California football flexes dominance at the high school football level

Some USC football fans are old enough to remember the summer of 2025, in which the media at large attempted to convince people that California recruits simply aren't all that. The insistence was that the in-state talent was simply no match for the superior and more dynamic athletes in other parts of the country, particularly in SEC territory.

While a lot of attention was on Week 0 of college football, many Trojan fans tuned in to their local high school programs. In what is something of a good apples-to-apples litmus test, St. John Bosco took on Manatee in Bradenton, and Mater Dei faced St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale.

For those who are not quite as familiar with the location of American cities, those are both in Florida.

The game between St. John Bosco and Manatee had to end at halftime due to inclement weather. Even so, the final result was never truly in doubt, as St. John Bosco managed to have a 31-0 game before the game was forced to end.

Then on Saturday, Mater Dei and St. Thomas Aquinas, both ranked in the top ten nationally, took to the gridiron. While the final score was not quite as dominant as the earlier game, the matchup was quickly out of reach here as well. More importantly, when watching how the game unfolded, it simply did not look even remotely competitive.

It took multiple fourth-down conversions by the home team. Certainly penalties helped out late on as well in the near-comeback. At the end of the day, the visitors had earned the right to simply see the game out by building such a large lead through the first three quarters, as Mater Dei would go on to win 26-23.

This speaks to the misperception that has somehow trickled into the media regarding local California talent and the coaching that takes place, especially in the Trinity League.

USC commit somehow continues to be overlooked

Another aspect that needs to be highlighted once again is how underrated SoCal talent continues to be. Tomuhini Topui, or Tom Tom, put on a clinic and made life impossible for the St. Thomas Aquinas offense. It remains a complete mystery as to how he is not universally viewed as one of, if not the best, defensive lineman prospects in the nation.

All in all, it was a great day for California football. Sure, others will find any excuse necessary to dismiss what happened on the field, but everyone knows what happened, even if they choose not to acknowledge it.