Jaden Walk-Green leads Centennial past Mater Dei

It took 10 offensive performs for Corona Centennial to have an opening-round playoff win wrapped up against Mater Dei. The Huskies held a three-touchdown lead at Santa Ana Stadium on Friday, and not even 9 minutes had ticked off the clock.

This dominance started with an environment friendly drive. Senior quarterback and Hawaii commit Jaden Jefferson led the Huskies 80 yards down the sphere on eight performs, including three runs for 27 yards and a 32-yard screen cross to former Mater Dei participant and senior extensive receiver Kennie Leggett for a landing.

The Monarchs went three-and-out on their first drive, and a very short pooch-punt from freshman quarterback Paytyn Guess gave the Huskies great area place. That immediately turned into factors when junior working back Malaki Davis broke tackles and took the ball 52 yards for a rating.

After another three-and-out, Mater Dei punted the ball to Washington commit Jaden Walk-Green. The senior took it 37 yards to set up the Huskies’ offense inside the purple zone. Jefferson immediately took off for the remaining 14 yards to the end zone on a quarterback draw.

From there, it was no contest. Mater Dei’s lack of ability to sort out plagued it all night time long, and Centennial (8-3) gained 45-15 in the Southern Section Division 1 playoff opener. The Huskies led 35-0 at one level in the third quarter. Everything went according to plan.

“No turnovers,” Centennial coach Matt Logan said before the sport. “If we can hang on to the football, control ourselves and maybe create a turnover or two, the game will go in our favor.”

Logan also said his staff hasn’t executed issues the straightforward manner all season. Injuries and close losses put the staff at 7-3 coming into the sport, forcing Centennial to play away from home. And on Friday, the start of the sport had to be pushed back half-hour because a crash on the freeway made the Huskies late.

Against Mater Dei, however, adversity was onerous to come by.

Jefferson completed the sport finishing 11 of 20 passes for 126 yards with 4 touchdowns, while speeding for 158 yards and another rating. Star extensive receiver and USC commit Quentin Hale, who returned after a month out because of a shoulder injury, had 55 yards on six catches and two touchdowns, including an virtually unattainable back-shoulder grab in the nook of the end zone.

The star of the night time, however, was Walk-Green. He missed a large chunk of the season, including Centennial’s 10-9 loss against Mater Dei on Sept. 11, and made up for it by doing every part attainable on the sphere.

He kicked further factors, made a area objective, caught passes, punted and returned punts and made a couple of tackles in open space in his main place as security. On one play, Walk-Green ripped the ball out of his opponent’s fingers and took it 30 yards down the sphere.

And, as the cherry on top, he accomplished a 21-yard cross to Jefferson. The “athlete” designation beside Walk-Green’s identify on the roster is the most correct description attainable. He also performs baseball for Centennial.

Corona Centennial linebacker Matt Salmeron lets out a yell after making a play against Mater Dei on Friday night time.

(Nick Koza)

After the sport, Walk-Green said he had been itching to get on the sphere. He put on a efficiency worthy of a comeback story.

“My parents taught me to be versatile and use every ability that I’ve got. That’s all I do,” Walk-Green said. “I always do good against Mater Dei. I love playing against them.”

A comedy of offensive errors in the second quarter, with the ball on the one-yard line, destroyed Mater Dei coach Raul Lara’s plan for a managed efficiency. It began with a unhealthy snap, then a sack and then another unhealthy snap on a field-goal attempt, which saved the home staff scoreless at halftime.

Guess completed with 55 yards passing, finishing 33% of his passes. He was subbed at halftime after taking sacks and tackles for losses. Senior Cameron Pooley obtained a likelihood to make a mark in his last high faculty recreation and completed with 228 yards passing and a 59-yard landing. He did have a cross intercepted by junior cornerback Caleb Bynum, but was in a position to give the Monarchs some life in the second half.

Freshman extensive receiver Tristan Brown was the other vibrant spot for Mater Dei, with six catches for 151 yards and a landing. The Monarchs end the season 8-3.

A wild third quarter, which included an onside kick recovery for both groups, made a blowout into an intriguing affair. The craziest half of the night time, however, was that a Centennial and Mater Dei playoff recreation ended with a working clock for the fourth quarter.