A Rose Bowl showdown is slated for this Friday, Nov. 25 at 7:30 p.m. between two Southern California high school football titans, Mater Dei of Santa Ana and St. John Bosco of Bellflower, who will compete for the CIF Southern Section Division 1 Football Championship.

The Mater Dei Monarchs have a pristine season record of 13-0, ranking No. 1 in the country by both MaxPreps and NFL.com. The Bosco Braves currently rank second to Mater Dei by MaxPreps and fifth nationally by NFL.com, with their only loss coming at the hands of the Monarchs when they faced them in October, losing 17-7.  Prior to that match, the Monarchs were the slight underdog, ranked at No. 2 with the Braves holding the top rank, via MaxPreps.

To get to the title game, both teams had dominant semi-finals. Mater Dei eclipsed Los Alamitos 52-0 to claim their 29th win in a row, while Bosco beat down Mission Viejo 41-6.

The two teams have faced each other in the finals five times in the past six seasons.

Mater Dei heads to the championship a slight favorite given their earlier season win against the Braves (but that might not be the strongest indicator as Braves quarterback Pierce Clarkson didn’t play in the second half of that game, as he was taken out due to concussion protocol). The Monarchs are also the defending champs, claiming the title in 2021 when they took down Servite 27-7. They have only lost three games since 2016, according to MaxPreps, and have reached the championship for six consecutive years, winning also in 2017 and 2018.

The Monarchs have won the last three meetings between the schools, and have taken down Bosco eight of the last 11 times.

St. John Bosco is no slouch, however, most recently taking the title in 2019. It will be their eighth championship appearance in 10 years, as they’ve also taken the title in 2013 and 2016. MaxPreps reports they have outscored opponents nearly seven-to-one since their loss to Mater Dei earlier this season.

Whether there’s a question if these two Trinity League teams are football powerhouses, MaxPreps shared this stat: “The two teams have a combined 74 players that are rated as a two-star recruit or higher by 247Sports or have landed at least one FBS offer.”

Both teams shared links to buy tickets to the showdown via their Twitter:

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