St. John Bosco survives St. Frances Academy: Score, results, highlights from high school football game

Lance Smith

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St. John Bosco survives St. Frances Academy: Score, results, highlights from high school football game image

Katie Stratman for The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn

An interstate battle touted as a potential national championship game lived up to the hype on Friday as St. John Bosco (CA) finished strong to eke out a 21-14 victory over St. Francis Academy (MD).

After trailing 7-0 at halftime, St. Frances Academy scored twice in the third quarter to take a 14-7 lead. But St. John Bosco fought its way back in the fourth quarter to win 21-14 with all three touchdowns coming from Koa Malau'ulu touchdown passes.

The only score of the first half came about halfway through the second quarter, when Malau'ulu looked left towards a host of Braves receivers before finding a wide open Maliq Allen on the right side of the field.

The third quarter, however, was all St. Frances. The Panthers got on the board with a 51-yard touchdown run from Jaylen Burke with 8:32 left, and QB Jae'Oyn Williams made it 14-7 with a keeper with 2:09 left. St. Frances had not only the lead but palpable control of the momentum.

As they've done so many times in recent years, the Braves battled back with both the score and tides against them and won the game in the fourth quarter thanks primarily to just a few key plays.

Malau'ulu hit Madden Williams for a 51-yard bomb through heavy coverage to supply the top highlight of the night and a game-tying touchdown with 9:26 left in regulation. Williams made another difficult catch from about midfield to open the Braves' next drive and get them down to St. Frances' two-yard line. St. John Bosco took the lead shortly afterwards on a pass from Malau'ulu to Carson Clark and iced the game with 1:47 left when Isala Wily-Ava picked off Williams.

With the Braves (3-0) pulling out the win with national title ramifications on the line and Mater Dei (2-0) barely holding off Hawaii heavyweight Kahuku (2-3), it's time to at least consider St. John Bosco for the top overall ranking in the state and country.

Scroll down for a pregame overview followed by results and highlights.

Pregame

In a battle of No. 3 and No. 4 in the country, St. John Bosco (CA) looks to put on for the West Coast as a light favorite against the East Coast's top-ranked team. St. Frances is far better than in 2023 when Bosco won 37-14 and proved it by opening the season with a 42-13 rout of Florida juggernaut Chaminade-Madonna.

Featuring 5-star seniors DE Zion Elee (Maryland) and S Jireh Edwards (Alabama) plus roughly two-dozen more national recruits, the Panthers can go toe-to-toe with anyone in top-end talent. But they're still an underdog to the third-ranked team in the country. Perhaps the biggest matchup to watch is St. John Bosco's prolific passing game – which features QB Koa Malau'ulu and WRs Madden Williams (Texas A&M), Daniel Odom (Oklahoma), and Carson Clark (San Jose State) – against a remarkably deep, talented St. Frances defensive backfield that includes Edwards, Amauri Polydor (Penn State), Hakim Satterwhite (Maryland), Khmari Bing (Maryland), Wayne Henry (Auburn), Raylaun Henry, Jaylen Burrell, and Jesse Legree.

St. John Bosco opened the season by blowing out Manatee (FL) 31-0 in one half and Eastwood (TX) 66-7.

Final score, results, highlights from St. John Bosco vs. St. Frances Academy

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FOURTH QUARTER:

1:47: St. John Bosco might've just cemented the win. Isala Wily-Ava picks off Williams on 1st-and-20.

2:12: Williams completes a pass to Coen Logan to convert on 4th-and-2 and keep St. Frances in the game.

4:09 – St. John Bosco 21, St. Frances Academy 14: Malau'ulu hits Carson Clark in the end zone and the Braves are back in front.

4:30: Madden Williams has another contested catch from Malau'ulu on the first play of the scrimmage to get St. John Bosco down to the two-yard line.

4:52: St. John Bosco is driving after Jailen Hill intercepts Williams and returns it to just past midfield.

9:26 – St. Frances Academy 14, St. John Bosco 14: St. John Bosco ties it back up on a 51-yard bomb from Malau'ulu to Madden Williams.

THIRD QUARTER:

2:09 – St. Frances Academy 14, St. John Bosco 7: Jae'Oyn Williams keeps it and runs 19 yards for a touchdown.

3rd Quarter: St. Frances Academy takes back over a bit short of midfield after a punt with a chance to take the lead.

8:32 – St. John Bosco 7, St. Frances Academy 7: It's a 51-yard highlight touchdown from Jaylen Burke with help from downfield blocking, and we have a tie game.

St. John Bosco leads 7-0 at halftime.

SECOND QUARTER:

0:00: After forcing a punt, St. John Bosco kneels on the final play of the half to take a 7-0 lead into halftime.

5:38 – St. John Bosco 7, St. Frances Academy 0: The Braves strike first on a 45-yard touchdown from Malau'ulu to RB Maliq Allen.

9:54: St. John Bosco matches St. Frances with a missed field goal (33-yard attempt) of its own, and the game is still scoreless.

2nd Quarter: Koa Malau'ulu hits Madden Williams way downfield for a first down, and the Braves are threatening.

FIRST QUARTER:

0:00: St. Frances punts on the final down of the quarter, and the Braves will take over deep in their own territory with the game still scoreless.

3:40: St. John Bosco's defense holds through a few red zone scares capped by a missed St. Frances field goal.

The game is yet to kickoff.

MORE: How to watch St. John Bosco vs. St. Frances Academy

Lance Smith

Lance has covered high school basketball, football and softball since 2019. A graduate of The USC Marshall School of Business, Smith dabbles in linear algebra and football and basketball computer rankings.