In the video game world, conquering the “cheat code” means a player has figured out the secret password to stay alive.
In the high school football world, Matt Logan, the coach at Corona Centennial, is the only public school coach in California to have figured out how to beat private schools in the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.
His teams won back-to-back championships in 2014 and 2015, then couldn’t crack the playoff code of beating St. John Bosco or Mater Dei for the next eight seasons.
Then came Friday night, when before some 4,000 fans, Centennial defeated Mater Dei 28-27 in the Division 1 semifinals to advance to a championship game Friday against Santa Margarita at the Rose Bowl. Going through the private-school gaunlet of the Trinity League is not easy but the Huskies fear no one.
How was the “cheat code” solved?
The truth is St. John Bosco and Mater Dei gathered so much talent on the offensive and defensive lines and so much depth that beating them in the postseason in recent years became unlikely.
This season, finally there were cracks in the armor.
“They’re not what they were,” assistant coach Anthony Catalano said. “They have weaknesses.”
Mater Dei had no elite running back like Jordon Davison; the offensive line couldn’t overcome its lack of experience and too many 15-yard penalties proved costly. St. John Bosco’s inexperience at quarterback and the absence of an elite running back also were exposed. Both teams had as good receiving corps as there are in the nation, but this season showed you have to be able to run the ball successfully in the fourth quarter.
This is the first time Mater Dei became a three-loss team since 2015. This is the first time Mater Dei or St. John Bosco have not played in a final since 2012 when Long Beach Poly won the title.
There’s still one more private school for Centennial to conquer, Santa Margarita, in Friday’s championship game. The two teams met Aug. 28 with Santa Margarita winning in overtime 33-27 when Logan missed the game because of a health scare.
Santa Margarita’s defense must be pierced for Centennial to win. The Eagles’ defensive line, linebackers and secondary are loaded with talent. Carson Palmer’s coaching staff, filled with former NFL players like himself, have shown they can teach, lead and handle X’s and O’s. They’ve also figured out the code to make it through the toughest schedule in Southern California.
It will be a great championship weekend for the Southern Section and City Section.
What a story for the return of Crenshaw (10-1) to the City Open Division final on Saturday against 11-time champion Carson at L.A. Southwest College. Interim coach Terrence Whitehead and his players are motivated to win for coach Robert Garrett, who has been on administrative leave all season. And what a season it has been for Carson junior quarterback Chris Fields III.
In Southern Section Division 2, surging San Clemente will host Los Alamitos in a rematch of their Alpha League game won by the Tritons. Sophomore quarterback Preston Beck has made tremendous progress in the last five weeks for San Clemente. It’s a rare game of home-grown players representing their communities absent of transfer students.
In Division 3, it’s the battle of top junior quarterbacks featuring Taylor Lee of unbeaten Oxnard Pacifica and Palos Verdes with Ryan Rakowski, who delivered a stitle title last season.
In Division 5, Rio Hondo Prep is 13-0 and going for a third consecutive title against Redondo Union, which is making its first championship appearance sine 1944. In Division 13, Montebello has reached its first final since 1935 and will play for its first championship against Woodbridge.
The competitive equity playoff system is creating championship opportunities for teams with little championship history. That’s a positive for fans bored of seeing the same teams every season in the finals.
