St. John Bosco keeps National Pace, Handles Central Catholic 66-17

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

Central Catholic may still be on track for a third consecutive Oregon High School State Championship but on Friday the Rams were dropped to 0-2 on the season after a 66-17 loss to St. John Bosco.

Bosco made the trip to Hillsboro Stadium outside of Portland and never stopped moving. The No. 5 team in the nation started out with a heavy dose of quarterback Quentin Davis and running back Sean McGrew. McGrew, a Washington commit, was sharp, quick, and explosive through the holes running for 157 yards on 17 carries with four touchdowns. Davis, a dual-threat, mixed up the run and the pass to help put the Braves into scoring position throughout the first half.

The Rams looked like they might be able to move the ball through the Braves secondary early behind quarterback Carson Spitznagel. Spitznagel ended the game 9-of-17 for 115 yards but threw two interceptions before being replaced late by Deandre Smith. Smith ended the game 6-of-7 for 86 yards with one score.

Spitznagel was able to connect with linebacker/tight end La’Mar Winston, an Oregon commit, early but at key points in the first half drops and interceptions put the game out of reach. Right before the end of the second quarter, Bosco picked up two defensive touchdowns running in a fumble for a score (Ryan Burke) and picked off a pass for a clean run (Travis Tuitasi) into the end zone.

A third consecutive defensive score took place when the Rams picked off Davis in the third.

Late in the third quarter Bosco removed their starters getting ready for a visit in Week 4 from Crespi (Encino). Central Catholic goes on the road in their Week 3 to face Oregon City.

Photo credit: Beth Nakamura; Sean McGrew runs for a big gain against Central Catholic.