Mater Dei football grabs redemption by racing past St. John Bosco for CIF-SS Division 1 championship
Mater Dei returns two interceptions for scores and Elijah Brown tosses two TDs in the victory at the Coliseum.
Mater Dei players celebrate after winning the CIF-SS Division 1 championship football game against St. John Bosco at the Coliseum in Los Angeles on Friday, November 24, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
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Mater Dei coach Frank McManus, center, accepts the CIF-SS Division 1 championship plaque at the Coliseum in Los Angeles on Friday, November 24, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
The Mater Dei team pose for a photo with their CIF-SS Division 1 championship plaque at the Coliseum in Los Angeles on Friday, November 24, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Mater Dei’s Nicolas Moriarty, on ground, celebrates his touchdown against St. John Bosco with tight end Mark Bowman in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship football game the Coliseum in Los Angeles on Friday, November 24, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Mater Dei wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, right, celebrates his touchdown against St. John Bosco with wide receiver Jonah Smith in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship football game the Coliseum in Los Angeles on Friday, November 24, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
St. John Bosco wide receiver Tommy Maher, center catches a pass in between Mater Dei defensive back CJ Lavender and cornerback Chuck McDonald III in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship football game the Coliseum in Los Angeles on Friday, November 24, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Mater Dei defensive back Jeilani Davis (5) and defensive back CJ Lavender (26) celebrate with teammates after winning the CIF-SS Division 1 championship football game against St. John Bosco at the Coliseum in Los Angeles on Friday, November 24, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Mater Dei wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, right, makes a touchdown catch in front of St. John Bosco cornerback Frankie Edwards III in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship football game the Coliseum in Los Angeles on Friday, November 24, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Mater Dei players celebrate after winning the CIF-SS Division 1 championship football game against St. John Bosco at the Coliseum in Los Angeles on Friday, November 24, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Mater Dei’s Tomu Topui, left, runs past St. John Bosco cornerback Marcelles Williams, right, to score a touchdown on a pass play in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship football game the Coliseum in Los Angeles on Friday, November 24, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Mater Dei wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt celebrates after catching a pass for a touchdown against St. John Bosco in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship football game the Coliseum in Los Angeles on Friday, November 24, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Mater Dei cornerback Zabien Brown celebrates with teammates after intercepting a pass for touchdown against St. John Bosco in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship football game the Coliseum in Los Angeles on Friday, November 24, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
St. John Bosco linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-asa, left, catches a pass for a touchdown over Mater Dei cornerback Chuck McDonald III in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship football game the Coliseum in Los Angeles on Friday, November 24, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Mater Dei running back Jordon Davison, right, celebrate with offensive lineman Sione Tohi after scoring a touchdown against St. John Bosco in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship football game the Coliseum in Los Angeles on Friday, November 24, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Mater Dei running back Jordon Davison, left, gets by St. John Bosco linebacker Khmori House, right, on his way for a touchdown in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship football game the Coliseum in Los Angeles on Friday, November 24, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Mater Dei quarterback Elijah Brown, left, keeps the ball for a gain as he tries to get around St. John Bosco free safety Tay Lockett in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship football game the Coliseum in Los Angeles on Friday, November 24, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
St. John Bosco quarterback Caleb Sanchez is hit and brought down on a quarterback keeper against Mater Dei in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship football game the Coliseum in Los Angeles on Friday, November 24, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Mater Dei wide receiver Marcus Harris, left, has St. John Bosco cornerback Marcelles Williams beat but lets it get away for an incomplete pass in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship football game the Coliseum in Los Angeles on Friday, November 24, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Mater Dei linebacker Abduall Sanders, right, picks off a pass intended for St. John Bosco’s Cameron Jones and proceeds to take it in for a touchdown in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship football game the Coliseum in Los Angeles on Friday, November 24, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Mater Dei’s Tomu Topui, sees an open field to the end zone after catching a pass against St. John Bosco in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship football game the Coliseum in Los Angeles on Friday, November 24, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
LOS ANGELES — Mater Dei’s pursuit of redemption against rival St. John Bosco encountered historic difficulty on the road to Friday’s clash in the CIF-SS Division 1 football championship game at the Coliseum.
