3 days to No. 1 St. John Bosco vs. No. 2 Mater Dei: By the numbers

From yards per carry to recruiting stars to career statistics to tickets sold, there's a lot to unravel when the nation's top two teams tangle Friday in Santa Ana

Other than the final score, numbers don't win football games. People do, primarily the players and coaches. 

That said, in this age of analytics, numbers have a growing influence on how teams approach sporting events. 

The biggest high school football sporting event to date in 2022 takes place 7:30 p.m. Friday at Santa Ana Stadium, where No. 2 Mater Dei-Santa Ana hosts No. 1 St. John Bosco

Here's some numbers — and numbers within numbers — that may be labeled either 'key,' 'fun' or 'of interest.' 

2 — The amount of shutouts in the 56-year, 39-game history of the series (both won by Mater Dei, 28-0 in 1999 and 20-0 in 2005).

6 — The amount of losses by St. John Bosco since 2013 against teams NOT named Mater Dei. The Braves have won 112 in that time against 13 losses overall (7 to MD). 

11 — Freshmen combined on both rosters with college offers: Mater Dei (6), St. John Bosco (5). 

13.3 — Average yards per carry for St. John Bosco junior running back Chauncey Sylvester (23 carries, 305 yards, 5 touchdowns).

Chauncey Sylvester, St. John Bosco. Photo: Leon Neuschwander

13.9 — Average yards per carry for Mater Dei junior running back Nathaniel Frazier, who has 5 college offers: USC, Colorado, Oregon, UNLV and Arizona State.  

14 — How many St. John Bosco players who have scored touchdowns, Mater Dei has eight.

21 — How many players have touched the ball on offense for St. John Bosco, including 16 different pass receivers. 

23 — How many starts and wins for Mater Dei junior quarterback Elijah Brown (334 career completions, 467 attempts, 4,930 yards, 62 TDs, 9 interceptions). 

25.3 — Average yards per catch for Mater Dei sophomore WR Marcus Harris (13 catches, 329 yards, five TDs).  

40 — How many different players have recorded tackles for St. John Bosco, 21 with at least 10 led by junior linebacker Kyngston Viliamu-Asa, who has 19 college offers.

49 — The most points ever scored by a team in the 39-game history (2017, a 49-24 Mater Dei victory).

74 — How many players on both rosters who have either a recruiting ranking or college offer:  St. John Bosco (41), Mater Dei (33).

137.2 — Mater Dei junior Elijah Brown's career quarterback rating.

Elijah Brown (12), Mater Dei. Photo: Heston Quan

138.2 — Quarterback rating of SJB's 6-foot-3, 234-pound backup Caleb Sanchez (23 of 35, 351 yards, 5 TDs, 0 interceptions). 

166 — Recruiting stars (according to 247Sports) between the two teams: St. John Bosco (97), Mater Dei (69).

179 — Amount of points scored by St. John Bosco during a 6-game win streak in the series (2011-2015) 

333 — Number of career wins (according to CalHiSports) for Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson vs. 85 losses, 2 ties. State leader among active coaches, fifth all-time.  

1,100 — The amount of points Mater Dei has scored in the series (28 MD wins), versus 681 points for SJB (11 wins). 

3,631 — Career total yards of St. John Bosco starting QB/Louisville commit Pierce Clarkson (2,965 passing, 666 rushing) and 46 TDs.

9,000 — Approximate amount of tickets sold in minutes for the game Monday. 

Category

Mater Dei

St. John Bosco

Wins in 2022

6

6

Losses in 2022

0

0

Points scored

207

291

Points allowed

61

31

Opp' combined record

27-12

24-14

Rushing attempts

181

146

Rushing yards

1,099

1,330

Yards per carry 

6.1

9.1

Passing (att-pc-td-int)

99-152-17-2

76-121-21-4

Team QB rating

127.8

128.3

Passing yards

1,447

1,396

Total yards (average)

2,546 (424.3)

2,726 (454.3)

Tackles (for loss)

270 (53)

474 (21)

Sacks

17

13

Interceptions

6

5

Fumble recoveries

17

2

Punts (avg)

16 (33.3)

8 (37.9)

Kickoff return avg.

13.7

16.8

Punt return avg.

7.4

10.2

Win streak

23

6


Published
Mitch Stephens, SBLive Sports
MITCH STEPHENS, SBLIVE SPORTS

Mitch Stephens is a senior editor at SBLive Sports for California, a state he's covered high school sports since 1984. He won multiple CNPA and CPSWA writing awards with the Contra Costa Times, San Francisco Chronicle and MaxPreps.com before joining the SBLive staff in 2022. He's covered the beat nationally since 2007, profiling such athletes as Derrick Henry, Paige Bueckers, Patrick Mahomes, Sabrina Ionescu, Jayson Tatum, Chiney Ogwumike, Jeremy Lin and Najee Harris as preps. You can reach him at mitch@scorebooklive.com.