st. john bosco

LAS VEGAS — Call it St. John Bosco’s Nightmare on South Hualapai Way on Friday night.

Why St. John Bosco traveled on three buses to the desert to play in 104 degree temperature against Bishop Gorman was on everyone’s mind, because the Braves were either unprepared or uninterested at the outset for a high school football team ranked No. 1 in the nation by several national publications. A sold-out crowd of 5,000 was surprised when the Braves were down by 21 points at halftime and the offense looked deader than Elvis.

“It was almost like the moment was too big,” Braves coach Jason Negro said.

Then the real St. John Bosco team came out of the locker room after halftime and almost pulled off a Hollywood ending, rallying to tie the score before losing 38-28.

“We showed a lot of resolve, a lot of fight,” Negro said.

The Braves didn’t get a first down until 7:35 left in the second quarter. Their first offensive play from scrimmage was a botched snap landing quarterback Koa Malau’ulu on the three-yard line. The third play resulted in Malau’ulu getting sacked and losing the ball on a fumble in the end zone for a Bishop Gorman touchdown.

The Gaels (2-0) cruised to a 21-0 halftime lead. They’re ranked No. 2 nationally and repeatedly hurt the Braves with the mobility and decision-making of quarterback Ace Amina, who finished with 212 yards passing and four touchdowns. He guided the offense on an 80-yard drive to start the game. St. John Bosco struggled to adjust covering Bishop Gorman running backs going out for passes.

In the third quarter, everything changed. A 10-yard touchdown catch by fiery sophomore Kuika Moaalii on fourth down was the moment St. John Bosco got its mojo back. Then DJ Tubbs followed with a touchdown catch to make it 21-14. Bishop Gorman went back up 28-14 on a 53-yard touchdown reception by Zyren Menor. But the quarter ended with the Braves’ Maliq Allen scoring on a 29-yard run. The noise in the stadium was rising on both sides.

The Braves finally tied it 28-28 on Tubbs’ punt return for a touchdown with 9:52 left after Dillon Davis’ third-down sack.

As if the fourth quarter weren’t wild enough, the Gaels regained the lead with 6:49 left on a 54-yard touchdown reception by Corey Hinton. And what a game-changer it turned out to be. Hinton played for St. John Bosco the last two seasons until returning to Las Vegas, the city he grew up in.

Asked if he wanted to leave, Hinton said, “I didn’t but it looks like God did this.”

On the winning touchdown, Hinton said, “It was surreal. It was something I prayed for and it meant everything.”

Afterward, he was hugging former teammates. “No hate. Those are my boys,” he said.

Bishop Gorman’s Maximiliano Fuentes clinched the win with a 49-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter.

Negro said all the mistakes made by his team are fixable, so he believes the Braves can get back on the winning track. “We just have to execute better,” he said.

Malau’ulu was under duress much of the night. He had two passes intercepted, was sacked three times and did not look comfortable throwing on the run. He did rally the Braves and ended up with 210 yards passing.

There was an “extreme heat warning” on Friday, with the daytime temperature reaching 109 degrees. St. John Bosco began its preparation to be hydrated and avoid cramps on Monday with constant reminders on taking fluids all week by athletic trainer Daisy Martinez.

“It’s 108 out there. It’s good for us,” a Bishop Gorman coach told players 3 1/2 hours before kickoff during their pregame meal in a room on the second floor of their gymnasium complex. Players began to eat in total silence focused on their task at hand.

The Braves hadn’t faced Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas since their 34-31 loss in 2014 to the Gaels amid thunder, lightning, wind and a downpour of rain. They were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation just like Friday’s matchup.

Bishop Gorman (2-0) looks talented and executed well, but the Braves, like their final game of 2025 when they were upset as the No. 1 seed in the first round of Division 1 playoffs by Orange Lutheran, have plenty to work on.

St. John Bosco is starting the season without its two prized transfer students, offensive tackle Elisha Mueller and defensive back Kingston Fatu, who will will be eligible on Sept. 28. It still hasn’t been determined if Mueller will be a sit-out period player.

The high school football season begins this weekend with Week 0 games. Let’s examine storylines and questions to be answered:

Will a lineman be the player of the year?

The last time a lineman was The Times’ player of the year was St. John Bosco offensive tackle Wyatt Davis in 2016. The Braves now have Elisha Mueller, a 6-foot-4, 295-pound junior transfer from Servite, as one of their blockers, so don’t be surprised if he emerges as an MVP candidate on a team that can go unbeaten. Sierra Canyon defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou is also an MVP-like lineman.

Can any City Section team beat defending champion Carson?

Call it unlikely. The Colts return versatile quarterback Chris Fields III, who does magical things when you least expect it. There’s linemen to protect him and a nonleague schedule that should have the Colts prepared to run over Marine League teams.

Can Santa Margarita show its 2025 championship in the first year of Carson Palmer as coach was no fluke?

The Eagles don’t have the defensive front from last season that was so dominating and gone to USC is Mr. Big Play, Trent Mosley. Expect the Eagles to put up a good challenge to St. John Bosco in the Trinity League. There’s speed and talent and Steven Fifita is about as good a defensive coordinator as there is. Wait for the young players, led by freshman linebacker Aydan Steen, to come on strong late in season.

