Football: St. John Bosco’s defensive line makes a difference

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Of the four teams left in the Pac-5 Division playoffs, Bellflower St. John Bosco might have the advantage because of its defensive line.

Some teams have one or two good defensive linemen. St. John Bosco is rotating five players on the line, and they all can play.

Last week against Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, 6-foot-1, 255-pound Ivan Martinez was so good that Notre Dame assistant coach Jeff Kraemer said, ‘He’s the best defensive lineman we’ve played against in years.’

Martinez has four sacks. Aaron Laut has 10 sacks. Malik Dorton, a junior, has six sacks. There’s also Aaron Aragon and Jacob Tuioti-Mariner.

‘They have been the backbone of the defense,’ Coach Jason Negro said.

St. John Bosco faces Long Beach Poly on Friday in one semifinal at Veterans Stadium. St. Bonaventure faces Mater Dei in the other semifinal at Ventura High.

-- Eric Sondheimer