St. John Bosco and Mater Dei have developed a strong rivalry over the past 10 years and will play each other in a big Trinity League game this Friday. TeamFB7 highlights some players to watch in the biggest game of the week.
St. John Bosco and Mater Dei have played each other for eight CIF championships since 2013. Last season was the first since 2011 that neither team played for the top CIF championship.
The two teams have played each other 21 times since 2013 and Mater Dei is 12-9 against the Braves during that span.
There are plenty of high-level recruits for both teams in this game and this game is crucial for playoff seeding in the Division 1 playoffs that begin next week.
Breaking Down some Players to Watch in the game between St. John Bosco and Mater Dei this Friday
Here are the players to keep an eye on in Santa Ana on Friday when St. John Bosco and Mater Dei square off.
St. John Bosco
Maliq Allen, RB
Maliq Allen has a case to be the Trinity League Offensive Player of the Year this season and is coming off a 136-yard performance with 4 touchdowns against Servite last week. He has five 100-plus yard rushing games this season with 15 touchdowns. Allen is a patient runner when navigating traffic in the first two levels and can turn on the jets when he gets into the open field.
Reese Asoau, OL
Reese Asoau has started games at both tackles for St. John Bosco this season and played right tackle against Servite last week. He’s a good pass protector who can mirror defenders with his footwork and bounce to the second level well in the run game. Asoau will need to have a big game protecting quarterback Koa Malau’ulu against Mater Dei’s top edge rusher, DJ Clanton.
Josiah Poyer, LB
Josiah Poyer led St. John Bosco in tackles last week against Servite with 11. The USC commit missed five games with an injury but has been an effective run stopper since returning. He will need to have a big game to stop Mater Dei’s running game, which ran for 339 yards against Orange Lutheran last week.
Simote Tupou, DL
Simote Tupou leads St. John Bosco in sacks this season with 4.5. Mater Dei’s offensive line doesn’t give up many sacks, but the Braves are going to want to pressure the Monarchs’ freshman quarterback to force bad decisions on a big stage like this.
Prentice Jones, DB
Prentice Jones has been excellent in man coverage this season for the Braves as a sophomore. He has the speed to stay in the hip pocket of receivers down the field and closes to the ball quickly on underneath routes. Jones is widely regarded as a top-100 recruit in the 2029 class and one of the best sophomores in California. UCLA, Oregon, LSU, Michigan, Texas A&M and Miami are some of his early college offers.
Mater Dei
Asir Nembhard, RB
Asir Nembhard is coming off a game where he broke Mater Dei’s record for rushing yards in a single game with 339 against Orange Lutheran. The sophomore has 7 touchdowns in Trinity League play and 13 on the season.
Damian Armenta, OL
Damian Armenta is the starting left tackle for Mater Dei and has been an excellent run blocker on the outside this season. He can get a push down the field and is effective bouncing to the second level. Mater Dei likes running off-tackle to his side and he does a good job creating running lanes for his running backs.
DJ Clanton, LB
DJ Clanton leads Mater Dei in tackles with 67 and has 15.5 for a loss. The New Mexico commit has 5 sacks in league play with a forced fumble and 7 tackles for a loss. Clanton can pressure the quarterback from various spots on the field and is a nightmare for offensive line coaches to prepare for.
Ezekiel Su’a, LB
Ezekiel Su’a had 13 tackles with 2 for a loss and an interception last week against Orange Lutheran. He has 24 tackles in league play with 2 interceptions. The Dartmouth commit may be due for a big game against a St. John Bosco offense that likes to run between the tackles.
Isaiah Danns, DB
Mater Dei has had some big injuries to its secondary and Isaiah Danns has stepped up big in an expanded role as a sophomore. Danns had a pick-six against Orange Lutheran last week and is tied for the team lead in interceptions this season.
