Football: St. John Bosco tops strong field at Edison tournament
It’s time to pull off the summer wraps of Southern California’s likely No. 1 high school football team.
Bellflower St. John Bosco, which took most of June off with its mandatory dead period, is set to play on Saturday in the Huntington Beach Edison seven-on-seven passing tournament.
The Braves will get plenty of competition from Corona Centennial, Gardena Serra, Santa Ana Mater Dei, Long Beach Poly and Santa Margarita in a talent-laden 16-team field that should raise the intensity level coaches, players and fans.
The big question for St. John Bosco is who’s going to play running back and help take pressure off junior quarterback Josh Rosen?
Last season, Darren Walker emerged as the Braves’ top back. Coach Jason Negro said his early plan is for a committee of running backs to handle the ball behind the Braves’ big offensive line.
Standout defensive back Jaleel Wadood, a California commitment, figures to get the first crack in the rotation, but Negro said he has learned that competing in the physical Trinity League requires more than just one back.
“We haven’t had a back make it through the season,” he said. “In this league, having multiple backs is a benefit.”
The Edison tournament is perfect timing. Schools have been putting in lots of hard work this summer, and many will be taking their mandatory breaks soon after.
Centennial doesn’t usually excel in passing tournaments, because the Huskies rely so much on their running game and option attack. But they have plenty of top skill position players back, so this summer could be different. Among the many returnees are quarterback Robert Webber, running back Tre Watson (Cal commit), receiver Barry Ware (UCLA commit) and defensive back John Plattenburg, all of whom are considered all-star players.
Serra has as much skill-position talent as any team in the state. Boise State-bound quarterback Jalen Greene and receiver Adoree’ Jackson lead the Cavaliers.
Santa Margarita gets to unveil receiver Jeremy McNichols, a transfer from Lakewood. Poly should have receiver-defensive back Juju Smith. Bishop Amat is also in the tournament and coming off a win in the Bonita tournament.
Action begins at 9 a.m., with the championship round of eight teams coming after 1 p.m. Admission is free.
FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version of this blog had Oaks Christian playing in the Edison tournament. Oaks Christian is not entered.
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