St. John Bosco coach is not surprised by Josh Rosen’s performance

St. John Bosco Coach Jason Negro didn’t have time to go to the Rose Bowl on Saturday to watch his former quarterback, freshman Josh Rosen, in his debut for UCLA. He was too busy preparing his team for a Friday road game against Central Catholic in Oregon, but he watched on television and enjoyed every minute of it.

“It’s exactly what we expected,” Negro said of Rosen completing 28 of 35 passes for 351 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-16 win over Virginia. “We knew Josh had a ton of talent and was going to a good program, and we did a good job preparing him.

“It was crazy watching Josh throw, and nothing has changed. His mannerisms, the way he received the snap -- everything we saw on Saturday is exactly the same things we saw for three years at Bosco. We were just super proud how well he handled the spotlight, how calm he was and his demeanor, and it’s a tribute to us playing in big games and playing a competitive schedule. The moment wasn’t too big for Josh, and being at Bosco prepared him for that.”

Rosen helped St. John Bosco win three consecutive Trinity League championships, including a 16-0 record his junior year.

Twitter:@LATSondheimer