Football | California | 2026-10-30 | Final: Mater Dei 36, St. John Bosco 35
SANTA ANA, Calif. — Mater Dei saved its most decisive play for the final seconds Friday, completing a two-point conversion to beat Trinity League rival St. John Bosco 36-35. The Monarchs had trailed by 14 points late in the fourth quarter before freshman quarterback Paytyn Guess directed a comeback.
With 3:26 remaining, Guess found Gavin Honore for a 55-yard touchdown. Mater Dei then got another possession and moved downfield in less than a minute. Guess connected with Tristan Brown for a touchdown with 7.5 seconds on the clock, leaving the Monarchs a point behind.
Rather than settle for an extra point and overtime, Mater Dei went for two. Tight end Tyler Fritz secured the conversion pass to turn a 35-34 deficit into a one-point win. Guess finished 11-of-15 passing for 214 yards and three touchdown passes.
St. John Bosco had seized control with 21 unanswered second-half points and led 35-21 before the comeback. The result left Mater Dei 8-2 and St. John Bosco 7-3 at the end of the regular season, with postseason play next on the calendar.
