

Mater Dei heads to the Rose Bowl winners of 29 in a row and 83 of its last 86 games since 2016. The Monarchs (2017, 2021) and Braves (2019) have combined to claim three of the last five national titles.
--------------------


That is not a typo -- 74 players that suit up are two star or better.

That's insane.

Course, the players are not just from the warm and sunny climes of football crazed SoCal but all over the west coast -- and I think there are a few Pacific Islanders suiting up too.

I have been to various of these local high school contests over the last many years and what is striking -- when you attend -- is that talent is so vast. It's not just one or two kids who are obviously "a cut above" it's the volume of personnel (you get a sense it's next level).

Being a southeast PA native I am not happy seeing the way PA has become an also ran in football with what seems to be less and less overall interest. That is especially so when you live in an area that still considers high school ball to be a religious experience (perhaps not Texas style as there are so many distractions out here -- but it's serious).
74 !*? Some kind of football out there in Cali. Almost as good as Florida ball!!
 
Stalk =

I was gonna mention your beloved Sunshine State too (where football still matters to the majority) as I know you know the lay of the land down there as well as anyone. And I mention that Central Miami at 11-0-0 might drop because they just slipped by a so-so 6-5 Northwestern Bulls club (a 9-2 Norland squad is next - they bringing much to the table?).

Maybe I should have indicated it's Cali, Tejas, FLA aka Stalkland, GA and then a few more ('Bama, Ohio and Louisiana come to mind) -- anymore??.

PA is somewhere after that group I believe (but it's a big fall).
 
Stalk =

I was gonna mention your beloved Sunshine State too (where football still matters to the majority) as I know you know the lay of the land down there as well as anyone. And I mention that Central Miami at 11-0-0 might drop because they just slipped by a so-so 6-5 Northwestern Bulls club (a 9-2 Norland squad is next - they bringing much to the table?).

Maybe I should have indicated it's Cali, Tejas, FLA aka Stalkland, GA and then a few more ('Bama, Ohio and Louisiana come to mind) -- anymore??.

PA is somewhere after that group I believe (but it's a big fall).
I was fortunate having nephews on title teams on 4 different schools; Manatee (5 total, 2011 last) over on the coast by IMG, Dwyer (1 in 13) on the opposite outside Jupiter, awesome Lakeland (7....lost count!, 2018 last), playing for another Friday and Frostproof (2, last in 99) in central FL playing for a 2nd this weekend.

About Norland, they're way up north, barely in Miami, had mixed success. But if they're beating the likes of Booker T (upset) and Northwestern even in a bad year, they have something, but not NEARLY enough for Central!

I don't have a clue where PA falls in the mix of HS FB anymore. Seeing Florida ball every couple years shows a wide gulf for certain. Huge! And their pop is surging. You can't drive anywhere at least in south Florida (south of I-4, Daytona to Tampa) and not see high rises everywhere. Just back a few weeks ago from cousin's below Frostproof and its overwhelming growth, Orlando, Winter Haven, etc, that the 'locals' aren't necessarily in favor of. Florida is changing and no longer the citrus state it was when I was a kid.
 
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Here is where PA lands and here is how PA fell from a "top" state for HS football.
PA is top 12 in producing talent. There are still quality teams and players that can play anywhere(St. Joes, Aliquippa ect). But PA has fallen from it's perch and is not even what it was 20 years ago. When I moved from PA to NC in 1998 I would say the talent in PA was as good but the OL play in PA was so much better. Now the talent in NC is far superior and the OL play is almost the same. Also you have in NC a lot of coaches from other states here coaching football in PA you do not have that, you have the same people coaching in places for years and no new blood. For example I am a PA native living here in NC and I never got a chance to come home and coach. I have applied and got passed over for jobs in western and eastern PA. Also I know coaches that are PA natives that coach in other states (Ill, CA, SC, FL, VA) that also got overlooked. So it is what it is but PA football is slipping , the WPIAL is a shell of it's former self , no one can beat the PCL schools and you have teams opting out of the playoffs. Maybe there some new blood in there would help
 
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Fletch -

Honestly, they are CLEARLY all star teams as locally if you're anybody in the greater OC and LA regions you have to at least think about going to one of those two powerhouses (and there are kids from much farther away too).

They do play in a private school conference - the Trinity League - which is nuts with good teams. Members include Mater Dei, St. John, JSerra, Santa Margarita, Orange Lutheran, Servite and Rosary. MaxPreps noted them as the "toughest" conference in America in 2019.

Here's Wikipedia's take:


In the semi-finals for the Southern Division this past Friday Mater Dei beat a public school, Los Alamitos, 52-0 with that school averaging nearly 50 points game coming into the contest (the week before Los Alamitos took out a strong Long Beach team, 52-41, which was the first loss of the year for the Jack Rabbits). The four games Mater Dei was in before that the scores were 48-16, 52-7, 48-17 and 54-14 in favor of the Monarchs (the only close game they had was the match up with St. John).

And it was also a blowout for John Bosco as they crushed a previously 10-1 Mission Viejo squad 41-6 to put them in the game with Mater Dei.

Both Los Alamitos and Mission Viejo are public schools out here. They are loaded and would wreak havoc back in the Keystone State but are just something to step over for the Trinity League giants (at least this year as there are seasons when the "pubs" make some noise -- but this isn't one of them).

PS When you click on the site for the Trinity League check the names of the players - and amount - that have gone pro from the teams in that conference. It will take you five minutes to read them all (all this sunshine out here means nothing to do but go outside and play sports).
 
Remember when this game really meant something:


PS That 1966 Big 33 game featured two Neshaminy players - the great Jimmy Colbert (Penn State and Delaware) and Fred Conger (Univ. of Kentucky). Both were all state at QB and guard, respectively, in the 1965 season. That was also the last campaign directed by the great John Petercuckie who was coach of the 'Skins for six years ('65 was the last year of his run from 1960 to 1965 when his charges were 59-1-5 overall punctuated by a 51 game unbeaten streak from game four of 1961 through his retirement after 1965).

Sorry -- I can't help it: Go 'Skins!!
 
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