You've got to hand it to the Manatees and the Eastwoods of high school football that will step up and play a St. John Bosco, knowing full well that they aren't in the same league with the California powerhouse.
Heck, they're not even in the same state with them, but St. John Bosco can struggle to find opponents at home in the Golden State, and the Manatee [FL] Hurricanes and the Eastwood [El Paso, TX] Troopers stepped up this season and decided to challenge their kids and give them a moment in the spotlight.
The flip side of that is, when you're in the spotlight, your mistakes are going to be on display for everybody to see. And that was certainly the case two weeks ago in Manatee's 31-0 loss in one half of play where both teams were forced to remain sheltered out of harm's way at halftime while a storm ripped through the area. It was at least the second long delay of the night, and the game was eventually cut short due to the inclement weather that made the host Hurricanes look like a mere tropical depression.
If only Eastwood could have been so lucky. They were forced to be the Troopers they are and endure the full 48 minutes of a 66-7 public flogging where there was no storm and, even worse, no shelter in which to hide. No, their humiliation played out under the Friday night lights in Bellflower, California, just south of the glitz and glamour of Hollywood and Los Angeles.
Their only saving grace was, that unlike those California teams that know better and avoid playing the likes of a St. John Bosco, the Troopers were at least able to leave La-la-land behind and return to the relative anonymity that El Paso affords them.
That's been the story of St. John Bosco's season so far, but now that the doormats have been put away, it's time to roll out the red carpet for their guests from the East Coast. The St. Frances Academy [Baltimore, MD] Panthers figure to be a much more formidable opponent, and if their own season-opening trip to Florida two weeks ago is any indication, they might not be the kind of cats that St. John Bosco wants to tangle with.
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No. 4 St. Frances Academy [Baltimore, MD] Panthers at No. 3 St. John Bosco [Bellflower, CA] Braves
LAST WEEK'S GAME OF THE WEEK No. 7 Grayson [Loganville, GA] Rams 24, No. 14 Thompson [Alabaster, AL] Warriors 23 (OT)
Friday, September 5, 2025
Panish Family Stadium | 7 p.m. PST local (10 p.m. EST)
TV/Streaming: MaxPreps
Local Media Coverage: Baltimore Sun High School Sports | Los Angeles Times High School Sports
School Athletics Websites: St. Frances Academy Athletics | St. John Bosco Athletics
School Social Media: St. Frances Academy Panthers on X.com @SFAfootball_MD | St. John Bosco Football on X.com @boscofootball
The Background
While St. John Bosco was having its way with Manatee two weeks ago on a Friday night on Florida's Gulf Coast in Bradenton, Florida, St. Frances Academy was settling into its hotel on Florida's other coast. The Panthers were in south Florida for the Broward County National Football Showcase, and on Saturday evening, they had a date with the No. 10 Chaminade-Madonna Lions.
And it did not go well for the Sunshine Staters. St. Frances Academy played like a well-oiled machine while Chaminade-Madonna coughed and sputtered its way through the evening like an old jalopy. In the end, it added up to a 42-13 win for the boys from Baltimore, and they took last week off to rest on their laurels.
But the time for rest is nearly over for both of these national high school football powers. On Friday night, they'll enter a spotlight that was too bright for Manatee and too big for Eastwood. One of them will emerge with their national title hopes intact.
The other will exit stage right into the darkness, seeking a place as far away from the glare of that spotlight as possible while nursing their wounded pride.
Top Recruits
- St. Frances Academy has 17 seniors listed on 247sports.com's ranked prospects. Two of those players are among the 32 5-star recruits in the entire country for the Class of 2026 – edge rusher Zion Elee (Maryland), the third-ranked overall prospect in the country, and safety Jireh Edwards (Alabama). The other 15 prospects are all 3-stars led by uncommitted LB Duyon Forkpa Jr., CB Hakim Satterwhite (Maryland), TE Damon Hall Jr. (Maryland), IOL Edward Baker (6-4, 335 lbs., Tennessee), and uncommitted ATH Jaylen Burrell. Another 4-star prospect is uncommitted junior CB Raylaun Henry.
- St. John Bosco The Braves have eight Class of 2026 senior prospects listed on the 247sports.com rankings including two 4-star wide receivers in Madden Williams (Texas A&M) and Daniel Odom (Oklahoma). Two more 4-star contributors are uncommitted junior defensive backs including safety Isaia Aisa Wily-Ava and CB Jailen Hill.
When St. Frances Academy has the ball ...
The Panthers have a potentially loaded receiving corps in tight ends Hall Jr. and fellow uncommitted senior Destin Mitchell along with senior WR Coen Logan (Temple), but they showed in the season opener that they'd prefer to line up and run it right at you. Two players – junior Sa'Nir Brooks and senior Jaylen Burke – rushed for more than 100 yards against Chaminade-Madonna on a night when the Panthers ground out more than 300 yards rushing. Their big offensive line includes Baker and fellow seniors John Watkins (6-3.5, 315 lbs., Temple) and Lamarcus Dillard (6-1.5, 310 lbs., West Virginia) on the interior so they will definitely look to establish the run. As long as the game as close, they aren't likely to abandon their efforts.
That could prove to be a challenge for St. John Bosco's defensive front anchored by 3-star DL Laneselota Olive-Enos (6-1, 255 lbs., Portland State) and fellow senior edge rusher Dutch Horisk (6-2, 240 lbs., Oregon) along with 3-star junior DL Kekoa Peko. A strong linebacking corps featuring Ethan Coach (6-3, 205 lbs.), Justin Coach (6-2, 205 lbs.) and Josiah Poyer (6-1, 225 lbs.) will be counted on to be in position to help limit the damage.
When St. John Bosco has the ball ...
The Braves really haven't faced any resistance on defense in their first two games, and they're relying heavily on sophomores in key positions, including at the quarterback and running back positions. Sophomore QB Koa Malau'ulu has been the primary signal caller with 258 yards on 16-of-23 passing and six touchdowns with just a single interception. Odom (6 rec.-104 yards, 2 TDs) and Williams (4 rec.-108, 2 TDs) have made their limited touches count along with sophomore DJ Tubbs (5 rec-110 yards, 3 TDs). That's only 15 receptions among the trio, but seven of those have gone the distance for touchdowns.
With the 5-star Elee coming off the edge, they would like to establish an effective counterbalance in the run game to prevent losses via the pass rush. They've been operating with the committee approach so far with junior Maliq Allen leading the way with just nine carries for 62 yards. Sophomore Corey Hinton has seven totes for 61, and senior Ashton Keyes has another six carries for 46 yards. Hinton is the only one to score this season with just a single rushing touchdown.
Keys to the game
St. Frances Academy wins if they can establish the run and dominate the line of scrimmage the way they did against Chaminade-Madonna two weeks ago. If they can extend drives by controlling possession that way, then they could find considerable success against St. John Bosco's defensive front which could be at a size disadvantage.
St. John Bosco wins if they can get up a couple of scores at some point and force St. Frances Academy to abandon the run-first mentality that keyed their victory in south Florida two weeks ago. Turnovers including through quick changes of possession could be key, too, as Bosco looks to avoid getting into a game of trench warfare against a big, strong St. Frances unit on both sides of the ball.
Looking Ahead
For St. John Bosco, it's all about surviving this game before a relatively easier midseason stretch gives way to a big finish that will include three currently ranked teams in their final four games.
If St. Frances can somehow get out of California with a victory, then the Panthers should be able to win every other game on their schedule at least until the finale in early November at IMG Academy in Florida.
Series history
St. Frances Academy made this trip around this same time two years ago, and the Panthers were blown out, 37-14, by the Braves.
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