DeAndre Moore (3), Pierce Clarkson (10) and head coach Jason Negro have just gotten ahold of 2022 CIF Open Division state title trophy. Photo: Scott Kurtz.
Here is the official updated list of the California high school football state teams of the year that goes back for more than 120 years. St. John Bosco of Bellflower puts its name on the list for the fourth time, and now we can say that the arms race between the Braves and Mater Dei of Santa Ana is back to even terms. One year ago, the Monarchs were clearly out in front.
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The intense, go-for-broke competition between Trinity League football rivals St. John Bosco of Bellflower and Mater Dei of Santa Ana has often been compared to an arms race as one side adds more weapons and then the other side does the same. One side might at times be ahead, but then the other side catches up and perhaps goes ahead.
Pierce Clarkson kept mistakes almost to zero during his year as the starting QB for the Braves. Photo: Scott Kurtz.
One year ago, after Mater Dei had capped an unbeaten season with victories in the CIF Southern Section Division I and CIF Open Division state championships, the Monarchs were in a situation in which they finished No. 1 in the state four times in five seasons (including the pandemic season when no playoffs were held). St. John Bosco didn’t even get to the CIFSS final with a loss to Servite of Anaheim in the semifinals.
It’s back to being more even now as we head to year eight in 2023 of this current era of state domination by the two schools. St. John Bosco avenged an earlier loss to the Monarchs in this year’s CIFSS final and after last Saturday’s 45-0 shutout of San Mateo Serra in the Open Division state final it’s now time to officially crown the Braves as the 2022 State Team of the Year. These lists of State Teams of the Year go back now more than 130 years and this is the fourth time for head coach Jason Negro’s program to finish in that position.
Asking a coach to compare championship teams has never seemed fair, but we always like to ask what about a particular team perhaps stands out more than others.
Negro obviously could have just said defense when referring to this year’s team at St. John Bosco. It’s certainly going to go down as among the best in state history and the shutout in the state final was just a small part of it. But he was more proud of how the group he and his staff got together simply battled through some tough times.
“Overall, I was most impressed by what they did week in and week out,” he said. “After we lost in the semifinals last year, they just really wanted to run it back. I think it also is more special because they had to come back from playing two seasons in one year with COVID. We had a bunch of sophomores and juniors back from that team and they took the CIF (SS) title and then took state.”
Aaron Williams, who scored the third touchdown of the night against Serra by taking back an interception 31 yards for a touchdown, has a unique perspective about playing on a great high school defense. He happened to have been on one as a junior at Centennial of Corona. It’s hard to imagine that Bosco’s of 2022 was even better than Centennial of 2021, but Williams (who transferred last summer) agreed, citing the depth of the unit as the main reason.
“The thing about this team is that even the backups just come out every day with a dog mentality,” he said. “We all just want to come out, fight and get better every day.
“We wanted to come out tonight and have a statement game, to show everyone why we’re No. 1 in the country.”
They did and now it’s time to start handing out all of the additional honors.
CAL-HI SPORTS STATE
TEAMS OF THE YEAR
ALL-TIME HONOR ROLL
(Last 120 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)
(*Forfeits not included; **Spring season 2021 due to worldwide pandemic in fall 2020)
C.J. Williams was one of the top players for Mater Dei’s No. 1 team in 2021. Photo: Scott Kurtz.
2022 — Bellflower St. John Bosco (13-1)
2021 — Santa Ana Mater Dei (12-0)
2020 — Santa Ana Mater Dei (5-0)**
2019 — Bellflower St. John Bosco (13-1)
2018 — Santa Ana Mater Dei (14-1)*
2017 — Santa Ana Mater Dei (15-0)
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)
1909 — Los Angeles Poly Rugby (8-0-2)
1908 — Belmont Academy (8-0-1)
1907 — Los Angeles (5-1)
1906 — Belmont Academy (5-0)
1905 — Berkeley (5-1-3)
1904 — Belmont Academy (1-0-1)
1903 — Belmont Academy (5-1)
1902 — Belmont Academy (4-0-2)
1901 — Belmont Academy (3-2)
1900 — San Francisco Lowell (5-1-2)
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