Logan Loya makes impressive debut for St. John Bosco

No. 2-ranked Bellflower St. John Bosco opened its football season on Saturday night at home on national television against Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha. The Braves should be grateful senior receiver Logan Loya went from Orange Lutheran to St. John Bosco in the offseason.

With the passing attack struggling, Loya was the bright spot in the first half. He caught six passes for 98 yards and quickly became the go-to possession receiver for Clemson-bound quarterback DJ Uiagalelei. The Braves, after leading 21-7 at halftime, came away with a 35-7 victory.

St. John Bosco had trouble running the ball, and that affected the passing attack. Uiagalelei completed 11 of 28 attempts in the first half for 210 yards and two touchdowns. Kris Hutson had a 56-yard touchdown reception and Beaux Collins caught a seven-yard TD pass. The Braves’ defense was outstanding, led by safety JonJon Vaughns and tackle Jairus Satele. Hutson finished with five receptions for 139 yards. Loya had nine catches for 162 yards. Uiagalelei was 17 of 37 for 322 yards and two touchdowns.

Narbonne wins: City Section favorite Narbonne traveled to Clovis and knocked off Buchanan 32-7 on Saturday night.

Quarterback Jake Garcia and running back Tomario Harden led the Gauchos, who picked up a victory in the debut for interim coach Joe Aguirre.

Garcia had three touchdown passes.

Alemany improved to 2-0 with a 55-16 win over Higley in Arizona.

Big openers: All-City defensive end Anthony Ruvalcaba of Garfield picked up where he left off last season, recording five sacks in his team’s 27-6 win over Montebello on Friday night. He had 18 sacks in 2018.

Mission Viejo opened its season in Hawaii with a 38-14 win over Konawaena. Quarterback Peter Costelli passed for 162 yards and one touchdown and also scored on a 42-yard run, showing off his 10.8 100-meter speed.

In Rancho Cucamonga’s 50-31 win over Eastvale Roosevelt, quarterback CJ Stroud passed for 381 yards and five touchdowns.

Sophomore Eddie Allain of Riverside Norte Vista rushed for 247 yards in 40 carries and scored two touchdowns in a 28-14 win over Menifee Paloma Valley.

In Camarillo’s 56-7 win over Lakewood, quarterback James McNamara was 12 of 16 passing for 214 yards and four touchdowns.

In Reseda Cleveland’s 28-25 win over Palisades, running backs Kariem Muhammad and Caleb McCarty rushed for 141 and 188 yards, respectively.

In Norco’s 52-27 win over Arizona Williams, quarterback Shane Illingworth passed for 476 yards and seven touchdowns.

He can take a hit: Brandon Vazquez, a 5-foot-9, 170-pound junior for La Habra, took the handoff on Thursday night against Upland and knew immediately what was about to happen when he saw the linebacker wearing No. 10 in the spot he was headed for. And it wasn’t just any linebacker — it was Justin Flowe, who has made a reputation for violent tackles.

“I felt like a rag doll,” Vazquez said in describing how Flowe lifted him up as if he were making a pro wrestling move before dropping him to the ground. “I didn’t have anywhere to go. I saw him do it to other people. I got hand-cleaned and push-pressed.”

Flowe was given a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness, and Upland was given another 15-yard penalty on the play. That helped La Habra escape bad field position and enabled La Habra to come away with a 21-14 win. Vazquez caught two touchdown passes but immediately knew what he was going to be remembered for in that game.

“He’s a freak of nature,” Vazquez said of Flowe.