California high school football: Defending national champs St. John Bosco will open football season against Sierra Canyon

California announced last week new guidance to allow youth and high school sports that opened the door for football to be played this spring. And MaxPreps national champion St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) wasted no time announcing its season-opening opponent after Los Angeles County cleared the COVID threshold to resume competition.

Multiple media outlets reported the Braves will face Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) on March 12 in a game that features some of the best talent in the state. Prior to the COVID-19 shutdown, St. John Bosco had brokered a season-opening game with Northern California power De La Salle (Concord), but that game was canceled as the pandemic forced the state to shove football back several times.

The reigning national champions return a host of notable players led by Tayvion Beasley, Nathan Burrell, Maximus Gibbs, Earnest Greene III, Rayshon Luke, Jode McDuffie and Matayo Uiagalelei.

The Trailblazers counter with an impressive roster led by Virginia Tech signee DJ Harvey. Sierra Canyon also features Josh Bryan, Jason Jones, Ezekiel Larry, Kamari Ramsey, Kenji Swanson, Drue Watts and Donovan Williams.

St. John Bosco was named MaxPreps National Champion in 2019 after going 14-1 and winning the CIF Open Division state championship after beating De La Salle (Concord) 49-28. The Braves also had notable wins against Centennial (Corona), DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), Good Counsel (Olney, Md.), Mater Dei (Santa Ana), and Servite (Anaheim).

Sierra Canyon is coming off a 14-2 season after losing to Central (Fresno) in the CIF Division 1-AA championship game.

Over the next couple of weeks, MaxPreps will be releasing California football content led by the preseason All-State team on Feb. 25.