St. John Bosco players hit the field for the opening kickoff in their final game of 2016 season last Saturday at Sacramento State against De La Salle. Photo: Twitter.com.
It’s not the same as when there was no Open Division of the CIF state bowl games, but the Braves still officially get added to the list of all-time great teams in California that dates back more than 100 years.
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This year’s St. John Bosco football team lost twice, so any comparisons to the Braves’ 2013 squad that finished 16-0 would be foolish, correct?
Not so fast. Although it would be hard to say 2016 was better than 2013, the Braves were comparable, especially after their 56-33 win last Saturday night over two-time defending champion De La Salle of Concord in the CIF Open Division state final.
Now that the season is completely over, the first act of business on the Cal-Hi Sports’ parade of postseason honors is the official crowning of the State Team of the Year. That comes today and just like having two CIF state titles in four years St. John Bosco also is now State Team of the Year twice in four years.
One of the top players for the Braves was senior running back Terrance Beasley. Photo: Paul Muyskens.
The last 13-2 team to finish No. 1 in the state was De La Salle in 2009, which was the first in a four-year run atop the state rankings for the Spartans, until 2013 when they lost to that 2013 Bosco squad. Before that, you have to go back to 1979 for Edison of Huntington Beach when it was so dominant in the CIF Southern Section Big Five playoffs that it had to come up to No. 1 in the final rankings despite two early-season losses.
This year’s two-loss Braves weren’t as dominant over the competition at the end like Edison 1979, but if you look at all of the competition that they had to get past then it’s still easy to elevate them into conversations about other No. 1, even unbeaten State Teams of the Year.
First, this year’s team at Mater Dei of Santa Ana was on track to perhaps being the greatest-ever at the school, but St. John Bosco spoiled that by avenging an early-season 26-21 loss with a 42-28 victory in the CIF Southern Section Division I championship. The Monarchs were No. 1 in the state and pushing for No. 1 in the nation at the time.
Second, the Braves’ only other loss was to national No. 1 Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas and it’s at least arguable that this was the best Gorman team there’s ever been.
It’s also hard to envision any offensive line in the nation playing as well as St. John Bosco in the last month. With mammoth Wyatt Davis leading the way, one of the best offensive lineman many in Southern California have ever seen, Bosco became unstoppable with its running game and when junior QB Re-al Mitchell did pass he was rarely touched.
“We trusted our offensive line tonight and have been all season,” Mitchell said after his team defeated Mater Dei. “They made it so much easier for everything.”
“I’m just so happy for the kids, they never lost faith,” head coach Jason Negro told the Long Beach Press-Telegram. “They believed all year, they really did.”
As is our custom for State Team of the Year posts, congratulations to Coach Negro and the entire staff: Offensive Coordinator Chad Johnson, Defensive Coordinator Chris King, Wide Receivers Bryan Treggs, Wide Receivers James Leeman, Offensive Line Jim Adams, Offensive Line Fredy Arteaga, Linebackers Jonathan Hall, Corners & Safeties Tim Richmond, Defensive Line Paul Diaz, Linebackers Rob Fuiava, Strength & Conditioning David Amescua, Tight Ends Nate Munson, Running Backs Mike Crawford, Defensive Line Mia Tui, Football Operations Jessie Christiansen plus all of the trainers, team doctors, cheerleaders and parents.
CAL-HI SPORTS STATE
TEAMS OF THE YEAR
ALL-TIME HONOR ROLL
(Last 105 years listed, but it goes back further than that to 1891 in our files, as compiled from 1891 to 2003 by the late Nelson Tennis)
De La Salle QB Anthony Sweeney celebrates after 2015 CIF Open Division state final. Photo: Harold Abend.
