St. John Bosco, Bishop Amat, Cathedral, St. Paul and Bishop Montgomery moved closer to league titles with victories in the next-to-last weekend of regular season high school football action.

Meanwhile, St. Bernard and St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy — both unbeaten in Santa Fe League play — will face off this Friday afternoon at El Segundo High School for the title that guarantees the victor a higher seed in the CIF-Southern Section playoffs which start Nov. 2.

In the races to be determined involving leagues that are comprised of all or predominantly Catholic schools:

St. John Bosco, the No. 1 team in Division 1 and the U.S., won its ninth game without a loss, 49-14 over Santa Margarita, to assure itself of no worse than a tie for the Trinity League championship at 4-0. Mater Dei (which lost to Bosco a week earlier) took care of J.Serra, 42-7, but at 3-1 can tie for the title only with a win at Orange Lutheran and a St. John Bosco loss to Servite.

Bishop Amat likewise owns the only 4-0 record in the Mission League, after a 41-7 rout of Loyola, while Notre Dame/Sherman Oaks (3-1) rolled over Alemany, 54-21. Bishop Amat hosts Alemany this week, and Notre Dame (which lost to Bishop Amat earlier) hosts Chaminade.

Cathedral defeated St. Francis 31-17 and can clinch the Angelus League title this week with a win at Salesian.

Bishop Montgomery grabbed the upper hand in the Camino Real League by beating Cantwell-Sacred Heart, 55-28. The Knights (2-0) this week play St. Monica (0-2); barring an upset, Mary Star and Cantwell-Sacred Heart (both 1-1) will play for second place.

St. Paul remained undefeated in the Del Rey League (3-0) with a 47-14 triumph over St. Anthony, to pull a game ahead of Harvard-Westlake (2-1). The Swordsmen — who already beat Harvard-Westlake — play St. Genevieve this week for the championship.

Last week’s games

  • Trinity: St. John Bosco 49, Santa Margarita 14; Mater Dei 42, J.Serra 7; Orange Lutheran 28, Servite 20. Standings: St. John Bosco 4-0, Mater Dei 3-1, J.Serra 2-2, Orange Lutheran 2-2, Servite 1-3, Santa Margarita 0-4.
  • Mission: Bishop Amat 41, Loyola 7; Notre Dame/Sherman Oaks 54, Alemany 21; Chaminade 45, Serra 28. Standings: Bishop Amat 4-0, Notre Dame/Sherman Oaks 3-1, Alemany 2-2, Chaminade 2-2, Serra 1-3, Loyola 0-4.
  • Angelus: Cathedral 31, St. Francis 17; Salesian 24, Crespi 21. Standings: Cathedral 2-0, St. Francis 1-1, Salesian 1-1, Crespi 0-2.
  • Del Rey: St. Paul 47, St. Anthony 14; St. Genevieve 35, La Salle 13. Standings: St. Paul 3-0, Harvard-Westlake 2-1, St. Anthony 2-2, St. Genevieve 1-2, La Salle 0-3.
  • Camino Real: Bishop Montgomery 55, Cantwell-Sacred Heart 28; Mary Star 40, St. Monica 14. Standings: Bishop Montgomery 2-0, Mary Star 1-1, Cantwell-Sacred Heart 1-1, St. Monica 0-2.
  • Santa Fe: St. Pius X-St. Matthias 38, Don Bosco Tech 15; St. Bernard 49, Verbum Dei 0. Standings: St. Bernard and St. Pius X-St. Matthias 2-0, Don Bosco Tech and Verbum Dei 0-2.

In action involving leagues where Catholic school representation is minimal:

  • Baseline: Damien 29, Etiwanda 22.
  • Citrus Coast: Carpinteria 33, Santa Clara 14.
  • Mountain: St. Joseph/Santa Maria 46, Paso Robles 14.
  • Camino: Moorpark 33, Bishop Diego 14.
  • Non-League: Paraclete 49, Whitney 28.
  • Eight-man: Villanova 61, Calif. School for the Deaf/Riverside 14; St. Michael’s Prep 56, Brethren Christian 32.

Mike Nelson is the former editor of The Tidings (predecessor of Angelus News).

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