St. John Bosco QB Josh Rosen is The Times’ player of the year
If someone wants to build a bronze statue commemorating Josh Rosen’s days at Bellflower St. John Bosco, it would be understandable. He’s a 17-year-old senior quarterback who helped change the culture and perception of the Braves’ football program.
He was into victories, not statistics. He was into winning championships, not individual awards. He was into getting A’s in his classes, not Bs. He never lost a Trinity League game in 15 starts.
This season, he passed for 3,186 yards and 29 touchdowns with four interceptions. His team lost to Corona Centennial, 48-41, in the Pac-5 Division final, but Rosen was battling until the end with 270 yards passing and two touchdowns.
“He’s been remarkable,†Coach Jason Negro said.
The UCLA-bound Rosen is winner of the 2014 Glenn Davis Award as the Los Angeles Times’ high school football player of the year.
In his high school career, Rosen passed for 11,175 yards and 90 touchdowns over four years. In 2013, the Braves went 16-0 and were named mythical national champions by MaxPreps.com.
“I’d say it’s gone pretty quick,†Rosen said. “I’ve had an awesome time. I can’t wait to get to UCLA, compete for a job, go to classes and be a college student.â€
That will happen in January, because Rosen was able to graduate from high school early so he could participate in UCLA’s spring practices.
Rosen almost didn’t make it to football. He was a tennis prodigy growing up, then switched sports right before high school. Playing quarterback was a perfect fit.
“Tennis was my life for a while, then I made it to football,†he said. “I would say it was a pretty good decision. It’s worked out so far. I got lucky with an arm that can throw a football and a brain that can pick apart defenses. I’m thankful for what I’ve been given. We’ll see how far it takes me.â€
The cerebral Rosen had a grade-point average above 4.0. He was constantly at the side of Braves offensive coordinator Chad Johnson studying video and building a game plan for every game. His days at St. John Bosco served as invaluable experience for the future.
“I’ve learned everything from study habits to friendships to football plays,†he said. “There’s a lot of stuff high school taught me. Living life is making mistakes and learning from them.â€
Twitter: LATSondheimer
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