St John Bosco, Lakewood coaches preview tonight’s matchup
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St. John Bosco Coach Jason Negro on:
Tonight’s game against Lakewood (1-0), 7 o’clock at St. John Bosco (1-0): ‘One of the things that stood out with them [on film] was the speed and size of their defensive line. It’s difficult to prepare for totally because we don’t have anybody that can mirror that in practice. But I think we’re pretty good up front. We have good size. We’ll double them on things and chip in the back with pass protection.’
On what stood out in last week’s 47-21 victory over San Marcos Mission Hills: ‘As a whole, we just need a little more focus. We got a little comfortable. We got up big, 28-7, and it was rather easy for us to get up to that point. But there was a lot of time left. The kids relaxed and let down their guard a little bit We can’t allow that to happen.’
Key to the game: ‘The key has to be up front. Can our offensive line neutralize them? Can we match their speed on defense? They have the offensive talent and they spread it out. Their quarterback is talented and he’s got speedy receivers. So the question is: Are we fast enough to run with them?’
How much tonight’s game helps them prepare for the Trinity League: ‘These guys will be as good as anybody we play in the league from a size standpoint and coaching standpoint. They’re very well coached. It’s totally going to be a challenge. I was talking to the guys. I don’t think this will be a defining moment or anything like that. The season is way too long.’
The latest on sophomore running back Davonte Young, who transferred to St. John Bosco after attending Irvine last season: ‘The only update is that the paperwork has been submitted to the CIF under the hardship tag, so to speak. From what our administration told me, they took care of the necessary paperwork. We’re just waiting to hear from the CIF office as far as eligibility goes. If it’s restricted in some way, we’ll appeal and have an opportunity to tell our side of it. The paperwork was all completed Tuesday or Wednesday of this week. We’re waiting right now, but I’m sure the CIF is inundated with paperwork.’
On junior quarterback Rene Medina, who finished last week going 17 of 23 for 302 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions: ‘He was impressive. He took command of the offense. He has a lot of reads to make during the course of the game, but he made a few mistakes. But overall, I’m very happy with his performance. He has to eliminate a few mistakes. He dropped a snap, had one fumble and a made few poor reads. He just needs to build on those things. That’ll give him confidence.’
On his expectations for junior wide recceiver Bryce Treggs: ‘Our expectations are high for him. He takes the most reps on the field and he’s also playing defense. Our expectation is for him to go out there and go against the team’s best wide receiver and play at a high level. People will try to take him away. When they do that, we will have to have other guys step up. Hopefully, he doesn’t get frustrated with that. We expect him to be the best receiver every time we go out.’
Lakewood Coach Thadd McNeal on:
On what impresses him about St. John Bosco on film: ‘I really like their scheme. They run a lot of zone read and spread concepts. ... They know what they’re doing and it’ll be a great challenge for our defense. They play hard with a lot of passion. They have good concepts and know what they’re doing.’
Key to tonight’s game: ‘I just want to see how we match up physically and with our speed. I think our defense is really good. I want to see that Bosco offense against our defense. This week presents a totally different challenge for us than last week. We’re playing a Pac-5 [Division] team that’s on the rise and at their home stadium in their home opener. I think they have a lot of excitement. It’ll start with our defense. We have an active group and we got good veterans and good speed. Offensively, we got some good playmakers to be able to spread the ball around. I thought last week [against L.A. Locke in a 49-0 victory] was a good initial test because we hadn’t played anybody since Edison in the semifinals [last season]. You never know until you play someone live.’
On how quarterback Tyler Schultz has stepped in for three-year standout and USC freshman Jesse Scroggins: ‘Tyler (who finished last week nine of 15 for 151 yards with four touchdowns and one interception) had a nice summer. I thought he was very consistent last summer and had a nice fall camp and two weeks of practice. He is a smart quarterback and he has good players around him to help make good decisions. It was one of those deals that if he was anywhere else, he would’ve started. But he waited his turn behind Jesse. He’s a confident player and he feels like he a learned a lot sitting behind Jesse.’
Prospects: Senior tackle Torian White (UCLA), senior running back/cornerback Rashad Wadood (Arizona State), junior wide receiver/safety Darius Powe (McNeal says he has offers from Miami, Oregon, Nebraska, Colorado and Washington)
--Mark Medina