Former Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer raises the 2025 Southern Section Division 1 championship plaque in his first year as head coach at Santa Margarita.

(Craig Weston)

Is Long Beach Poly ready for a resurgence?

First-year coach Travon Patterson made one of the best hires for his offensive coordinator, former Cathedral and Warren coach Kevin Pearson. He has two cornerbacks second to none in JuJu Johnson and Donte Wright. The key to the Jackrabbits returning to the top in the Moore League will be whether they can develop their offensive line to be effective.

Who will be the most successful first-year coach?

This is going to be debated all season because so many well-known football programs changed coaches. Servite’s Rick Garretson, Orange Lutheran’s Ray Fenton and JSerra’s Hardy Nickerson have high expectations from their rabid fan base. St. Bernard’s Dean Herrington takes on a rebuilding job. Bishop Alemany’s Dennis Keyes takes over a program that hit rock bottom. Jeff Bailey left Yorba Linda for Beverly Hills, which can go nowhere but up. You’ve heard of Storm Watch. This season will be called Rookie Coach Watch.

How many teams will make the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs?

Don’t look for more than eight. The Southern Section wants competitive equity, and the leading candidates at the end of the season can already be predicted: St. John Bosco, Santa Margarita, Orange Lutheran, Mater Dei, Servite, Corona Centennial, Sierra Canyon and Mission Viejo. Remember last season, with the help of rain, the No. 8 seed, Orange Lutheran, stunned the No. 1 seed, St. John Bosco.

Quarterback Chris Fields III of Carson is a dual threat quarterback who led the Colts to the City Section Open Division title last season.

(Craig Weston)

Does the City Section still have talent?

Absolutely. The recruiters have already discovered defensive end Elyjah Staples from Marquez, linebacker De’Andre Kirkpatrick from Crenshaw, Fieldsand his heavily recruited Carson teammate and defensive back Bennie Saulter. There are others waiting for their chance. Beware of receiver Paul Turner of Birmingham.

Will there be another eligibility scandal?

Count on it if athletic directors and principals don’t take their jobs seriously to give scrutiny to transfer paperwork and make home visits. There were rumors throughout the summer of 2025 about Bishop Montgomery turning the other cheek, and sure enough, they were correct. The school ended up canceling its season after too many players were declared ineligible.

What are the great games to mark on your calendar?

On Thursday, it’s Corona Centennial vs. Servite at Orange Coast College. On Friday, it’s St. John Bosco at Las Vegas Bishop Gorman.

Aug. 28: Inglewood at Westlake, Santa Margarita at Corona Centennial. Sept. 4: Murrieta Valley at Cajon, San Clemente at Chaparral. Sept. 10: Corona del Mar at Newport Harbor. Sept. 11: Corona Centennial vs. Mater Dei at Santa Ana Stadium, Cathedral at King/Drew. Sept. 18: Orange Lutheran at Sierra Canyon. Sept. 25: Oxnard Pacifica at Sierra Canyon, Servite at Damien.

Coach Jason Negro and St. John Bosco open the season as the No. 1 team in California.

(Craig Weston)

Oct. 1: Murrieta Valley at Chaparral. Oct. 2: San Pedro at Banning, Crean Lutheran at Tustin, Bishop Amat at Gardena Serra. Oct. 9: Sierra Canyon at Gardena Serra, Orange Lutheran at St. John Bosco. Oct. 15: Norco at Corona Centennial. Oct. 16: King/Drew at Crenshaw, Mission Viejo at San Clemente, Santa Margarita at St. John Bosco.

Oct. 23: San Pedro at Carson, Corona Centennial at Chaparral, St. Bonaventure at Oxnard Pacifica, Long Beach Poly at Long Beach Millikan. Oct. 29: Garfield vs. Roosevelt at East L.A. College, Edison at San Clemente, Valencia vs. Hart at College of the Canyons, St. John Bosco vs. Mater Dei at Santa Ana Stadium.

Which coaches might be under the microscope?

First-year coaches at private schools will start feeling pressure if their players don’t deliver results. There’s little patience these days from boosters, parents and fans. Watch the Corona Centennial staff, because someone there is going to one day succeed future Hall of Famer Matt Logan.

What will be the new trend in 2026?

Watching to see how well PlayOn Sports handles its control of high school sports in California. It owns MaxPreps, the NFHS Network, GoFan.co and just won state playoff TV rights from the CIF, replacing Spectrum, who’s 15-year contract ended in June. People are waiting to see if prices increase or quality decreases. And who will hold them accountable? They are the definition of monopoly for high school sports. Competition always brings out the best in businesses, so the lack of that has to be something to monitor.

What are five predictions that will come true?

St. John Bosco will win the Division 1 title (barring rain). Carson will win the City Section Open Division title (barring injury to Fields). Jack Hurst of Laguna Beach will lead Southern California with the most touchdown passes (barring his receivers doing too much surfing). Corona Centennial will exceed 70 points in a single game (barring a running clock in the first half). Lots of teams will forfeit games because of an ineligible player (barring athletic directors being skeptical of every transfer).