[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 45 (Friday, March 21, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E407]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


         HONORING THE ST. JOHN BOSCO HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAM

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. LINDA T. SANCHEZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 21, 2014

  Ms. LINDA T. SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to 
congratulate the St. John Bosco High School varsity football team on 
their numerous accomplishments during their 2013-2014 football season. 
The St. John Bosco Braves are an outstanding football team from 
Bellflower, CA. The Braves were named the 2013 California 
Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Pac5 Division Champions, CIF Southern 
Regional Champions, CIF State Champions, and National Champions by Max 
Preps.
  The historic season for the St. John Bosco Braves began with the 
school's second ever CIF Finals appearance against their longtime 
rival, Mater Dei High School. After an uncharacteristically slow first 
half, the Braves came out firing in the second half and ended up 
beating the Mater Dei Monarchs 34-7, thus crowning the Braves CIF Pac-5 
champions, the first football title in the school's seventy-three (73) 
year history. A week later, St. John Bosco routed the Corona Centennial 
Huskies 70-49, thus giving the Braves yet another award to add to the 
season, CIF Southern Regional Champions. The next and last game on the 
schedule had the entire Bosco community on edge as it was not only the 
State Championship game, but that it was against the De La Salle High 
School Spartans who headed into the State Championship game with a 40 
game winning streak. After four grueling quarters of football, the 
Braves came out on top 20-14, ending the Spartans' winning streak and 
crowning the Braves 2013 CIF State Champions; the first in school 
history.
  The St. John Bosco Braves finished their season 16-0, which propelled 
them to the top of the national football rankings along with Allen High 
School from Allen, Texas and Washington High School out of Miami, 
Florida. On January 27th, the ninth annual MaxPreps Football Tour of 
Champions arrived in Bellflower, CA to award the Braves with the 
National Championship trophy. This award came with the nation's number 
one ranking out of 15,000 schools and is a feat never accomplished by 
any sport in the school's history.
  Due to such a successful season, Head Coach Jason Negro was awarded 
various accolades, including the MaxPreps High School National Coach of 
the Year award, the Press-Telegram Dream Team Coach of the Year, the 
American Football Monthly Magazine National Coach of the Year, and CIF 
Southern Section Pac-5 Coach of the Year. In addition, earlier in the 
year Coach Negro was selected to coach the West Team at the 2013 U.S. 
Army All-American Game and was awarded the Xenith/Bill Yoast National 
Coach of the Year presented by the Army All-American Bowl.
  As a result of the hard work and dedication displayed by the Braves 
in the 2013-2014 football season, made evident by their list of 
accomplishments, it was no surprise that several varsity football 
players received full rides to study and compete at the college level. 
On February 5th, 2014, the following players committed and signed their 
National Letters of Intent to their respective universities: Brett 
Baldwin (Air Force Academy), Malik Dorton (University of Southern 
California), Shay Fields (University of Colorado), Naijiel Hale 
(University of Washington), Chandler Hawkins (Naval Academy), Chandler 
Leniu (University of California, Berkeley), Damien Mama (University of 
Southern California), Jacob Tuioti-Mariner (University of California, 
Los Angeles), and Jaleel Wadood (University of California, Los 
Angeles).
  I once again would like to recognize and congratulate the St. John 
Bosco Braves and Coach Negro on their historic season and numerous 
accomplishments. I wish all of the players continued success as they 
pursue their goals in athletics, academics, and their careers.

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