St. John Bosco football wears down Chaminade in clash of powerhouses

TORRANCE >> In a showdown of nationally-ranked programs, St. John Bosco wore down Chaminade in the second half for a 31-17 victory over the Eagles.

“They’re a good football team, that was a quarterfinalist last year,” said Bosco coach Jason Negro. “I didn’t think we’d play so poorly offensively; we should’ve been up by more at halftime.”

The first half was all about the defenses, though, as the Braves limited Chaminade to 84 yards of total offense, but the Eagles kept Bosco off the board as well, forcing two turnovers.

Bosco safety Jaiden Woodbey turned the game in the second quarter when he returned an interception for a touchdown. It was a much-needed boost for a Bosco offense that left points on the table, with Demetrious Flowers fumbling the ball at the goal line and a missed 28-yard field goal on the first drive of the game.

“We were in a Cover 3 and I was just sitting on the out because of what we saw in film,” Woodbey said. “But then they threw the streak and I had to show off my track speed.”

In the second half the Braves’ offense got going, scoring on a field goal on their first possession, then taking a 17-0 lead on a keeper by quarterback Re-al Mitchell. The Eagles would quickly answer with an 80-yard touchdown catch by Michael Wilson, but Bosco went on a four-minute, 80-yard touchdown drive capped by a pass from Mitchell to Joshua Delgado. George Holani scored on a 37-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to cap the scoring for Bosco.

Mitchell had trouble locating passes in the first half but settled down after the break, finishing 19 of 29 for 232 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The Braves’ running game started to return to last year’s postseason form, when Bosco dominated the CIF Southern Section and state playoffs on the ground. The Braves got 108 yards on 19 carries from Demetrious Flowers, 62 yards rushing from Mitchell, and 89 yards with a touchdown from Holani. In all, the Braves rushed for 259 yards and two touchdowns on 42 carries.

Bosco (2-1) will travel to Mission Viejo to face Dorsey next Saturday.

For video highlights of the game, visit PressTelegram.com/sports.

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