Game preview: No. 1 St. John Bosco vs. No. 2 Corona Centennial swelling with intrigue

Video: No. 1 St. John Bosco vs. No. 2 Corona Centennial

Saturday's CIF Southern Section Pac-5 Division title game is the way it should be when the top two teams in the nation face off.

It's not just a midseason showcase game - it's the right to move on and almost assuredly play against De La Salle for California's Open Division state title.

It's not just two upstart teams with no history - it's two teams that played for last year's Pac-5 title and 2013's Southern California Open Division title.

And it's not just two good football teams - it's two great football teams with state title-winning head coaches and college recruits all over the field.

When St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) and Centennial (Corona, Calif.) take to the turf at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, fans will be getting a game teeming with layers of intrigue. To call it the biggest high school football game ever, or this year, can't be done without legitimate objections being raised. But it's hard to fathom how many more exciting details can be packed into a prep football contest.

Centennial coach Matt Logan admitted that he's noticing this Pac-5 final is taking on a new level of hype.

"For whatever reason, rankings or not, this one has a different feel (than the previous two meetings)," Logan said. "We both started out highly ranked and this is what everybody anticipated, whereas last year we were more of a surprise to reach the final."

There are no surprises this year. Centennial was ranked sixth to kick things off with the Early Contenders sponsored by Dick's Sporting Goods and Bosco was 15th. Winning every game has enabled each squad to get to this position - fighting for the title.

Look at the point totals each squad has put up this season and it appears that an offensive circus is inevitable. And it should be.

But that doesn't mean the defenses will just be out there for decoration.

"I think it's going to come down to the defensive units," Logan said. "The team that plays the best defense will win. The offenses are prolific and can score, you have athletes on both offenses. If you miss a tackle it can turn a 5-yard completion into an 80-yard touchdown, so tackling will be huge.

"We're better defensively. A year in the Pac-5 Division has absolutely helped us. Just having that experience and being there before has completely changed how we do things," said Logan, alluding to his team's move up to the Pac-5 last season.

Bosco coach Jason Negro said, "Offensively, (Centennial) are as good as they have ever been. They churn out points every year, but the thing that is different is that both defenses are drastically better than last year."

Defensive success in a game pitting teams averaging 59.5 (Bosco) and 56.1 (Centennial) points per game doesn't mean a shutout. It means giving the offense enough of a cushion to put the game away.

"I still think it has the makings of a high-scoring affair. The number of possessions and the tempos of the offenses create that. When both teams run up-tempo, the chances of scoring are high," Negro said.

The trenches are the place to look for which team might have the upper hand early on. Centennial's wide splits on the offensive line have always given defenses fits, and on the flip side, St. John Bosco's offensive line holds a significant size advantage over Centennial. If one group of linemen - offensive or defensive - dominate, then it could be a harbinger of things to come the rest of the night.

"We know our limitations in terms of their offensive line and our defensive line," Logan said. "That's the biggest thing."

For Negro, he's got a similar feeling.

"Ultimately it will be won up front. They want to run the ball, we want to run the ball. Even though we have a spread offense and throw it, the ultimate goal is to run it."

The featured running backs are each committed to Pac-12 schools, as Bosco's Sean McGrew is committed to Washington and Centennial's J.J. Taylor has given his word to Arizona. Neither is big. In fact, they both could be called small, with Taylor listed at 5-foot-6, 170 pounds and McGrew at 5-8, 174.

See our video breakdown of the star running backs

Keep an eye on how things work down low, and for the other most intriguing aspect of the No. 1 vs. No. 2 battle, look deep. Whenever Bosco quarterback Quentin Davis lets loose with medium-to-deep passes, he'll be throwing into a sea of big-time recruits. All four starters in Centennial's defensive backfield are committed to top-level programs and each are three-star recruits according to 247Sports.

Davis has stepped in to fill Josh Rosen's shoes for the Braves, tallying 40 touchdowns compared with two interceptions and 3,547 yards. But it could spell trouble if McGrew can't get going and the Braves have to consistently challenge the Centennial defensive backfield.

"It's amazing that they can lose the likely Pac-12 Freshman Player of the Year and replace him with the next Pac-12 Freshman Player of the Year," Logan said. "He's stepped right in and had good tutelage form Josh and he's ready to roll. Having a secondary like we do gives us more freedom up front to slow him down."

Those numbers for Davis make Rosen's senior year look more pedestrian (3,186 yards, 29 scores, four interceptions). But Negro also attributes part of those numbers to the experience of Davis' supporting cast.

"Quentin is a talented guy but we are a year older on offense too. Last year there were three sophomore offensive linemen, three of five wideouts that we played last year were sophomores or juniors and now they are seniors. (McGrew) is a senior now too," Negro said, referring in part to 6-5, 295-pound offensive lineman Wyatt Davis, a junior five-star recruit.

The Huskies counter with Anthony Catalano, who last year was part of a two-quarterback system and this year has shown he is more than capable of handling all the work himself. Catalano, 5-10 and 175 pounds, has tossed 29 touchdowns and four interceptions, but where he makes the biggest effect is the threat of his legs. He has 846 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns via the ground.

"It's nice when you and your quarterback are on the same wavelength. And we are at that level. He's able to execute it all, he can throw and run, too, and that helps," Logan said.

See our video breakdown of both quarterbacks

Also look deep when Centennial has the ball. Four-star wide receiver Javon Mckinley (6-2, 195) has made highlight-reel grabs for two seasons now and he's a hot commodity as the No. 19 receiver in the 247Sports Composite. But the Braves have a lauded secondary as well, with two Pac-12 commits and a Notre Dame commit.

It's going to be a night full of intrigue, star power and high-level football. And it's not going to be the final must-see game in California this season - the winner should face De La Salle in two weeks in Sacramento.

"It just shows you how good of football is played at the highest level in California. In (MaxPreps') top six you have three California teams that will figure this thing out over three weekends," Negro said. "I think it leads people to believe how tough this state is and how difficult it is to run the table. I don't know if any team in the country has to do what these two teams have to do to win it all."