Column: St. John Bosco makes Bishop Amat regret request with Pac-5 Division semifinal rout
St. John Bosco’s Clive Manuao, left, and Nahe Sulunga, right, take down Bishop Amat’s Torreahno Sweet, center, during the Pac-5 Division football semifinal at Cerritos College on Friday.
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Be careful what you wish for.
That should be the lesson for the La Puente Bishop Amat fans who were chanting last week, “We want Bosco.”
Bosco fans answered emphatically, “You got Bosco” on Friday night in the middle of a St. John Bosco demolishment of the Lancers, 63-10, before a sold-out crowd of 12,000 at Cerritos College in a Pac-5 Division semifinal playoff game.
Next Saturday’s championship game will be the much-anticipated showdown between No. 1 Corona Centennial (13-0) and No. 2 St. John Bosco (13-0) at Angel Stadium. Centennial beat Mater Dei, 42-36.
It was the 12th time in 13 games this season that St. John Bosco has forced a running clock in the fourth quarter.
Quentin Davis, the successor to Josh Rosen at quarterback, could not have played a better game. He completed 17 of 20 passes for 301 yards and four touchdowns while also scoring a touchdown. His only mistake was having a pass intercepted for only the second time this season.
“We’re a family,” Davis said. “We play for each other. We’re not individuals.”
That’s the story of St. John Bosco — it’s a team filled with top players on both sides of the ball.
Perhaps the player who had the most fun of all was junior defensive end Jacob Callier. He picked up his 13th sack of the season, but in the third quarter, he did something few linemen ever get to do— he scored touchdowns on a 33-yard fumble recovery and a 42-yard interception return.
“That was a defensive lineman, but he’s an athlete,” Coach Jason Negro said.
Said Callier: “I felt great. It was my first touchdown.”
Stephan Blaylock also returned an interception for a touchdown. As good as St. John Bosco’s offense has been this season, it’s about time to start paying attention to the defense.
No team has scored more than 21 points on the Braves this season. Last year, the defense had games giving up 48, 44 and 34 points.
Better play on the line, linebackers with experience and a talented secondary left Bishop Amat’s high-powered offense in tatters. Star receiver Tyler Vaughns was double covered all night. Standout running back Torreahno Sweet had 131 yards rushing and a 17-yard touchdown run, but he could never break free for any long gains against a defense that had too much speed.
Devin Fleming had touchdown receptions of 29 and 12 yards in the second half for St. John Bosco.
The Braves came away with a 21-3 halftime lead on the strength of pinpoint passing from Davis, who was 11 of 13 for 206 yards, including touchdown passes of nine yards to Berkeley Holman and 67 yards to Jared Harrell.
In the third quarter, the Braves took charge, with Davis scoring on an eight-yard run to open the quarter. Then came Callier’s two touchdowns and the blowout was on.
Twitter: @LATSondheimer
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