High school football: Ten takes from Mater Dei's 41-21 victory over St. John Bosco

BELLFLOWER, Calif. — Less than a day following the 42-21 victory by top-ranked Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) at No. 3 St. John Bosco (Bellflower) here are 10 takes from probably the nation's top annual league rivalry game.

Considering the ridiculous amount of talent — a combined 130 players sent to the FBS or FCS level over the last five years — the six national titles won between the programs (three in the last five years), the high level coaching and competitive back-and-forth games, simply we can't imagine a better rivalry game presently. The 6,000 fans jammed into Panish Family Stadium were enthusiastic and entertained, raucous and rabid, yet still under control. That's a reflection of the great respect between the two programs and the friendship between coach Bruce Rollinson (Mater Dei) and Jason Negro (Bosco).  2. Deceptive score

Considering the Braves piled up 442 yards — 63 more than Mater Dei — and didn't turn the ball over, it's still hard to figure how they lost by three touchdowns. Ultimately, red zone failures (two), 10 penalties including one that wiped out a beautiful 41-yard touchdown completion from Pierce Clarkson to Chedon James and sub-par special teams (19.0 punting average) proved decisive. It's further proof a talented team needs to play just about perfect to beat the Monarchs.

Not as twitchy as Bryce Young or blessed with arm strength of JT Daniels, the Mater Dei sophomore quarterback just wows all with his poise, calm and ability to deliver "dimes," as Rollinson says, to the right receivers at the right time. He was 13-of-18 for 263 yards (19.4 per completion) and five touchdowns, giving him nine scores, no interceptions and two wins over Bosco in five months. Unflappable. Considering he's made just nine varsity starts, remarkable. Having another Brown in the backfield, Oklahoma-bound game-breaker Raleek Brown (93 yards rushing), also helps.

I've never been a fan of alternating quarterbacks. Especially per series. Negro has maintained it's absolutely worked seamlessly with Michigan State-bound senior Katin Houser and top junior prospect Clarkson since DJ Uiagalelei left in 2019. It certainly did Friday as well. Both were terrific, showing off their accurate arms and nifty feet — Clarkson (17-for-26, 232 yards, 1 TD) and Houser (8-for-12, 151 yards, one passing and one rushing TD). Really liked how both maneuvered in the pocket and their ability to evade pressure, Houser on his first drive stepped up in the pocket to find James on a short slant that was turned into a 50-yard gain. A couple plays later, he made a super athletic move to avoid pressure and dive into the end zone for a 2-yard score. Clarkson will definitely be able to make plays with his feet at the next level — he was the Braves' leading rusher with 40 yards on seven attempts including sacks.

Perhaps because of his lack of size — listed at 5-9, 170 — but the senior receiver did it all Friday, catching balls in traffic, creating separation and making tough catches. He led all receivers with seven catches for 145 yards and a touchdown, obviously not counting the one nullified. He's committed to the Air Force, yes his only offer according to 247Sports. He did not look like a two-star recruit on Friday or any part of this season. He's by far Bosco's leading receiver with 29 catches, 531 yards and seven TDs.

The speedy, soft-handed 6-1, 182-pound senior was James' equal for the Monarchs with four catches, 126 yards and two touchdowns. Unlike James, the 3-star does have options with offers from Oregon, Arizona State and Notre Dame, among others, but has chosen the Ivy League route with a commitment to Harvard. Can't blame him there. His tough 23-yard TD catch just before the half tied things at 21-21 and he gave the Monarchs the lead for good with a 31-yard reception in the third, snatching the ball just out of the reach of a defensive back.

Yes, there were 646 passing yards and seven touchdowns through the air, but it didn't appear there were secondary problems on either side. Both coaches will likely disagree — both sides are loaded with secondary recruits so expectations are great — but all the yards and TDs were more of a reflection of pinpoint passes and great receiving. Mater Dei's CJ Williams, a Notre Dame commit, made two great adjustments on passes for touchdowns and sophomore Jack Ressler made a beautiful juggling catch, took contact and made it to the end zone. Bosco's Colin Chase made a tough catch over the middle, took a hard hit, but somehow maintained his balance to sprint home for a 48-yard TD. Teammate Matayo Uiagalelei (4 catches, 47 yards), a 5-star athlete and tight end, also made tough grabs. 8. Missing link

That said, the Monarchs no doubt missed their only five-star recruit, cornerback Domani Jackson, the nation's No. 5 overall recruit headed to USC. The nation's fastest player — he won the unofficial California 100-meter championship in the spring at an official 10.25 seconds — hurt a knee in the team's opener at Duncanville and is lost for the season. He would have helped. Mater Dei's defense actually is what keyed the second-half onslaught by pitching a shutout led by super physical linebackers Malaki Te'o (seven tackles) and David Bailey (five tackles, sack) and defensive back Joshua Hunter (seven tackles).

In 2016, 2018 and 2019, the loser of this regular-season game exacted revenge later in the season to take the Southern Section top division title game and eventual State Open Division Bowl championship. Freshest in that memory was 2019, when Mater Dei, behind Young, rolled Bosco at Panish Family Stadium, 38-24, only to be defeated 39-34, in one of the great title games in CIF Southern Section history. Negro and Rollinson both acknowledged that fact, but also noted there is no guarantee there will be a rematch with nationally ranked Servite (Anaheim) at No. 8 and Centennial (Corona) at No. 16 present in Southern California.

Rollinson was playing with house money. He couldn't have lost Friday after the birth of his sixth and seventh grandchildren, twins Jack and James Flanagan on Monday. He was beaming all week. Both weighed in at just under eight pounds. "Both going to be linebackers," Rollinson quipped.