Column: Southland’s premier high school matchup: Corona Centennial vs. St. John Bosco

In the 21st century, two high school football games played in Southern California have separated themselves from the rest. In 2001, Long Beach Poly, ranked No. 1 in the nation, took on No. 2 Concord De La Salle before more than 17,000 at Veterans Stadium, and in 2013 unbeaten Bellflower St. John Bosco played unbeaten De La Salle in the CIF state championship Open Division Bowl game.

Now comes Saturday’s Pac-5 Division championship matchup at Angel Stadium featuring Corona Centennial (13-0) and St. John Bosco (13-0). It’s worthy of the hype bestowed on those two earlier matchups.

These two programs were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 last August by The Times, and nothing has changed. Over 14 weeks, they’ve been far superior to their competition while routinely invoking the mercy rule on opponents in the fourth quarter with a running clock because leads reached 35 points or more.

This truly is a matchup of best vs. best, and if the crowd doesn’t reach 25,000, it would be considered a disappointment.

It’s Coach Matt Logan vs. Coach Jason Negro, two of the best in the business. It’s Centennial’s no-huddle offense and St. John Bosco’s no-huddle offense. It’s Centennial huge offensive line vs. St. John Bosco’s dominant defensive line. It’s Centennial’s college-bound secondary and St. John Bosco’s college-bound secondary. It’s Centennial’s Arizona-bound running back J.J. Taylor and St. John Bosco’s Washington-bound running back Sean McGrew. It’s Centennial receiver Javon McKinley vs. St. John Bosco cornerback Traveon Beck.

On any given week, if these two teams met, the game would be decided by which team had the ball last. They’re both capable of running two-minute drills to perfection, so no lead will be safe.

It’s going to be an 8 p.m. start with Fox Sports West televising. That means the only way either team will be slowed down is from TV timeouts.

The defenses are much improved over a year ago when Centennial beat St. John Bosco, 48-41. The offenses are capable of making big plays. It’s going to be a physical and memorable matchup.

It’s public school vs. private school but no one has any advantage unless one draws more fans to the game than the other.

Tickets are $15 for assigned seating, $12 for general admission and $5 for students.

In 2001, De La Salle beat Poly, 29-15. In 2013, St. John Bosco beat De La Salle, 20-14.

Saturday’s matchup will be the game of the year for high school football in Southern California.

Special coach

Growing up in Carpinteria, Coley Candaele was a hometown hero. He was the school’s star quarterback and star 1,600-meter distance runner, then became the football coach and won four CIF titles.

He left for Vista Murrieta when the school opened in 2003. His football team has reached a section final for the seventh consecutive season. Vista Murrieta hosts Mission Viejo for the West Valley Division title on Friday night. He’s also the successful track coach.

Candaele is a beloved member of his community. He added athletic director duties this season. On Saturday, his dedication was pretty remarkable. The previous night, his football team needed five overtimes to defeat Rancho Cucamonga, 52-46. He got a couple of hours of sleep, then hopped into a car for the 4 1/2-hour drive to Fresno, where his wife, Karen, was coaching in the state cross-country finals and his freshman daughter, Peyton, was running.

He was studying video on his phone and trying to relax after his five-overtime thriller.

“After you blow an 18-point lead in the fourth quarter, OT is a piece of cake,” he joked.

Vista Murrieta hasn’t won a title since 2011. That’s a lot of runner-up trophies (five). Win or lose, Candaele is a great role model for everyone involved.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATSondheimer