Best of the Best California: St John Bosco 2015 Football Preview

Written by Ryan Wright

There are some 30 teams in the state of California year in and year out loaded with enough talent to beat any other team in the state on the right day. Of the 30 top teams in-state there are only truly a half dozen squads that can challenge any top team in the nation and one of those teams is Saint John Bosco.

Head coach Jason Negro has constructed the perfect beast. Talk to any Bosco player and the mindset is the same and for high school coaches to pull the best out of the young men they instruct everyone has to be all in and focused on the goal of winning… and that is what the Braves do.

In 2013 St. John Bosco won a national championship finishing with a 16-0 record only letting one team with a final score of a touchdown when the clock rolled triple-zeroes, De La Salle in the state championship game (20-14). Every other team was wiped out by more than 18 points with Orange Lutheran giving the only other “scare” at 42-24.

The 2014 squad may have fallen short of their overall goals but the Braves were still one of the best in the nation finishing with a national ranking of No. 19 after dropping two games all season. The first loss was tough falling to eventual national champs Bishop Gorman 34-31 (Sept. 26) in Las Vegas. The second defeat was not any easier to cope with falling to Centennial 48-41 in the semifinals of the California playoffs.

The big question all opposing California high school defensive coordinators want to know is how will the Braves respond with the loss of No. 1 ranked pro-style quarterback Josh Rosen? Rosen is now at UCLA contending for time as a true freshman after passing for 3,186 yards with 29 touchdowns against four interceptions during his senior season.

Bosco enters the season as one of the top teams in the nation with MaxPreps writers ranking the Braves No. 15, USA Today ranking at No. 13, and PrepNation believing Bosco is the No. 1 team in all the land.

Offense
A nice transition under center from Rosen to senior Quentin Davis is underway. Davis did not get a lot of snaps in 2014 completing 7-of-10 passes for 98 yards with one touchdown but he is a veteran in Coach Negro’s offense and has 4-star running back Sean McGrew back to help carry the load. Davis has some speed on him able to keep the chains moving after gaining 116 yards on 16 carries with two scores last season.

McGrew, a Washington commit, is a tough as nails scat-back listed at 5’8”, 166 pounds. Do not let his size fool you. He picked up 1,814 yards with 28 scores on the ground against some of the top competition in the nation. He can play.

When McGrew is getting a breather on the sidelines look for junior Terrence Beasley to step into the game. Beasley is another scat-back listed at 5’10”, 165 pounds, but has some explosiveness to his game averaging 9 yards a carry as a sophomore gaining 114 yards on 13 carries.

The Braves will miss offensive linemen Zach Robertson (Arizona) and Matt Katnik but they have stud tackle Joe Murphy (6’5”, 310) back for his senior year along with Matthew Smith (6’0”, 280). Another defensive line mover who is highly recruited is junior Wyatt Davis. Davis is listed at 6’3”, 328 pounds, and already has double-digit scholarship offers from schools like Alabama, UCLA, USC, Michigan, Arizona State, Cal, Notre Dame, and Florida. Other juniors pushing for time on the field include Tavita Moe and Ben Holmes.

When Davis drops back into the pocket he has a lot of talent racing down the sidelines in seniors Anselem Umeh, Jared Harrell, Devin Fleming, and Jordan Harris. Umeh (5’10”, 175) is the leading returning receiver after pulling down 29 passes for 536 yards with four touchdowns. Fleming had 12 receptions for 120 and Harris had nine for 81 yards. Perhaps the best option against a blitzing defense for Davis will be McGrew. McGrew had 19 receptions for 312 yards finding the end zone another four times.

Class of 2017 receivers to watch for includes Kristian Gilbert, Tyrel Thomas, and Berkeley Holman. Gilbert had nine receptions for 115 yards as a sophomore.

Defense
The Braves’ defense was fairly young a year ago and returns several top players, especially in the secondary, making this unit one of the best in the nation. Filling the shoes of Dennis Willis (168 tackles) and Nas Anesi (126) tackles will be a priority.

The defensive line is expected to be anchored by defensive tackle Saleilua Vili and defensive end Tyler Losua. All eyes will be on senior transfer Brent Le Roux. Le Roux is an imposing 6’5”, 245 pounds, at defensive end. The former Australian rugby star has never played American football but is already in line to get a starting spot when the season kicks off.

The linebacker corps gets a little help from Servite transfer Ryan Burke. Junior Travis Tuitasi is expected to have a breakout season in 2015.

Bosco’s secondary might be the best in the nation. The ring leaders in the back four are D.J. Morgan and Traveon Beck (Cal). Morgan, listed at 6’3”, 200 pounds, is an all over the field safety coming off a 112 tackle season. Beck had 96 stops as a junior picking off two passes while defending eight. Mykal Tolliver (5’11”, 180) led the secondary a year ago with four picks and also defended a team-high tying eight passes. Bryce Turner is another highly ranked member of the Braves’ secondary. Turner, listed at 5’11”, 185 pounds, had 55 tackles as a junior.

Schedule Overview
The good news is St. John Bosco is loaded but the bad news is the schedule is tough. Added to the tough schedule are just three home games with all three being played at Cerritos College. The Braves have challenging road games against Central Catholic (Portland, OR) and St. Peter’s Prep (Jersey City, NJ). Trinity League games against Mater Dei, J Serra, Orange Lutheran, and Servite are always difficult games.

St. John Bosco 2015 Schedule
Aug. 28 St. John Bosco at La Mirada
Sept. 4 St. John Bosco vs. Norwalk (Long Beach Junior College)
Sept. 11 St. John Bosco at Central Catholic (Hillsborough Stadium)
Sept. 18 Crespi at St. John Bosco (Cerritos Junior College)
Sept. 26 St. John Bosco at St. Peter’s Prep (Don Bosco Prep)
Oct. 2 Bye
Oct. 9 St. John Bosco at Santa Margarita (Saddleback College)
Oct. 16 St. John Bosco at Mater Dei (Santa Ana Bowl)
Oct. 23 J Serra at St. John Bosco (Cerritos Junior College)
Oct. 29 St. John Bosco at Orange Lutheran (Orange Coast College)
Nov. 6 Servite at St. John Bosco (Cerritos Junior College)

Photo credit: angelusnews.com; Sean McGrew finds the end zone against Bishop Gorman (2014).