Koa Malau’ulu’s Four-Touchdown Masterclass Sparks St. John Bosco’s Stunning Victory Over Santa Margarita

When a sophomore quarterback steps onto the field and plays with the kind of poise and precision that feels more seasoned than years suggest, you can’t help but sit up and take notice. That’s exactly what Koa Malau’ulu did for undefeated St. John Bosco High on Friday night, slicing through Santa Margarita’s tough defense like a hot knife through butter. With a starting streak of 11 perfect passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns, Malau’ulu didn’t just light up the scoreboard—he rewrote the script for what a young QB can accomplish under pressure. This game, hyped as a titanic clash atop perhaps the toughest high school football league in America—the Trinity League—was supposed to test St. John Bosco’s mettle against a strong Santa Margarita squad. But frankly, the Eagles just couldn’t summon the firepower needed to keep pace. The Braves, led by their sharpshooting sophomore and a stellar cast of receivers, marched to an eighth consecutive win at 27-14, showcasing a blend of talent and tenacity that’s hard to come by. Trust me, each of those four receivers catching touchdown passes? That’s a testament to a squad firing on all cylinders . . . and Malau’ulu’s laser arm. Dive deeper into the action, stats, and what this means for the playoffs right here: LEARN MORE.

Koa Malau’ulu, the sophomore quarterback for unbeaten St. John Bosco High, was having almost as good a Friday night as Shohei Ohtani hitting three home runs at Dodger Stadium. Malau’ulu completed his first 11 passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns against a Santa Margarita defense that held Mater Dei to six points last week.

This was supposed to be a showdown for first place in the nation’s toughest football league, the Trinity League, but Santa Margarita didn’t have the offensive firepower to stay with the Braves, whose quarterback, all-star receivers and underrated offensive line executed to deliver an eighth consecutive victory with a 27-14 triumph over the Eagles.

Malau’ulu finished 16-of-21 passing for 283 yards and four touchdowns. Each of his talented four-receiver group caught a touchdown pass.

“We have faith in him,” said receiver Madden Williams, who caught six passes for 113 yards. “We all got some love. We have four great receivers and all got to eat.”

It was a strange game from St. John Bosco’s perspective. The Braves were called for 20 penalties, a record under coach Jason Negro. There were five defensive holding penalties.

“Does that count as two wins?” a frustrated defensive coordinator Chris King said.

Santa Margarita (5-3, 2-1) was called for three penalties.

“They didn’t allow the penalties to define their night,” Negro said.

St. John Bosco held a 21-7 halftime lead with Carson Clark, Daniel Odom and DJ Trubbs each catching touchdown passes. Santa Margarita’s only score was a one-yard touchdown run by Trent Mosley set up by his spectacular 70-yard run in a wildcat formation. The Eagles’ offense was missing injured receivers Grant Mosley and Luke Gazzaniga, which slowed their passing attack.

Santa Margarita started the third quarter with another Mosley touchdown, closing to 21-14, but Malau’ulu answered with a 35-yard touchdown pass to Williams. He was sacked twice on the night but his blockers gave him enough time to fire away, and his sure-handed receivers did the rest.

“He has a lot of talent around him,” Negro said.

Dutch Horisk led St. John Bosco’s defense with two sacks. Linebacker Matthew Muasau continues to be an exceptional tackler. Cornerback Jacob Whitehead made a couple plays in the second half to disrupt the Eagles’ passing attack. Quarterback Trace Johnson was 12 of 28 passing for 87 yards.

If these two teams meet again in the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs, the Braves know that the USC-bound Mosley will present a challenge. He was injured in the Eagles’ first game of the season, didn’t play again until last week against Mater Dei and is rounding back intoshape. He is dangerous any time he touches the ball.

“He’s a special player,” Negro said.

St. John Bosco is 8-0 and 3-0 in the Trinity League. The Braves close the regular season with games against Servite next week and against Mater Dei on Halloween. They need two wins to clinch a No. 1 seed for the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.

Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.