2016 — Bellflower St. John Bosco (13-2)
2015 — Concord De La Salle (13-1)
2014 — Concord De La Salle (15-0)
2013 — Bellflower St. John Bosco (16-0)
2012 — Concord De La Salle (15-0)
2011 — Concord De La Salle (13-1)
2010 — Concord De La Salle (14-0)
2009 — Concord De La Salle (13-2)
2008 — Corona Centennial (15-0)
2007 — Concord De La Salle (13-0)
2006 — Westlake Village Oaks Christian (15-0)
2005 — Ventura St. Bonaventure (14-0)
2004 — Mission Viejo (14-0)
2003 — Concord De La Salle (13-0)
2002 — Concord De La Salle (13-0)
2001 — Concord De La Salle (12-0)
2000 — Concord De La Salle (13-0)
1999 — Concord De La Salle (12-0)
1998 — Concord De La Salle (12-0)
1997 — Concord De La Salle (12-0)
1996 — Concord De La Salle (12-0)
1995 — Concord De La Salle (13-0)
1994 — Concord De La Salle (13-0)
1993 — Rialto Eisenhower (14-0)
1992 — Concord De La Salle (13-0)
1991 — Santa Ana Mater Dei (13-1)
1990 — Merced (14-0)
1989 — Fontana (14-0)
1988 — Carson (12-1)
1987 — Fontana (14-0)
1986 — El Toro (14-0)
1985 — Vista (13-0)
1984 — Riverside Poly (13-1)
1983 — Mountain View St. Francis (13-0)
1982 — Anaheim Servite (11-1)
1981 — San Jose Bellarmine (12-0)
1980 — Wilmington Banning (12-0)
1979 — Huntington Beach Edison (12-2)
1978 — Visalia Mt. Whitney (13-0)
1977 — Rancho Cordova (12-0)
1976 — Wilmington Banning (12-1)
1975 — Rancho Cordova (11-0)
1974 — Vista (13-0)
1973 — Hacienda Heights Los Altos (12-1)
1972 — Santa Fe Springs St. Paul (13-0)
1971 — Carson (12-0)
1970 — La Puente Bishop Amat (12-1)
1969 — Pasadena Blair (13-0)
1968 — Alameda (9-0)
1967 — Anaheim (12-1)
1966 — Pico Rivera El Rancho (13-0)
1965 — San Jose Bellarmine (9-0)
1964 — Stockton Stagg (10-0)
1963 — Los Angeles Loyola (12-0)
1962 — Los Angeles Loyola (12-0)
1961 — Monterey (8-0)
1960 — Redwood City Sequoia (9-0)
1959 — Long Beach Poly (11-0)
1958 — Long Beach Poly (11-0-1)
1957 — Berkeley (8-0)
1956 — Downey (12-0-1)
1955 — San Diego (11-0-1)
1954 — Vallejo (9-0)
1953 — Santa Monica (10-0-1)
1952 — Santa Monica (11-0-1)
1951 — Pomona (12-0)
1950 — Compton (11-1)
1949 — Compton (10-1)
1948 — Long Beach St. Anthony (11-1-1)
1947 — L.A. Washington (8-0)
1946 — Alhambra Keppel (8-0)
1945 — Santa Ana (11-1)
1944 — Alhambra Keppel (8-0)
1943 — Redondo Beach Redondo (6-0)
1942 — La Verne Bonita (11-0)
1941 — Piedmont (9-0)
1940 — Piedmont (8-0)
1939 — Alhambra (10-0)
1938 — Stockton (8-0)
1937 — L.A. Manual Arts (8-0)
1936 — L.A. Manual Arts (8-0-1)
1935 — Long Beach Poly (9-0)
1934 — Piedmont (8-0)
1933 — S.F. Galileo (8-2-1)
1932 — Inglewood (10-2)
1931 — Santa Ana (13-0)
1930 — Berkeley (11-0-1)
1929 — Berkeley (11-0-1)
1928 — Lodi (9-0)
1927 — Bakersfield (12-0)
1926 — San Mateo (9-1-1)
1925 — Los Angeles (10-0)
1924 — Berkeley (11-0)
1923 — Bakersfield (10-0-1)
1922 — Bakersfield (10-0-1)
1921 — Bakersfield (9-0-1)
1920 — Bakersfield (9-1)
1919 — Long Beach Poly (12-0)
1918 — L.A. Manual Arts (9-0)
1917 — L.A. Manual Arts (11-1)
1916 — San Diego (12-0)
1915 — Pasadena (7-1)
1914 — Pomona Rugby (12-0)
1913 — Pomona Rugby (11-0)
1912 — Berkeley Rugby (7-2-1)
1911 — Los Angeles Rugby (9-0)
1910 — Alameda (5-0)
Corrections or comments? Email markjtennis@gmail.com.
Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle: @CalHiSports
