BELLFLOWER — The St. John Bosco football team was hoping for a quick start against JSerra in its Trinity League opener.

The Braves got that and more, thanks largely to senior running back Maliq Allen’s three touchdowns in the first half.

Bosco led 34-0 at halftime and cruised to a 40-14 victory over JSerra on Friday night.

Allen finished the game with 239 yards of total offense and four touchdowns. He ran for 169 yards and three rushing touchdowns on 20 carries and had four receptions for 70 yards and one touchdown.

“I had to step up in a big way,” Allen said. “I know I had a big load on my shoulders, so I know I have to work every day and lead by example, work hard and show it in the game and step up to opportunities.”

The Braves improved to 5-1 overall and 1-0 in the Trinity League.

Bosco finished the game with 541 yards of total offense, including 292 rushing yards.

“He’s so dynamic in both the run game and the pass game and then we’re much better upfront I think this year on the offensive line,” St. John Bosco coach Jason Negro said when asked to assess Allen’s impact.

JSerra (4-2, 0-1) mustered only 45 yards of total offense before halftime.

Lions senior quarterback Hayes Cloutier completed 5 of 12 passes for 20 yards with one interception in the first half. He finished the game 18 of 29 passing for 230 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.

St. John Bosco junior quarterback Koa Malau’ulu completed 18 of 25 passes for 249 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

He started the game with a 35-yard gain on a designed run. He finished off the nine-play, 80-yard opening drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Allen. The Braves led 7-0 with 7:43 left in the first quarter.

Bosco’s offense kept rolling and took a 14-0 lead with a 25-yard reverse run for a touchdown by sophomore receiver David Plunkett III late in the first  period.

The Braves’ defense held the Lions to eight total yards of offense in the first quarter.

JSerra forced Bosco’s first punt of the game early in the second quarter. However, Cloutier threw an interception to senior defensive back Dillon Davis (Vanderbilt commit) at the Bosco 40.

Allen’s 22-yard touchdown run made it 20-0 early in the second. The PAT was blocked.

Malau’ulu’s 6-yard touchdown pass to junior receiver DJ Tubbs made it 27-0 and Allen’s 1-yard touchdown run pushed it 34-0 before halftime.

Cloutier threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to junior receiver Luca Deleon, which made it 34-7 with 8:17 left in the third quarter.

JSerra senior defensive back Dylan Brown intercepted Malau’ulu’s pass at his own 23 with 7:09 left in the third.

JSerra faced a fourth-and-1 at the Bosco 4 but Cloutier threw an interception in the end zone to senior defensive back Dorian Franklin, who is committed to Harvard.

The Lions’ defense forced a turnover on downs inside the red zone to begin the fourth quarter.

JSerra capitalized with an 80-yard scoring drive, capped off by Cloutier’s 2-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Clark Cokley. Bosco led 34-14 with 8:02 left in the fourth.

“We’re just going to play hard,” JSerra first-year coach Hardy Nickerson, a five-time NFL Pro Bowl linebacker with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, said before the game. “We’re going to be tough. We’re going to be resilient. That’s what we hang our hat on, and that’s a standard.”

Allen’s 11-yard touchdown run made it 40-14 with 2:22 to go. The PAT was blocked.

Bosco sophomore defensive back Kingston Fatu’s interception sealed the victory with 45 seconds to go.

St. John Bosco plays at home against Orange Lutheran (4-2, 1-0) in a Trinity League game on Friday, Oct. 9. JSerra plays a league game at home Friday, Oct. 9, against Mater Dei (4-2, 0-1).

St. John Bosco football head coach Jason Negro on his team’s 40-14 win over JSerra. @boscofootball finished the game with 541 yards of total offense, including 292 rushing yards.

2027 RB Maliq Allen had 239 total yards and four touchdowns. pic.twitter.com/9wOSp8PKS7

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) October 3, 2026

St. John Bosco senior running back Maliq Allen finished with 239 yards of total offense and four touchdowns in a 40-14 victory over JSerra to open Trinity League play.

Allen explained why he’s keen on stepping up this season. pic.twitter.com/fysv4lK72L

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) October 3, 2026

PREGAME: JSerra football head coach Hardy Nickerson on his teammate mentality heading into a Trinity League opener against St. John Bosco. pic.twitter.com/6zUvr3KxxM

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) October 3, 2026