No. 3 St. John Bosco heads to No. 1 Mater Dei in high school football game of the year

The most anticipated high school football game of the year will take place on Friday evening in Santa Ana, Calif., as St. John Bosco takes on Mater Dei.

The Trinity League showdown will feature nearly 60 players with at least one FBS offer. The California powerhouses are both undefeated this season and have headlined the On3 Massey Ratings national top 25 all year. Mater Dei has been No. 1 since the release of the ratings, while Bosco will enter the matchup at No. 3.

Mater Dei is 7-0 this season and has played the nation’s No. 6 toughest schedule, per the Massey Ratings. The Monarchs own wins over national top-10 program Bishop Gorman (Nev.), DMV power Baltimore St. Frances Academy, as well as four teams ranked in the Massey Ratings California top 10, including Corona Centennial and J Serra Catholic.

St. John Bosco will head to town also battle-tested with an 8-0 record. The Braves opened the season with a win over Chaminade-Madonna Prep (Fla.) and have since won crucial in-state bouts against the likes of Sierra Canyon, Orange Lutheran and most recently Servite in a game that took place at SoFi Stadium.

The Monarchs lead the all-time series 30-13. Kickoff is set for 10 p.m. ET on Friday night.

Stars will be abundant on Friday night

Both rosters are stacked with talent from top to bottom. A grand total of 27 prospects with at least a three-star rating in the On3 Industry Ranking will be on the sidelines on Friday.

Mater Dei will be without junior Five-Star Plus+ wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. (Ohio State commit), who’s injured and out for the season, but the Monarchs will still bring a slew of stars to the field. Senior quarterback Dash Beierly (Washington) will be under center leading the offensive charge and will be flanked by the likes of four-star running back Jordon Davison (Oregon), four-star wide receiver Marcus Harris (Oklahoma), junior four-star WR Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, four-star offensive tackle Kodi Greene (Oregon) and standout sophomore tight end Mark Bowman.

On the defensive side of the ball, the nation’s No. 1 team is led by four-star cornerback Chuck McDonald (Alabama), four-star CB Daryus Dixson (Penn State), four-star linebacker Nasir Wyatt (Oregon), four-star linebacker Abduall Sanders (Alabama) and junior four-star defensive lineman Tomuhini Tupoi (Oregon).

Bosco had a sudden change at quarterback, as junior Matai Fuiava, who began the season as the Braves’ starter, transferred to Kahuku (Hi.) earlier this month. Freshman Koa Malau’ulu will now carry the load at QB with junior four-star WR Daniel Odom, junior four-star athlete Madden Williams and others alongside on offense.

The Braves stand out on defense, with four-star EDGE Epi Sitanilei (UCLA), junior three-star athlete Joshua Holland (USC) and junior three-star EDGE Dutch Horisk (Oregon) among those wreaking havoc.

Mater Dei’s offense and defense rank No. 1 and No. 3 in the nation, per the Massey Ratings. Bosco checks in with the No. 10 offense and No. 5 defense. The Massey Ratings predict a 42-20 win for Mater Dei.