Sports

Madden Williams' magical hands lift St. John Bosco over Baltimore St. Frances

Madden Williams has hands that act like a magnet whenever a ball is near. The senior receiver headed to Texas A&M made two magical catches in the fourth quarter on Friday night to rally St. John Bosco to a 21-14 victory over Baltimore St. Frances in a game matching two of the top high school football teams in the country.

"He's really good," coach Jason Negro said. "You have to have your best players play big in the biggest games."

Williams made seven catches for 180 yards, including two decisive receptions in the fourth quarter to help the Braves rally from a 14-7 deficit. His 51-yard one-handed touchdown catch from quarterback Koa Malau'ulu tied the game with 9:26 left. Then he made a 36-yard catch to set up a two-yard touchdown reception from Carson Clark with 4:09 left for the winning score.

"I was able to go out there and do what I do," Williams said. "I saw man coverage. I saw the ability to go win up top. My quarterback put it in a spot where only I could get it."

The Braves (3-0) received fourth-quarter interceptions from Jailen Hill and Isala Wily-Ava to slow down a St. Frances team that had scored touchdowns in the third quarter on a 51-yard touchdown run by Jaelyn Burke and a 19-yard touchdown run by Jae'Oyn Williams to wipe away a 7-0 halftime deficit.

Negro called the game one of the most physical he has coached. Williams, a 190-pound quarterback, rushed for 119 yards in 18 carries behind a huge St. Frances offensive line.

St. John Bosco kept battling. Linebacker Matthew Muasau had two sacks and double-digit tackles. Defensive end Dutch Horisk recorded a five-yard loss and put pressure on Williams. Linebacker Ethan Coach forced Williams to hurry a pass that was deflected and intercepted by Hill.

"That was No. 2 vs. No. 4 in the country," St. John Bosco defensive coordinator Chris King said. "It was physical."

Muasau compared St. Frances' size and physicality to Trinity League rival Mater Dei, the No. 1-ranked team in California and an opponent St. John Bosco will take on in its final regular-season game. Friday's experiences should be beneficial for the Braves.

"We got a lot of guts," Negro said of his players afterward.

St. John Bosco had two blowout wins to start the season, so Friday's game was a chance to see what the Braves would do when they needed to respond to adversity. Malau'ulu, only a sophomore, passed for 283 yards and three touchdowns.

"I'm so proud of the effort," Negro told his team.

After missed field goals by both teams, St. John Bosco broke through midway through the second quarter when Malau'ulu connected with an uncovered Maliq Allen coming out of the backfield for a 44-yard touchdown pass. That was the only scoring in the first half.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Justin Herbert goes 'Mr. Beast' on Chiefs in Chargers' season-opening win in Brazil

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert passes against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert passes during the second half of a 27-21 win over the Kansas City Chiefs at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, Brazil, on Friday. (Fernando Llano / Associated Press)

The social-media influencers showed up in droves Friday for the marquee matchup between the Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs, only the NFL’s second regular-season game played in the Southern Hemisphere.

They snapped selfies, did dances, tried to top each other with eye-catching outfits and elbowed for the spotlight.

As for Justin Herbert? He was Mr. Beast.

The Chargers quarterback dissected the Chiefs with surgical precision, throwing for 318 yards and three touchdown passes in a 27-21 toppling of the defending AFC champions — a franchise the Chargers hadn’t beaten since 2021.

Read more:That time the Chargers went all the way to Tokyo for a preseason beer run

Two of those touchdown passes went to Quentin Johnston.

“He makes my job so much easier,” Herbert said. “He just makes plays.”

Seven of the previous eight meetings between these AFC West foes were decided by one score, and the Chiefs won six of those.

Assisted by a smothering defense, Herbert upstaged Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes before a worldwide audience. It marked the first time the NFL streamed a regular-season game for free on YouTube, with previous games streamed on subscription-only sites or behind a paywall.

Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. celebrates after beating the Chiefs in Brazil on Friday night.
Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. celebrates after beating the Chiefs in Brazil on Friday night. (Doug Benc / Associated Press)

The league was breaking new ground and so were the Chargers, who had lost seven in a row to Kansas City and had waited for months to wash away the taste of a bitter first-round playoff loss to Houston.

But no lead is safe with the Chiefs, who led the league with 11 come-from-behind victories last season and had won an NFL-record 17 one-score games in a row.

Even when Kansas City struggled mightily in the first half, the Chiefs showed their quick-strike ability when they scrambled with the precision of a NASCAR pit crew and came away with a 59-yard field goal as the clock expired.

Just as the Chargers wanted to put their disappointing playoff performance behind them, the Chiefs wanted to get out from under the dark cloud of a blowout Super Bowl loss to Philadelphia.

Read more:Chargers vs. Chiefs a family affair with Andy Reid's son-in-law in L.A.'s corner

Kansas City didn’t just lose the game but also lost speedy receiver Xavier Worthy on the third snap of the game when he left with a shoulder injury, towel draped over his head. He was hurt when he collided with teammate Travis Kelce.

Rumors were rampant heading into the game that Kelce’s fiancee, pop star Taylor Swift, would attend the game. There was no indication she was on site.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Justin Herbert throws for 318, three TDs as Chargers hold off Chiefs 27-21

The Chargers gave up a home game to open the season against the Chiefs in Brazil. Though they were 6,200 miles from home, playing in front of a large contingent of Chiefs fans, the Chargers made themselves right at home.

Justin Herbert threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns in a signature win, a 27-21 victory over the Chiefs.

After the Chiefs had closed to within 20-18 early in the fourth quarter, Herbert directed an 11-play, 74-yard drive that ate 7:02 off the clock. He went 8-for-8 for 73 yards on the 74-yard drive, throwing a 23-yard touchdown pass to Quentin Johnston with 5:02 left. That put the Chargers up two scores.

Herbert went 25-of-34 for 318 yards and three touchdowns, but his biggest play came with his legs.

With the Chiefs out of timeouts with 2:14 left — and back within 27-21 — the Chargers faced a third-and-13 from their own 34. Herbert ran for 19 on a designed run before sliding down. That allowed the Chargers to run out the clock, keeping the ball away from Patrick Mahomes.

Herbert threw touchdown passes of 5 and 23 yards to Johnston, and Keenan Allen caught an 11-yarder. Nine different receivers caught a pass led by Johnston's five catches for 79 yards.

The Chargers never trailed, but the Chiefs kept it interesting.

Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, who made field goals of 35 and 59 yards, missed an extra point in the third quarter, and Teair Tart knocked away a Patrick Mahomes' pass on a 2-point attempt. That's how the Chiefs fell behind by two scores.

In the fourth quarter, with the Chiefs trailing 27-18, they faced a fourth-and-7 from the Kansas City 42. Mahomes was nearly sacked by Khalil Mack as he ran for his life. As he neared the sideline with Mack in hot pursuit, Mahomes heaved a ball downfield to Hollywood Brown, who got behind the defense for a 49-yard gain to the Los Angeles 9. It led to a 27-yard Butker field goal with 2:34 left.

That made it a one-score game again at 27-21.

The Chargers, though, stayed aggressive, trusting Herbert, and he delivered one of the biggest victories of his career.

The Chargers outgained the Chiefs 394 to 347.

Mahomes was 24-of-39 for 258 yards and a touchdown, a 37-yarder to Travis Kelce. Mahomes also ran for 57 yards, and an 11-yard touchdown, on six carries. Brown caught 10 passes for 99 yards.

The Chiefs lost wide receiver Xavier Worthy to a shoulder injury on the third play from scrimmage.

More Articles …

  1. Travis Kelce's 37-yard TD gets Chiefs back within 20-18
  2. Patrick Mahomes' TD run draws Chiefs within 13-12 of Chargers
  3. Chargers rookie RB Omarion Hampton makes big mistake, allows Chiefs a frenetic field goal
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