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 ranked No. 1 in the Southland by the Los Angeles Times.

Every day at practice I look around and see at least 10 Division 1 athletes on our team -- eight who are already committed to accepting football scholarships -- and think how crazy it is to have so many top prospects on one team.

Then the whistle blows and I go back to doing drills with Damien Mama, a top offensive guard prospect. And then another whistle blows and Jaleel Wadodd, who has committed to Cal, is running the ball behind one of my blocks.

As I said last week, competition in the Trinity League is top-tier, and with that comes an extreme amount of talent. There are more than two dozen players in the league who have committed to accept scholarships or have offers from top Division 1 schools across the nation. It’s quite a thing to think that every week we’re lining up against the next Charles Woodson or Clay Matthews.

Next week, the St. John Bosco Braves take on the Orange Lutheran Lancers. Last season, Orange Lutheran had some big boys up front on the defensive line. I play center for the Braves, and when I looked across the line I saw Josh Sekona and Makai Lui, two of the thickest players I had seen to that point.

I remember thinking, “those are some big thighs.” This year, it’s no different. Up front they have Keisean Lucier-south, a very talented, 6-foot-6, 215-pound defensive end who has offers from Washington, Texas and others. Also, Aisea Tongilava, a key returning running back, is a big physical runner looking for contact.

The talent in the league doesn’t stop with who we play next week. It continues with names such as Santa Ana Mater Dei’s Jonathan Lockett, a Washington commit; Anaheim Servite’s Travis Waller, an athletic quarterback; JSerra’s Dante Pettis, an excellent athlete; and other ridiculously talented players.

Last year against Mater Dei, I faced one of the strongest, quickest, defensive lineman in the league in Soli Silao, who is returning this year. If I were to write about every player with an offer or commitment, this blog post would go on for days.

The talent from top to bottom in the Trinity League is unbelievable. Up front, on both sides of the ball, there is crazy size and athleticism. Outside the hashes, the speed and ability to make plays is even higher than in years past. The aptitude of players in the league is exceptional, and it can only go up. The Trinity League is special and attracts only the best.

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Last Friday, the Braves were in action on national television against the Santa Margarita Eagles. We got off to a quick start with two touchdown runs by sophomore Sean McGrew.

The Eagles answered back with two touchdowns of their own, but the Bosco defense was too much for the Eagles’ offense, allowing only 12 points.

The final score was 56-12 as the Braves improved to 6-0, 1-0 in the Trinity League. The game provided an example of how the Trinity League is the most physical league in the country. There were dozens of huge shots in 48 minutes of hard hitting.

Next week is homecoming for the Braves against Orange Lutheran, with both teams looking to go 2-0 in league play. Hopefully we’ll be celebrating at the dance afterward.