Week 9 of the season has a solid slate of games but there is one that stands out way ahead of the rest. The game between Mater Dei and St. John Bosco is a top 5 game of the year and one that could go a long way in deciding the national champion. The game is the only one that features a team in our national rankings so we decided to do a more in depth preview of that game instead of the 3 we normally do. Let us know below how you feel about our predictions and follow us on Twitter @PrepForce1 to stay updated on all the action.
#4 Mater Dei at #6 St. John Bosco
The battle for Trinity League supremacy should be one of the best games of the year. Mater Dei has been the most dominant team in all of high school football this year. The Monarchs closet win this year has been by 42 points. The problem is they haven’t played any great teams. 2019 QB JT Daniels has the offense absolutely humming. He has all day to play pitch and catch with the St-Brown brothers and they score at will. The defense has looked solid and has yet to give up more than 14 points all year.
On the other side of the ball St. John Bosco already has a loss to #1 Bishop Gorman and a couple of good wins over St. Xavier (OH), La Mirada (CA) and Saint Mary (CA). The offense is lead by 2018 QB Re-al Mitchell and a run game that is one of the best in the country. The Braves defense is also one of the best in the country. They have held everyone not named Tate Martell in check this year. They will be far and away the best defense that Mater Dei has faced all year. The question is can 2018 S Jaiden Woodbey and the Braves secondary match up with the high powered Monarchs passing attack.
This game has caused quite a split with us. Every nation poll including ours has Mater Dei ranked higher than Bosco. How great Mater Dei truly is will be decided Friday night because nobody really knows at this point. This game is being played at St. John Bosco and they have owned the Monarchs in recent years. The Monarchs will have revenge on the mind after last years 42-21 trouncing. Bosco is battled tested and should have the advantage in the trenches. The Braves defense had trouble with Tate Martell’s scrambling and running ability. JT Daniels is a great QB but he won’t beat you with his legs. In the end we trust the team that can run the ball and has the better defense over the high powered passing attack. If this game was being played at Mater Dei our prediction would be different. That is how close this game is.
St. John Bosco 35 – Mater Dei 31
St. Peter’s Prep (NJ) 17 at St. Joseph Regional (NJ) 27
St. Ignatius (OH) 17 at St. Xavier (OH) 14
Har-Ber (AR) 24 at Fayetteville (AR) 21
Paramus Catholic (NJ) 17 at Don Bosco Prep (NJ) 14
Clinton (MS) 31 at Warren Central (MS) 28
Brophy Prep (AZ) 31 at Chandler (AZ) 42
Valdosta (GA) 22 at Lee Co. (GA) 17
Roosevelt SD 24 at Washington SD 27
Boiling Springs (SC) 23 vs Spartanburg (SC) 28
Photo from presstelegram.com