St. John Bosco football seniors have something to prove against Mater Dei

BELLFLOWER – When you’re a elder astatine St. John Bosco, you can’t hold to play Mater Dei. Especially, erstwhile you didn’t get to play them past autumn owed to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Nothing compares to (fall football). It’s the fans successful the crowd, the media connected the field, conscionable the environment, it’s crazy,” said St. John Bosco elder wide receiver Chedon James.

“It is truly bully to beryllium capable to supply the kids an accidental for a consciousness of normalcy,” said St. John Bosco manager Jason Negro. “They truly had to conflict for astir 15 months successful presumption of their mean lives taken distant from them.”

Through 5 games this season, St. John Bosco (5-0) has lone fixed up 4 touchdowns connected defense.

The Braves cognize their biggest trial of the play comes Friday nighttime successful their yearly Trinity League showdown with Mater Dei, ranked No. 1 successful the federation by MaxPreps. But they’re assured for a mates of reasons.

“We person our guys up front,” elder information Sione Hala said, referring to elder antiaircraft linemen Jairus Satele, Malachi Finau and Nate Burrell, and inferior antiaircraft extremity Matayo Uiagalelei, who assistance anchor the Braves defense.

St. John Bosco elder information Sione Hala shares what makes Bosco’s defence truthful peculiar and wherefore helium decided to perpetrate to play shot astatine Boston College. #LongBeachVarsityReport #CIFSS @BeachVarsity @boscofootball pic.twitter.com/KM68CyXOMA

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) September 28, 2021

St. John Bosco’s full squad is stacked with players who are focused — connected and disconnected the tract — and driven to scope their goals, which is reflected successful their aboriginal commitments.

Hala has committed to play shot adjacent play astatine Boston College, Jairus Satele is simply a Navy commit, Nate Burrell has committed to Cal and James is an Air Force commit.

“I chose Boston College due to the fact that for maine it was honestly the champion spot I could beryllium successful and enactment myself in. The coaches determination are each great,” the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Hala continued. “They’re starting up a caller mode of doing things astatine Boston College. It’s a full caller coaching unit and I privation to spell beryllium a portion of that.

“I’m going to a defensive-minded schoolhouse and I’m each astir defense.”

Satele noted that everyone connected the Braves defence is talented, but that’s not what makes the portion basal out.

“Day successful time retired the grind of being together, blood, sweat, and tears shed connected this field, that creates a bond,” said Satele. “Most of america person been playing with each different for 3 years now.”

St. John Bosco elder antiaircraft lineman Jairus Satele talks astir his team’s chemistry and enslaved that person been built implicit the past 3 years and wherefore helium decided to perpetrate to play assemblage shot astatine the Naval Academy. @boscofootball @BeachVarsity #CIFSS #Navy #LongBeachVarsityReport pic.twitter.com/YaWDwOAv4G

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) September 28, 2021

“We each play unneurotic arsenic one,” Hala explained. “That’s what makes america great.”

Hala believes chemistry and spot are 2 intangibles that marque Bosco’s elder people special.

“It’s precise important to cognize wherever your feline is going to spell and however he’s going to bash it,” Hala said. “You person to spot them too. If I’m coming disconnected outside, I can’t travel wrong due to the fact that my feline is the wrong gap.”

“It’s communication,” added Satele, who decided to perpetrate to Navy due to the fact that he’s already reasoning astir his beingness aft football. “With the Naval Academy, aft football, I’ll decidedly person a occupation and a vocation that I tin pursue.”

“Air Force is simply a beauteous campus… astir radical marque a four-year decision, but Air Force is simply a 40-year decision. It’s a full career. It’s a large opportunity,” shared James, who is besides looking guardant to a vocation successful the equipped forces.

St. John Bosco elder wide receiver Chedon James describes what it consciousness similar to play large clip precocious schoolhouse football. James besides said his committing to Air Force to play shot is simply a 40-year decision. #LongBeachVarsityReport #CIFSS @BeachVarsity @boscofootball @chedonjames03 pic.twitter.com/57gP9XPEyS

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) September 28, 2021

However, for Bosco’s elder class, the accidental to play for a title is what the 2021 play is each about.

“We cognize that determination is an extremity crippled to this season. There’s a league championship. There’s going to beryllium playoffs,” said Negro. “I deliberation that has inspired our kids to enactment a small spot harder. It’s provided the further information for them to not lone enactment harder connected the playing tract but it’s besides allowed them to enactment harder successful the schoolroom due to the fact that they bash consciousness similar determination is thing that they’re really playing and practicing for.”

Playing astatine the adjacent level

“At the extremity of the day, it’s each astir putting the kid successful the champion presumption to assistance the squad beryllium successful,” Negro said, “and besides let him to usage the level that we person and supply him capable resources successful bid to get that elusive assistance that he’s looking for to play astatine the adjacent level.”

Student-athletes cognize that if they play varsity shot astatine St. John Bosco, they should permission with a assistance to play assemblage football.

“Right now, coming to Bosco, playing successful our program, it’s a fixed that you’re going to spell to college,” Negro explained. “We bash it close successful presumption of preparing our athletes during the four-year window, which we have, arsenic good arsenic successful the schoolroom academically to let kids to beryllium capable to enactment astatine the collegiate level and erstwhile they get there, they’re going to beryllium successful.”

St. John Bosco manager Jason Negro talked to maine astir playing astatine the adjacent level. Negro said @boscofootball is astir putting his players successful the champion presumption to get Division 1 assemblage scholarships and play aboriginal astatine the adjacent level. @BeachVarsity #LongBeachVarsityReport pic.twitter.com/NO7VvYCiPJ

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) September 28, 2021

However, Negro said Bosco’s programme has added a caller mission.

“Instead of conscionable saying you request to travel to Bosco for a scholarship, we’ve changed that to cognize travel to Bosco truthful that we tin hole you for erstwhile you get to college, you’re going to play and you’re going to play early.

“You’re going to enactment and you’re not going to bounce backmost to a (junior college), you’re not going to bounce backmost and beryllium successful the transportation portal close away. You’re going to beryllium capable to spell compete. You’re going to beryllium capable to spell and measurement connected field and person a quality betwixt you and the different kid astatine that peculiar presumption that they recruited during that aforesaid class.”

Negro said focusing connected mentation and improvement has been a crippled changer for Bosco student-athletes implicit the past 7 years.

Negro anticipates 18 to 20 seniors volition motion assemblage scholarships successful the school’s Class of 2022.

“Our inferior people has 18 to 20 and we’re astir apt astir 10 to 15 successful our sophomore people and we adjacent person immoderate freshmen with offers close now,” Negro added.

Overall, Bosco’s elder people volition permission the programme successful bully standing.

“We’re astir apt sitting astatine a small spot supra 50 kids wrong the programme close present retired of 210 players with assistance offers that are committable offers,” Negro concluded.