St. John Bosco senior quarterback Pierce Clarkson persevered through injury to finish with 264 yards and three touchdowns, the defense made vital stands, and the Braves atoned for a costly special teams flub to win the CIF-SS Div. 1 Championship and end the 29-game win streak of No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif).
With a 24-22 victory on Friday, No. 4 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) reminded the nation that it might just be the best team in the country.
The Braves, now in position to compete for the California Open Division championship against Serra (San Mateo, Calif.) in two weeks, ended the career of longtime Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson, whose final season of his 34 years at the helm of the Monarchs consisted of one game fewer than he had planned.