St. John Bosco (Calif.) looks to return to top of the mountain against rigorous 2025 schedule

The 2024 season was another excellent one for St. John Bosco (Calif.) football. The Braves compiled 11 wins, and despite coming up short in the state title game, they still finished as the No. 5 team in the nation, according to the On3 Composite Rankings.

As it looks to claim another championship this fall, Bosco is gearing up to face one of the nation’s toughest schedules. The Golden State juggernaut announced its upcoming slate last month.

The Braves, led by head coach Jason Negro, will begin their 2025 campaign across the country in Florida taking on Bradenton Manatee, the No. 20 team in the Sunshine State prospect a season ago. They’ll then return home to begin a four-game home stand.

Eastwood (Texas), St. Frances Academy (Md.), Junipero Serra San Mateo (Calif.) and St. Louis (Hi.) will each make its way to Panish Family Stadium in Bellflower. St. Frances was the No. 19 team nationally last season, while St. Louis was a top-50 team nationally and the top-ranked team in Hawaii. The Braves defeated both Eastwood and Serra last season.

A big three-game in-state road trip will follow, as SJB will head to JSerra Catholic, Orange Lutheran and Santa Margarita Catholic, each of which finished as top-10 teams in the Golden State. The Braves beat each last season, holding the trio to a combined 34 points.

After returning home to play Servite, the biggest game of the season will conclude the regular season at Mater Dei heads to Bellflower. The Monarchs, who finished as the No. 1 team in the nation, were the only team to defeat SJB, doing so twice. After a 59-14 drubbing at the end of October, Mater Dei fended the Braves off for a CIF state title, winning 31-24.

The 2024 Bosco roster was featured by plenty of youth, many of whom are back and looking to take things to the next level this fall. Wide receiver Madden Williams (Texas A&M commit), WR Daniel Odom (Oklahoma), athlete Joshua Holland (USC) and EDGE Dutch Horisk (Oregon) are all entering their senior seasons. Top incoming juniors include safety Isala Wily-Ava, safety Dillon Davis and linebacker Ethan Coach.

St. John Bosco 2025 Schedule

Aug. 22: at Manatee (Fla.)
Aug. 29: vs. Eastwood (Texas)
Sept. 5: vs. St. Frances Academy (Md.)
Sept. 12: vs. Junipero Serra San Mateo (Calif.)
Sept. 19: vs. St. Louis (Hi.)
Oct. 3: at JSerra Catholic (Calif.)
Oct. 10: at Orange Lutheran (Calif.)
Oct. 17: at Santa Margarita Catholic (Calif.)
Oct. 24: vs. Servite (Calif.)
Oct. 31: vs. Mater Dei (Calif.)