Huddle up: Elijah Zabludoff on high school football

Editor’s note: Elijah Zabludoff is a senior football player from Bellflower St. John Bosco High and an aspiring journalist. Each week during the high school football season, he will be blogging about his personal experiences and also his thoughts about prep sports in general. Zabludoff is a returning starter at center for the Braves, who are Southern Section Pac-5 Division champions, undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the Southland by the Los Angeles Times.

Without hesitation, I can say that Saturday night’s state regional championship game against Corona Centennial High was among the most thrilling and fun games I have been a part of.

We knew going in that it would be a fast, physical and high-scoring matchup.

Sean McGrew, St. John Bosco’s sophomore sensation, had a game for the ages, rushing for 367 yards through holes that were unbelievably big.

As the game wore on, the St. John Bosco line and skill players became increasingly in sync and the yards and points piled up on the Corona Centennial defense.

We knew we had to score on just about every drive to win. We had been talking about it the whole week leading up to the game. The offense knew there were a ton of Division I football players on the Centennial defense, so it wouldn’t be easy. Yet, at the end of the game we looked up at the scoreboard and saw 70 points (to 49 for Centennial). It was satisfying; we did our job.

I’m at the center of an offensive line that deserves credit for opening up the holes in the trenches. This week was the most praise our line has received from spectators and others.

McGrew scored seven touchdowns, and several times reached the end zone without even being touched by the defense. “The Mob,” a nickname the linemen gave ourselves, ran behind him as fast as we could to celebrate with him.

It was so rewarding to see one of our running backs have such a huge night -- he averaged more than 21 yards per carry -- because we know we had an integral part in it.

The Mob loves blocking for McGrew, quarterback Josh Rosen and the rest of our skill players because they give us credit. When we all run off the field and sit on the bench, they go by and tell us, one by one, “Great job guys, keep us clean.” The coaches do the same thing, giving us fist bumps and high-fives.

Now our season comes down to one week, one game. In the Open Division state championship game Saturday night, the St. John Bosco Braves will take on the Concord De La Salle Spartans at StubHub Center in Carson.

These teams have been ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in California all season. Both are undefeated -- we are 15-0, De La Salle is 14-0 -- and this is the game everyone wants to see. We have already watched tons of film of De La Salle and, like always, the Spartans are a very skilled and disciplined team.

Since I started watching high school football as a kid, De La Salle has been the team to beat. Now, in my last high school game, I get the chance to do so.

It’s the opportunity of a lifetime, a little surreal in all honesty. However, the Braves remain focused on perfection and our place in history.