High School

Final: Malau'ulu throws 3 TDs, No. 2 St. John Bosco (CA) escapes No. 4 St. Frances Academy (MD) - scoring, recap

St. John Bosco sophomore QB has big night, leads fourth-quarter comeback

Levi Payton

St. John Bosco sophomore quarterback Koa Malau'ulu passed for three touchdowns to help the No. 2 Braves escape No. 4 St. Frances Academy (Maryland) on Friday.
St. John Bosco sophomore quarterback Koa Malau'ulu passed for three touchdowns to help the No. 2 Braves escape No. 4 St. Frances Academy (Maryland) on Friday. / Photo by Heston Quan

In a battle of national powerhouses, No. 2 St. John Bosco will host No. 4 St. Frances Academy tonight in the High School on SI "Game of the Week." The high-stakes high school football matchup with potential national championship implications is set for a 7 p.m. PT kickoff at Panish Family Stadium.

The field will be loaded with talent, as the game features a combined 76 players with at least one Division I offer. St. John Bosco alone has 39 of those players with an FBS or FCS offer.

The Braves of St. John Bosco (2-0) are coming off a dominant 66-7 win over El Paso Eastwood (Texas). The victory was spearheaded by a relentless offensive attack that saw sophomore quarterback Koa Malau'ulu lead the Braves to a 45-0 halftime lead. On the ground, sophomore running back Corey Hinton and senior running back Daniel McGuire ran for multiple touchdowns, while sophomore wide receiver DJ Tubbs had a pair of scores.

St. Frances Academy, making the 2,600-mile trip from Baltimore, is a physically imposing team that prides itself on a dominant ground game and a defense anchored by a pair of five-star senior recruits, defensive end Zion Elee, committed to Maryland, and safety Jireh Edwards, an Alabama commit.

The Panthers opened their season with an impressive 42-13 rout of Chaminade-Madonna (FL). In that win, junior running back Sa'Nir Brooks and senior running back Jaylen Burke were unstoppable, each rushing for over 100 yards as the Panthers' offense amassed more than 320 yards on the ground.

This will be the second time the two programs have met, with the Braves winning the previous matchup, 37-14, back in 2023. This year, with both teams bringing a wealth of talent to the field, the game is poised to be a much tighter contest.

The outcome could hinge on which team can successfully impose its will - St. Frances with its ground game, or St. John Bosco with its potent passing attack.

Live Updates: No. 2 St. John Bosco vs. No. 4 St. Frances Academy

1Q

2Q

3Q

4Q

Final

St. Frances Academy

0

0

14

0

14

St. John Bosco

0

7

0

14

21

Pregame

St. John Bosco will receive the opening kick.

First Quarter

St. John Bosco began the game at its own 18.

The Braves called their first timeout with 8:08 left in the first quarter facing third-and-13 at the St. Frances Academy 47.

PUNT! The Braves punted it into the end zone. St Frances Academy begins its first possession at its own 20 with 7:39 left in the first quarter.

BIG PLAY! Jae'Oyn Williams completed a long pass to James Branch down the sideline to give St. Frances Academy first down in Braves territory.

SACK! Matthew Muasua sacked Williams for a 4-yard loss and helps throw a wrench into St. Frances Academy's promising drive.

MISSED FIELD GOAL! St. Frances Academy missed a 30-yard field goal with 3:38 left in the first quarter, giving the ball back to the Braves.

PUNT! The Braves punted it back to the Panthers' 36 with 2:20 left in the first quarter.

BIG PLAY! Braves defensive end Dutch Horisk gets a huge stop in the backfield for a loss of four yards, forcing a Panthers punt.

End 1: St. Frances Academy 0, St. John Bosco 0

Second Quarter

PUNT! St. Frances Academy punted it back to Bosco's 21.

MISSED FIELD GOAL! With 9:54 left in the second quarter, Braves kicker CJ Wallace hooked a 33-yard field goal wide left. St. Frances Academy took possession.

SACK! St. John Bosco's Matthew Muasua got a big sack, knocking the Panthers back six yards. He had a big stop on the next play, as well, and forced a punt.

PUNT! The Panthers punted it back to the Braves' 28 with 6:04 left.

TOUCHDOWN! Maliq Allen was wide open on a wheel route and hauled in a 44-yard pass from Koa Malau'ulu to give St. John Bosco a 7-0 lead with 5:39 left in the first half.

PUNT! St. John Bosco punted it back to the Panthers' 20 with 2:01 left in the first half.

PUNT! The Panthers punted it to the Braves' 19-yard line with 8 seconds left in the first half.

Halftime: St. John Bosco 7, St. Frances Academy 0

Third Quarter

The Panthers received the second-half kickoff and began their first possession of the third quarter at their own 20.

KEY PLAY! St. Frances Academy was set to punt, but the Braves were flagged for offsides, giving the Panthers a new set of downs.

TOUCHDOWN! Jaylen Burke capped an 80-yard drive with a 51-yard touchdown run off the left end, tying the game 7-7 with 8:32 left in the third quarter. The offsides penalty on the punt came back to haunt St. John Bosco.

PUNT! St. Francis Academy's defense forced St. John Bosco to punt and the Panthers got the ball at their own 48 with 7:32 left in the third.

TOUCHDOWN! On third-and-8, Panthers quarterback Jae'Oyn Williams runs left on a designed keeper and ran 19 yards for the go-ahead score. St. Frances Academy leads St. John Bosco 14-7 with 2:09 left in the third quarter.

St. John Bosco began its second possession of the second half with 2:09 left in the third quarter at its own 20.

PUNT! St. John Bosco punted it and St. Frances Academy took over at its own 18 with 36 seconds left in the third quarter.

End 3: St. Frances Academy 14, St. John Bosco 7

Fourth Quarter

PUNT! St. John Bosco's defense got a big stop deep in Panthers territory and the Panthers punted it back to the Braves's 45 with 10:05 left in regulation.

TOUCHDOWN! St. John Bosco quarterback Koa Malau'ulu dropped a dime to Texas A&M commit Madden Williams for 51 yards. The Braves tied 14-14 with 9:29 left in the game.

INTERCEPTION! At the right spot at the right time, junor defensive back Jailon Hill picked off a pass at the Braves' 46 and returned it to the Panthers' 38 with 5 minutes to go.

BIG PLAY! On the first play after the turnover Madden Williams caught a 36-yard pass down to the 2.

TOUCHDOWN! Koa Malau'ulu threw his third touchdown pass, a 2-yarder to senior receiver Carson Clark to give St. John Bosco a 21-14 lead with 4:09 remaining in the game.

KEY PLAY! On fourth-and-2, St Frances completed a 10-yard pass to stay alive.

INTERCEPTION! With 1:47 left in regulation Isala Wily-Ava picked off a pass for St. John Bosco at the St. Frances Academy 40. That is likely the dagger.

FINAL: No. 2 St. John Bosco 21, No. 4 St. Frances Academy 14

Braves wide receiver Madden Williams finished with seven receptions for 180 yards and a touchdown.

Recommended Articles

feed

Published |Modified
Levi Payton
LEVI PAYTON

Levi’s sports journalism career began in 2005. A Missouri native, he’s won multiple Press Association awards for feature writing and has served as a writer and editor covering high school sports as well as working beats in professional baseball, NCAA football, basketball, baseball and soccer. If you have a good story, he’d love to tell it.

Home/California