Servite has won seven consecutive Trinity League titles. Eight straight doesn’t appear to be in the cards this season.
The league title was thought to be Santa Margarita’s for the taking. The Eagles entered the season as a top-five team nationally, and appeared primed to repeat as PAC-5 champs and bring home a state title after doing so last year with a junior-laden team.
There may not be a player more important to his team than Santa Margarita quarterback Johnny Stanton. When he was lost for the season with a torn ACL two weeks ago, things in the Trinity League, PAC-5, and state appeared to open up, tremendously.
Enter St. John Bosco.
After learning about Stanton’s injury, which sent Twitter a buzz on Sept. 22, St. John Bosco defensive lineman Michel Castillo tweeted “I feel bad for Johnny Stanton I really do but, …this really is our year.”
Castillo’s not alone. Many feel the injury to Stanton has opened the door for a St. John Bosco run.
Coming off of an 8-4 year last season, the Braves shot out of the cannon in 2012, starting 4-0, including a 45-0 win over Loyola of the Serra League. However, last week they self reported an ineligible player and had their record reversed to 0-4 just days before heading to Utah to take on the No. 1 team in the state, Jordan.
The Braves came back with a 34-33 win. When St. John Bosco (1-4) opens Trinity League play against Orange Lutheran (5-0) at Orange Coast College on Friday at 7:30 p.m. – a game that can be seen on FOX Sports West – St. John Bosco appears to be as good a candidate as any to win the Trinity League.
But, St. John Bosco head coach Jason Negro says the door won’t just swing open for the Braves to stroll through.
“As coaches, I think, we know a little bit more about their entire team and understand that (Santa Margarita) Coach (Harry) Welch is probably one of the best coaches in the state and I don’t care who’s at quarterback, they’re still going to be a pretty devastating team to have to deal with in league,” Negro said.
One thing the Braves have is talent, and a lot of it.
Sophomore quarterback Josh Rosen has 13 touchdowns and just three interceptions. Negro applauds his young quarterback’s command of the offense and the respect he has from his teammates. His main target is A.J. Holman, a transfer from Orange Lutheran, who is averaging just over 15 yards per catch. TE Nick Lehman isn’t targeted much, but half of his catches, six, have been touchdowns, three. This includes two touchdown catches last weekend in Utah.
“They’re like a video game,” said Orange Lutheran first-year head coach Chuck Petersen. “They’ve got a lot of weapons at their disposal and they can, like a video game, pick out which one they want to use and turn ‘em loose.”
Leading the protection for Rosen up front is left tackle Nico Falah, a USC commit.
A Trinity League team has won four of the last six PAC-5 championships, including the last three. The league, in itself, is a gauntlet, but the forfeits of the Braves have started a conversation.
Last season, Vista Murrieta was in a similar position. They were forced to forfeit their first five wins of the year. They won nine in row to end the season, including an Inland Division championship. By doing so, the Broncos handed Corona Centennial their first loss in a sectional final under head coach Matt Logan. Despite being 14-0 on the field, Vista Murrieta was left out of the state bowl picture.
Negro has heard plenty of this since his team announced forfeits. The longer the Braves stay undefeated on the field, the more of a talking point it will be.
“The question has been raised about that, but in reality we’re so far away from that,” Negro said. “We got to win, I mean, nine football games in one of the toughest leagues in the country and then going into the (PAC-5) playoffs just to even be considered.”
Of course, after Orange Lutheran, the Braves have to play JSerra (5-0), followed by road games at Mater Dei (4-1) and Servite (2-3), and close out at home against Santa Margarita (5-0).
The one-game-at-a-time approach sounds about right. Welcome to the Trinity League.
