SANTA ANA, Calif. — All you have to do is look into Mater Dei junior cornerback Domani Jackson's eyes as he lines up at practice to understand that this week's game against St. John Bosco is bigger than most.
The five-star recruit has just one word on his mind: revenge.
"It's anger all built up," Jackson said. "I don't know. I just don't like the word [Bosco]. I don't think anyone likes the word."
In what's been a unique season for the Monarchs and thousands of other California high school football players across the state, one thing has remained the same across the landscape. It's Bosco and Mater Dei week, a rivalry game that's been building for over a year.
"That's the only game I'm looking to really, forget everyone else," Jackson said early on this season. "It's a grudge we have in our heart right now, but we're gonna get them this year for sure."
Sixteen months ago, in November 2019, was the last time these two teams met on the gridiron. In one of the best high school sporting events of the year, the Braves — behind senior quarterback DJ Uiagalelei — completed an improbable second-half comeback, defeating Mater Dei 39-34 en route to a National Championship.
It's a game that's been on Mater Dei head coach Bruce Rollinson's mind ever since.
"It's kept me awake at night," he said. "We're on the 11-yard-line, got plenty of time, and I got a timeout in my pocket, and we didn't get the job done."
To Rollinson and his team, this match-up is the one you dream of, especially in a year where so much has been taken away.
"This is really the CIF championship, the state championship," Rollinson explained. "But it's also a Bosco, Mater Dei game, and unless you were living under a rock, you know the importance of this football game."
Walking onto the practice field this week, it was almost like time is moving in slow motion. To Jackson, it's games like this that made him want to be a Monarch. The talented cornerback is one of the most highly recruited players in the country, and he wanted to compete against the best.
"We go to practice every day and give 100%," Jackson said. "The tradition here, it speaks for itself really."
And though he is only a junior, the 18-year-old has all the confidence in the world. Mater Dei, Jackson said, will be ready come Saturday night in Santa Ana.
"You're gonna see. We're gonna dominate them, it's not even gonna be funny," Jackson said. "We've got bad blood right now."
Because for as vastly different as this year has been so far, Jackson always knew the season would come down to this.