St. John Bosco quarterback Koa Malau’ulu is a freshman starting for the No. 2-ranked team in the country in the No. 1 league in the nation.
His first two high school starts have come in the fires of the Trinity League, and he’s been integral to all three of Bosco’s league victories. Malau’ulu rallied the Braves in a start against Orange Lutheran and in relief against Santa Margarita. In his first start as the undisputed QB1, he kept a steady hand in a two-score win over Servite under the bright lights of SoFi Stadium last Friday.
Few quarterbacks in the nation, let alone a freshman quarterback, could handle his first forays in the Trinity League with such aplomb, but Malau’ulu has handled everything thrown at him thus far.
“When you play this type of league with this type of talent and this type of coaching, they’re going to throw a lot at him,” St. John Bosco coach Jason Negro said, “but I think he did a pretty good job. He’s a pretty savvy kid. He’s very mature.
“The best thing about Koa is he’s a competitor. I’ll go to battle with him any day of the week.”
Malau’ulu is the latest young player to step up for a St. John Bosco team with just six senior starters combined on both sides of the ball. These young Braves (8-0, 3-0) will face their toughest test yet against No. 1 Mater Dei (7-0, 3-0) on Friday at Santa Ana Stadium.
“Bosco-Mater Dei is something we know we’re going to get every single year, sometimes twice a year. We’re not going to be fazed by it,” Negro said. “They’ve got a veteran team, very well coached.
“They’re the No. 1-ranked team in the country, but we’re going to go out there and just play football, have a lot of fun. It’s one of the reasons you come to Bosco to be in this situation. It’s going to be a great atmosphere at the Santa Ana Bowl, and I’m just excited to be a part of it.”
Malau’ulu had played in six of Bosco’s seven games leading up to last week’s “Brotherhood Bowl” against Servite in SoFi Stadium. He started against Orange Lutheran due to an injury to junior Matai Fuiava, but with Fuiava transferring to a school in Hawaii, Malau’ulu became the full-time starter beginning with the Servite game.
“It’s a blessing,” Malau’ulu said. “God gave me the opportunity to play. It’s really been great. He’s been inspiration and gotten me to the point I am right here.”
Malau’ulu passed for 272 yards and four touchdowns to lead the comeback over Orange Lutheran, and he threw for another 217 yards and three touchdowns against Servite. Malau’ulu also ran in the Braves’ only offensive touchdown against Santa Margarita.
St. John Bosco freshman quarterback Koa Malau’ulu, center, celebrates his fourth quarter touchdown run on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in a 13-0 Trinity League win over Santa Margarita in Bellflower. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
It wasn’t difficult for Bosco to rally around their new starting quarterback.
“It’s always been there. It’s not something new,” Malau’ulu said. “This team is great. Coach Negro has been a really good coach and always leading.”
Bosco’s belief in itself and its talent has kept the train on the tracks despite a quarterback switch at the most challenging point in their schedule.
“It was business as usual,” Negro said. “There were no disruptions to our team or our program. When you do that, they have a lot of trust in the guys in our program and the decisions that we make as a staff. We were focused on Servite the entire week. There was nothing that was going to derail our mission.”
Negro said the Braves offense needed more consistency and the shuffling of quarterbacks over the previous seven weeks made that a challenge. But now Bosco has its guy, and the Braves have their sights set on Mater Dei.
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