Football: Trinity League title could be decided on Friday

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

There are no easy games in the Trinity League, but one game, in particular, looks like it could be for the championship. That’s Friday’s matchup of Bellflower St. John Bosco (3-4, 2-0) taking on Santa Ana Mater Dei (6-1, 2-0) at Santa Ana Stadium.

St. John Bosco hasn’t lost on the field, and if the Braves can handle the Monarchs, it will be convincing evidence they have the ability to make a Pac-5 title run. Last week, they barely survived in a 44-41 overtime win over JSerra.

But missing from the game was injured two-way player Jaleel Wadood. He’s expected back, and he makes a big difference for the Braves.

It has been a series of highs and lows for St. John Bosco, from losing four victories to forfeits to coming up with some hard-fought wins against good teams.

“We were saying we belong at Magic Mountain with the kind of roller coaster rides we’ve been on,” Coach Jason Negro said.

The key to beating Mater Dei is to contain receiver Thomas Duarte and not let the Monarchs pick up first downs with their running game. If the St. John Bosco defense can return to its early season form, the Braves will be tough to beat.

Mater Dei, which didn’t make the playoffs last season, has been a model of consistency this season, a sign the Monarchs are very much in contention to be a Pac-5 title contender.

-- Eric Sondheimer