Preps: Mater Dei, De La Salle Showdown?
SoCal, NorCal powers may meet for CIF title, possible National Championship
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Defending National Champion and No. 1 ranked Mater Dei (12-0), is expected to be selected Sunday to represent the South in the CIF State Open Division final on Dec. 14 at Saddleback College at 8 p.m.
The likely selection for the North is De La Salle (12-0), which defeated Pittsburgh 10-7 on Nov. 22 to clinch its 32nd consecutive section title.
In a striking contrast to their Trinity League matchup, Mater Dei fought off a determined St. John Bosco Friday Night, 31-24, before a capacity crowd of 7,407 at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach. We watched the hard-fought game via a well-producted broadcast by the National Federation of High School Broadcasting Network.
It was Mater Dei’s only win by a one-score margin this season.
“The thing that I’m most proud of, this is the first game that this team has been tested,” Mater Dei Monarchs coach Raul Lara said. “Our kids never fell apart. They stayed together and they trust the process and then we got it done.”
“All credit goes to Jason Negro and his staff for having his players really ready to play,” the coach added. “They played hard. We knew that was going to happen,
In their October Trinity League meeting, Mater Dei defeated No. 7 St. John Bosco 59-14. The score was so lopsided, the Monarchs led 45-0 at halftime and invoked a running clock for the entire fourth quarter.
It was far different Friday.
Mater Dei led 24-21 going into the fourth quarter and survived a fumble early in the frame to find breathing room for its second straight section title and 14th overall.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Braves (11-2) forced a fumble at their 1-yard line for a touchback. But Mater Dei’s defense held and helped position the Monarchs for a 7-yard TD pass from Dash Beierly to Marcus Harris with 6:15 left.
Mater Dei’s defense delivered another big stop with a sack on third down Wyatt with 2:41 remaining. The 7-yard loss forced the Braves into a 48-yard field CJ Wallace.
After Daryus Dixson recovered the onside kick, Davison broke another long run to seal the title.
Davison and Wyatt are both committed to Oregon. (See Hall of Football chart below for ratings and commits)
Mater Dei led 17-14 at halftime after St. John Bosco defensive back Joshua Holland flew around the left edge to block a 34-yard field goal attempt on the final seconds of the second quarter.
St. John Bosco left the field to cheers after stopping Mater Dei’s offense for the first time.
The block by the USC-committed junior also helped the Braves build momentum from a big play from their offense.
On the previous possession, freshman wide receiver Darren Tubbs caught a pass over the middle from freshman Koa Malau’ulu and zig-zagged for a 53-yard touchdown. The PAT trimmed the Mater Dei’s lead to 17-14 with 1:15 left in the half.
Davison led the Monarchs in the first half with 72 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns on 13 carries.
The Oregon commit punctuated an 80-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run for a 17-7 lead with 2:14 left in the half. He nearly scored on a 23-yard burst on the previous play.
Mater Dei’s ability to force and capitalize on turnovers was a key factor in the league game, and that trend briefly re-surfaced.
On sixth play from scrimmage, Dixson intercepted a pass near the Braves 40 and returned the ball to the 7. The Monarchs followed with a 28-yard field goal Dominic Zante.
After more tight coverage by Dixson forced a punt, Mater Dei pounded out a 14-play, 84-yard scoring drive capped by a 4-yard TD run by Davison for an 11-0 lead.
Davison made up for some struggles against the Braves with his production. He was slowed by injury last season in the championship game and was stopped just shy of the goal line late in the ’22 final.
Since 2016, Mater Dei is 4-3 against St. John Bosco in the Division 1 finals.
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Check out Hall of Football exclusive rankings for 2025 and 2026 high school recruits
Hall of Football Rankings, stars, college commits for Mater Dei, St. John Bosco
