Madden Williams has hands that act like a magnet whenever a ball is near. The senior receiver headed to Texas A&M made two magical catches in the fourth quarter on Friday night to rally St. John Bosco to a 21-14 victory over Baltimore St. Frances in a game matching two of the top high school football teams in the country.
“He’s really good,” coach Jason Negro said. “You have to have your best players play big in the biggest games.”
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Williams made seven catches for 180 yards, including two decisive receptions in the fourth quarter to help the Braves rally from a 14-7 deficit. His 51-yard one-handed touchdown catch from quarterback Koa Malau’ulu tied the game with 9:26 left. Then he made a 36-yard catch to set up a two-yard touchdown reception from Carson Clark with 4:09 left for the winning score.
“I was able to go out there and do what I do,” Williams said. “I saw man coverage. I saw the ability to go win up top. My quarterback put it in a spot where only I could get it.”
The Braves (3-0) received fourth-quarter interceptions from Jailen Hill and Isala Wily-Ava to slow down a St. Frances team that had scored touchdowns in the third quarter on a 51-yard touchdown run by Jaelyn Burke and a 19-yard touchdown run by Jae’Oyn Williams to wipe away a 7-0 halftime deficit.
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Negro called the game one of the most physical he has coached. Williams, a 190-pound quarterback, rushed for 119 yards in 18 carries behind a huge St. Frances offensive line.
St. John Bosco kept battling. Linebacker Matthew Muasau had two sacks and double-digit tackles. Defensive end Dutch Horisk recorded a five-yard loss and put pressure on Williams. Linebacker Ethan Coach forced Williams to hurry a pass that was deflected and intercepted by Hill.
“That was No. 2 vs. No. 4 in the country,” St. John Bosco defensive coordinator Chris King said. “It was physical.”
Muasau compared St. Frances’ size and physicality to Trinity League rival Mater Dei, the No. 1-ranked team in California and an opponent St. John Bosco will take on in its final regular-season game. Friday’s experiences should be beneficial for the Braves.
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“We got a lot of guts,” Negro said of his players afterward.
St. John Bosco had two blowout wins to start the season, so Friday’s game was a chance to see what the Braves would do when they needed to respond to adversity. Malau’ulu, only a sophomore, passed for 283 yards and three touchdowns.
“I’m so proud of the effort,” Negro told his team.
After missed field goals by both teams, St. John Bosco broke through midway through the second quarter when Malau’ulu connected with an uncovered Maliq Allen coming out of the backfield for a 44-yard touchdown pass. That was the only scoring in the first half.
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