St. John Bosco 58 - Eagles 34
BELLFLOWER, CA., November 7, 2014 – The Eagles fought back from a 10-point deficit to take a 28-24 lead heading into the fourth quarter but couldn't keep pace with the talented St. John Bosco Braves (9-1) and lost 58-34. The game featured 1,080 yards of offense, 46 first downs and 13 touchdowns. Despite the loss the Eagles finished 4th in the Trinity League and earned an at-large bid to the CIF-SS Pac 5 Playoffs. This will be their fourth playoff berth in the past five years and 22nd in 26 varsity seasons. KJ Costello completed 24 of 42 passes for 293 yards and four touchdowns including two to Kyle Sweet who also had a rushing TD from 42 yards out. Senior safety Metro Malasavage led the defense with a career-high nine tackles. Junior LB Austin Barrette chipped in eight tackles and fellow junior LB Tanner Matthews collected six and intercepted his first pass of the season.
| St. John Bosco | 10 | 14 | 0 | 34 | 58 |
| Santa Margarita | 7 | 7 | 14 | 6 | 34 |
SJB – Daniels 24 FG
SM – Sweet 43 run (Sweet kick)
SJB – McGrew 4 run (Daniels kick)
SM – Rasheed 74 pass from Costello (Sweet kick)
SJB – Simms 8 run (Daniels kick)
SJB – McGrew 14 run (Daniels kick)
SM – Sweet 5 pass from Costello (Sweet kick)
SM – Bianchini 7 pass from Costello (Sweet kick)
SJB – McGrew 17 run (Daniels kick)
SJB – McGrew 54 run (Daniels kick)
SJB – Tolliver 37 interception return (Daniels kick)
SJB – Windes 33 fumble return (Daniels kick failed)
SM – Sweet 18 pass from Costello (Sweet kick failed)
SJB – Simms 12 run (Daniels kick)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: SM - Sweet 4-48, Hall 13-45; SJB - McGrew 17-213, Simms 8-116
Passing: SM - Costello 24-42-1-292; SJB - Rosen 11-18-1-227
Receiving: SM - Bianchini 7-68, Sweet 9-96, Rasheed 7-121; SJB - Umeh 4-57, Chenoweth 3-33
By Adrian Peters
Sports Information Director
Santa Margarita can’t keep up with St. John Bosco
BELLFLOWER – Santa Margarita’s football team got into a track meet Friday night with the Trinity League team with the most speed and athleticism. But for three quarters, the No. 3 Eagles stuck right with St. John Bosco.
“Then the roof caved in,” Santa Margarita coach Rick Curtis said with a bit of a chuckle.
The host Braves erupted for 34 points in the fourth quarter and captured the league title outright with a 58-34 victory, likely securing the top seed for the CIF-SS Pac-5 Division playoffs in the process.
The reigning national champion Braves (9-1, 5-0) erased a 28-24 deficit after three quarters with touchdown runs of 17 and 54 yards by running back Sean McGrew, a 37-yard interception return for a score by Mykal Tolliver, a 33-yard fumble return for a TD by Gavin Windes and a 12-yard TD run by Clifford Simms.
And they scored the 34 points with 3:39 to spare in the fourth quarter.
“We can really run,” St. John Bosco coach Jason Negro said. “We’re super athletic.”
But as Curtis’ postgame tone suggested, there were plenty of positives for Santa Margarita (6-4, 2-3) to focus on as it finished fourth in league and put the final touches on a resume that makes them a strong candidate for an at-large playoff bid.
“I think we deserve it coming out of this league and the schedule we’ve had,” Curtis said of an at-large berth. “We played three quarters strong but (you) got to play for four quarters.”
The Braves did in extending their league winning streak to 16 games, three shy of Servite’s league record of 19. St. John Bosco scored three times in the first three minutes of the fourth.
“It just shows how much heart we have,” said Windes, scored on a forced fumble by fellow linebacker DJ Willis. “To come in here and know we already had a playoff spot … and play our (butts) off, and do that (in the fourth), is crazy.”
Santa Margarita’s best moments came in the third quarter. Quarterback KJ Costello capped a 99-yard scoring drive with a 7-yard TD pass to wide receiver Conner Bianchini to give the Eagles a 28-24 lead with 2:33 left in the period. Costello sparked the drive with a 27-yard connection from his end zone to wide receiver Kyle Sweet for a first down.
The Eagles opened the third by intercepting quarterback Josh Rosen on a deflection. Linebacker Tanner Matthews grabbed the interception at his 36 and Costello turned the turnover into a 5-yard TD pass to Sweet as the Eagles’ trimmed the Braves’ lead to 24-21.
Sweet opened the drive with a 31-yard pass to wide out Noah Rasheed on a reverse.
Sweet also set the school’s single-season reception record en route to nine catches for 96 yards and two TDs. The senior broke the record of Brian Finneran, who had 74 in 1992 and went onto play in the NFL. Sweet now has 83 receptions.
Rasheed added eight catches for 152 yards while Costello passed for 292 yards and four TDs. But the Eagles couldn’t stop McGrew, who rushed for 213 yards and four TDs. Simms also rushed for 116 yards on only eight carries.
The Braves racked up 602 yards offense to out-sprint Santa Margarita at 476.
Negro gave the Eagles a postseason endorsement. “They’re going to be a tough out,” he said. “It’s a tough league.”
But he also praised his team for a third consecutive undefeated league crown, “especially with all the guys we graduated (last year).”
Santa Margarita also led twice in the first half. Sweet scored on a 43-yard TD run out of the Wildcat for a 7-3 lead with 2:30 left in the first quarter. Sweet faked a handoff before racing along the sideline for a score. Matthews helped position the Eagles for the TD, alertly returning a short, targeted kickoff 23 yards to his 46.
Costello also tossed on a 74-yard TD pass to Rasheed early in the second period. On his score, Rasheed stretched for a reception over the middle, kept his balance after an attempted leg tackle and raced about 40 yards to the end zone. But before halftime, Simms and McGrew rushed for TDs and the track meet was on.
By Dan Albano
Saturday, November 8, 2014
The Orange County Register
