Servite Hangs On to Win

Servite survived a fourth-quarter rally by Bellflower St. John Bosco and held on to beat the Braves, 27-24, in a Serra League game Friday at St. John Bosco High.

On fourth down, with 26 seconds remaining, a pass from St. John Bosco quarterback Joseph Souza fell incomplete at the Braves’ 20-yard line, securing the victory for Servite.

The victory kept the Friars’ playoff hopes alive and Servite evened its record to 1-1 in league and 7-2 overall. Next week, the Friars finish their regular season against Santa Margarita and a share of the league title.

“They’re a big physical team and we made too many mistakes against them and they made us pay,” Servite Coach Larry Toner said of St. John Bosco. “They pounded us in the second half, but our defense came up big.”

Adam Ernst’s 28-yard touchdown pass to John Morris with 4:35 left in the third quarter proved to be the game-winner for the Friars.

But St. John Bosco (3-6, 0-2), made it an exciting finish. When Aaron Escobedo kicked a 36-yard field goal late in the third quarter, Servite’s lead was cut to 27-17. Jacob Matthews capped a six-play, 65-yard scoring drive with a three-yard touchdown run to cut the Friars’ lead to 27-24 with 9:45 remaining in the game.

However, Servite’s defense stiffened and the Braves failed to sustain a drive for the rest of the game.

Servite’s Lamar Mason carried 15 times for 112 yards.

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SERRA

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League Overall School W L T W L T Santa Margarita 2 0 0 7 2 0 Mater Dei 1 1 0 7 2 0 Servite 1 1 0 7 2 0 St. John Bosco 0 2 0 3 6 0

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WEEK 9

Friday’s results

* Santa Margarita 21, Mater Dei 14

* Servite 27, St. John Bosco 24

WEEK 10

Friday, Nov. 10

St. John Bosco vs. Mater Dei at Edison Field

Santa Margarita vs. Servite at CS Fullerton