Football: St. John Bosco, CdM Win State Bowls

By Martin Henderson

Josh Rosen threw two touchdown passes to Jaleel Wadood, and St. John Bosco made a couple of big plays on defense when it needed them as it scored a 20-14 victory Saturday over Concord De La Salle.

The win gave Bosco the Open Bowl Championship and, as an undefeated state champion, a claim to the mythical national title. It snapped De La Salle’s 40-game winning streak, which had been the longest in the state.

Gavin Windes’ interception with 2:15 left in the game after De La Salle had driven to the Bosco 30 was “the play of the year,” according to winning coach Jason Negro, in his fourth season after leaving Trabuco Hills.  It was one of two interceptions thrown by DLS quarterback Chris Williams, whose 49-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter positioned the Spartans to steal the victory. But Windes’ interception ended that threat.

Rosen completed 12 of 17 passes for 200 yards and scoring passes of 60 and 7 yards, the latter 29 seconds before halftime to give Bosco a 17-7 lead. Reid Budrovich added a 25-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to make it 20-7. He also had a 35-yarder on Bosco’s first possession.

De La Salle (14-2)  had won four consecutive Open Bowl Championships before falling short against Bosco (16-0), which won the Trinity League and Pac-5 Division.

The Braves also got a boost from Sean McGrew, who rushed 24 times for 143 yards.

The game was a testament both teams’ defenses. Bosco had averaged 49 points, and De La Salle had averaged 42. MaxPreps ranked Bosco No. 3 nationally and De La Salle No. 4.

De La Salle and Bosco each were 1-2 in various state rankings. Even though Bosco was favored by some, over the past three seasons DLS outscored nationally ranked opponents in the Bowl Championship, 131-36

"I don't think we were fazed by this game," said fourth-year Bosco coach Jason Negro, alluding to his team's difficult schedule. "I knew we were going to come prepared for this game. The Trinity League and Pac-5 Division is no joke." 

Division II

West Hills Chaminade 41, Redding Enterprise 9

Both teams scored field goals on their opening possessions, but a series of turnovers killed the North Coast champion. At one point, Chaminade intercepted four consecutive pass attempts; one of those was returned 19 yards for a touchdown by Donovan Lee for a 24-3 lead that delivered a bone-crushing blow to the Hornets midway through the second quarter. Lee, who rushed for a team-high 23 yards, also had a 9-yard score that gave Chaminade a 14-3 lead. Brad Kaaya passed for 276 yards and touchdowns of 9 and 30 yards, to Brayden Lenius and Brandyn Lee, respectively. The latter forced a running clock with 10:34 left in the game. 

Division III

Corona del Mar 27, Atherton Sacred Heart 15

The three-time defending Southern Section champion Sea Kings (16-0) recovered four fumbles and Barrett Barbato returned an interception 58 yards for a touchdown. Corona del Mar became the first Southern Section team to win 16 games in a season. Barbato’s pick-six gave CdM a 21-0 lead with 11 seconds left in the firset quarter. Sacred Heart responded with two TDs in the second quarter, Charlie Robinson’s 37-yard interception return, and Ben Burr-Kirven’s 47-yard run to pull to 21-15 at halftime. Two fumbles led to Jason Neiger field goals of 35 and 31 yards in the second half, and another fumble ended a Sacred Heart drive at the CdM 15 as it was trying to eat into a 24-15 deficit. Central Coast champion Sacred Heart finished 13-2.