St. John Bosco vs. Mater Dei buzz has different feel due to surrounding parity

The No. 1 Braves are 9-0 heading into Friday night's rivalry game with Mater Dei, which has had its rockiest season since 2015.

Mater Dei and St. John Bosco will clash in a nationally-ranked showdown on Halloween night in Bellflower. / Heston Quan

The best high school football game in America since 2016 has been Mater Dei vs. St. John Bosco. Every October, the two juggernauts clash for a Trinity League showdown that's served as an appetizer for an eventual second meeting in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 finals.

In fact, that's been the case every single year since 2016 with the exception of 2021 when Servite stunned St. John Bosco in the Division 1 semifinal before advancing to the final and falling to Mater Dei. The high school football community will always remember that 2021 edition of Servite for adding parity to the Division 1 playoff bracket. The Friars had Tetairoa McMillan and Mason Graham — two eventual NFL 1st Round draft selections.

Seven of the last nine seasons, Mater Dei and St. John Bosco have played twice. The first always coming in Trinity League play, and each second-time matchup coming in the Division 1 final. In that span, Mater Dei is 7-2 in Trinity League play against the Braves, and the Monarchs hold a slim 4-3 advantage in D1 finals.

This year feels different — the parity appears to be back. It's why this week's clash between No. 1 St. John Bosco (9-0) and No. 6 Mater Dei (6-2) on Halloween could create some spooky thoughts ahead of the postseason.

Usually, both programs are waltzing into this Trinity League tilt unbeaten, unscathed, unfazed — almighty. That's not the case this fall — not even for St. John Bosco, which is unbeaten, but might be the least talked about No. 1-ranked team in recent memory.

"We're not flashy. Doesn't mean we don't have talent, but I also think there's more buzz about other programs on the rise like Sierra Canyon, Mission Viejo, Centennial, and Santa Margarita," St. John Bosco coach Jason Negro said. "Fine by us. Helps us stay focused and humble."

The other headline taking away from St. John Bosco's 9-0 season and national No. 1 ranking is the rocky season Mater Dei is having. The two-time defending national champions have suffered two losses in a regular season for the first time since 2015. Seeing the Monarchs lose (to Corona Centennial and Santa Margarita) has been a spectacle in itself.

"If Mater Dei doesn't turn the ball over seven times against Centennial and connects on one wide open wideout down the field against Santa Margarita, we aren't even having this conversation," Negro said. "We are expecting a national championship-level team Friday night."

That said, what does that mean for Friday's showdown? What implications follow a St. John Bosco or Mater Dei victory?

If St. John Bosco wins in a rout, maybe it means no other team will come close to beating the Braves in the playoffs? If Mater Dei wins, the parity that's woven itself through the top end of CIF Southern Section teams already this season will create even more excitement this postseason.

PAST RESULTS SINCE 2016

YEAR	TRINITY LEAGUE	CIF FINALS
2016	26-21, MD	42-28, SJB
2017	31-12, MD	49-24, MD
2018	41-18, SJB	17-13, MD
2019	38-24, MD	39-34, SJB
2020 (spring '21)	34-17, MD	NO FINALS (COVID)
2021	42-21, MD	DNP
2022	17-7, MD	24-22, SJB
2023	28-0, SJB	35-7, MD
2024	59-14, MD	31-24, MD

PLAYOFFS, BRACKET REVEAL SHOW

Tarek Fattal will host a bracket reveal show Sunday morning at 9:40 a.m. on the FATTAL FACTOR for the CIF Southern Section football playoffs. Information will be unveiled right at 10 a.m.

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