The Mater Dei (Santa Ana, CA) varsity football team has a home conference game vs. St. John Bosco (Bellflower, CA) on Friday, October 7 @ 7:30p.Mater Dei had discussions with SoFi Stadium to have the game played there. It would have been the first high school game played at the stadium in Inglewood that is the home to the Chargers and Rams.
Mater Dei stated in a media release: “We are grateful to the SoFi Stadium and Rams personnel for the opportunity to connect and discuss the possibility of being the first high school game at their incredible venue. This invitation speaks volume to the caliber and admiration of the athletic excellence at Mater Dei High School, St. John Bosco High School, and the Trinity League as well.
“With that being said, we have decided to remain at the Santa Ana Bowl, and we are excited to welcome the Braves fans and Monarch Nation to the Bowl on October 7 for what promises to be another exciting event with two of the most exceptional teams in the country.”
MaxPreps.com’s national rankings have St. John Bosco (3-0) at No. 1 and Mater Dei (4-0) at No. 2.
St. John Bosco coach Jason Negro is disappointed the Braves-Monarchs game is not going to be played at SoFi Stadium.
“I have no idea why they decided to decline the offer. We received the email that everybody else received,” Negro said via text. “I cannot speak for the MD (Mater Dei) community or speculate as to why they made this decision, however I’m disappointed for the young people who are not allowed this opportunity regardless of reasoning.
“Our kids were excited to play at SoFi but the change (in) venue won’t be the determining factor in who wins or loses this game. I hope the decision wasn’t made because of some home field advantage rationale. I know our kids will come and compete regardless of where the game is played.”
Next season’s Mater Dei-St. John Bosco regular-season football game is a St. John Bosco home game.
“Better believe if we have the opportunity moving forward and the logistics make sense the Braves would love another crack at SoFi,” Negro said.
Mater Dei executive director of athletics Joel Hartmann said, “There is not much more that I can tell you beyond what was on our statement.”
Kickoff for St. John Bosco-Mater Dei is 7:30 p.m. The game will be shown live by Bally Sports SoCal.
Seating capacity at Santa Ana Stadium, which has long been the home for Mater Dei football, is 10,000.
Mater Dei has defeated St. John Bosco the past three times they have played. The Monarchs beat the Braves 42-21 in a Trinity League game last season.
