BELLFLOWER, Calif. – In football, no matter what team you're on, one thing rings true, the ball always passes through the quarterback.

Having that control is what drew St. John Bosco's senior quarterback DJ Uiagalelei to the position in the first place.

“I think the best thing is you always have the ball in your hands," Uiagalelei said. "And the offense has to go through you. It’s like a constant movement.”

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The quarterback isn't necessarily what you would think when you first lay eyes on Uiagalelei. Standing 6'4” and 240 pounds, he is a behemoth of an 18-year old. As his head coach, Jason Negro, would say, "he's like a man in a child's body."

It's something the quarterback has heard since he was a kid.

“It’s been like that my whole life, people told me when I played quarterback at nine," Uiagalelei said. "They told me I’d eventually turn into a left tackle. But no matter how big I got, I just kept playing [quarterback].”

In his time at Bosco, he's transformed into the No.1 ranked quarterback in the country, with an incredible and accurate right arm.

Over his senior season, he's thrown for 3,815 yards and 44 touchdowns. However, his talent is not the most impressive part about him.

“If you just watch him around young people, whether there’s little kids coming up to him or people seeking autographs, just the way he handles every situation," Negro said. "He’s just a better human being than he is a football player in my opinion."

Uiagalelei has become the heart and soul of the Bosco offense, a leader with just one thought on his mind.

“Just to finish is to finish all the goals we set out from when we started in January, to win a national championship and a state title," Uiagaleli said.

It's been a goal for the teenager since he arrived at St. John Bosco in ninth grade. His hope is to leave something tangible behind for a program that's given him so much.

Uiagalelei and the rest of his Bosco brothers will get that opportunity this Saturday, as the Braves take on NorCal powerhouse, De La Salle for the Open Division State Championship.