The Monarchs made their kind of history in Round 2.
In the first section final played at the Coliseum since 1997, Mater Dei followed its defense and quarterback Elijah Brown to a stunningly-lopsided 35-7 victory and its 13th section crown.
Linebacker Abduall Sanders and cornerback Zabien Brown each returned interceptions for touchdowns and the Stanford-bound Elijah Brown tossed two touchdowns as the Monarchs (12-1) locked up an offense that had scored more than 460 points this season.
Mater Dei, which claimed its first section title since 2021, is expected to advance to the CIF State Open Division final against Serra of San Mateo (12-0) Dec. 8 or 9 in Southern California.
In the teams’ Trinity League game on Oct. 13, St. John Bosco (11-2) posted a 28-0 win to hand the Monarchs their first shutout loss since 2011.
The setback came in Mater Dei’s first game against the Braves since it lost 24-22 in the 2022 Division 1 final at the Rose Bowl. That night in Pasadena marked the final game of Hall of Fame coach Bruce Rollinson and stirred Mater Dei’s quest for redemption.
“It feels great,” Elijah Brown said of the victory, which came under first-year coach Frank McManus. “A lot of hard work, just going day out, day in, and it was just really a team effort.”
“We did it by keeping our heads down, keep working, changing up some of our signals, changing up some of our game plans, and just staying together as a family,” Brown added.
Before a crowd of 11,622, the Monarchs seized vindication with defense and several plays that will likely live on in Mater Dei lore.
In nearly consecutive plays early in the fourth quarter, Elijah Brown tossed a 14-yard touchdown on a play-action play to sophomore fullback Tomu Topui and Alabama committed Zabien Brown leaped to make a 12-yard interception return for a score.
The two scores were separated by 15 seconds and helped Mater Dei open a 35-7 advantage.
Topui, a 6-foot-3, 315-pound defensive lineman, scored five plays after Mater Dei’s hustling long snapper Rylan Vagana recovered a muffed punt at the St. John Bosco 27.
Takeaways were huge for Mater Dei, which didn’t commit a turnover.
Mater Dei’s defense made sure early that questions of another shutout won’t linger. Sanders returned an interception 52 yards for a touchdown as the Monarchs opened a 7-0 lead with 2:12 left in the first quarter.
On the second-and-7 play, the junior dropped off his man toward the middle of the field and raced to intercept a pass to the sideline.
The play set the tone for a night. Mater Dei held the Braves to zero rushing yards on 20 carries and their fewest points since a 17-7 loss to the Monarchs in league in 2022.
Mater Dei notched its first offensive score of the season against the Braves in the middle of the second quarter. Jordon Davison, injured early in the Oct. 13 game, scored on a 10-yard run to cap a 12-play, 46-yard drive as Mater Dei opened a 14-0 lead.
The Monarchs converted a pair of fourth-down plays on the drive. Elijah Brown first connected with Marcus Brown for a 5-yard completion and Davison picked up the second one on a 7-yard run the Braves 12.
Elijah Brown extended Mater Dei’s lead to 21-0 in the third quarter with a 44-yard touchdown strike to Kayden Dixon-Wyatt with 3:51 left.
St. John Bosco responded with a score late in the third quarter on a spectacular 17-yard touchdown catch by Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa but Mater Dei’s final surge was on the way.
The Monarchs’ defense also recorded two sacks against sizzling quarterback Caleb Sanchez, who tossed six TDs in a 43-42 semifinal win against Centennial Corona. Defensive end Zeus Venegas and linebacker Shaun Scott combined for one sack while linebacker Ramere Davis collected one.
“The defense showed up, showed out,” Elijah Brown said.
Mater Dei’s defensive line was especially disruptive with Venegas, Topui and Semi Taulanga.
Linebacker Tanner Williams and Scott each added two tackles for loss for while defensive back Daryus Dixson and Venegas had 1.5 apiece.
“They were just too overwhelming defensively,” St. John Bosco coach Jason Negro said of the Monarchs. “We didn’t run the ball at all. It seemed like they were in the backfield the entire night.”
