Centennial holds off Serra 68-64 in playoff football game with 15 lead changes

Fifteen lead changes. That's all I had to hear. I can't imagine such a thing.

We're not talking basketball folks. A football game with 15 lead changes.

That's what occurred Friday night in what MaxPreps deemed going into the week as the No. 1 game in the nation. Rarely can teams live up to such hype.

Undoubtedly, the crazy 68-64 Centennial (Corona, Calif.) win over Serra (Gardena, Calif.) in the CIF Southern Section Pac 5 playoffs surpassed it and made scorekeepers and fans dizzy.

Centennial has a habit of doing that. Not just this season, but traditionally. Still, this one takes the cake.

According to Eric Sondheimer of the Los Angeles Times, JJ Taylor scored on a 1-yard run with 5:23 left for the 15th and final lead change, putting his team up 68-64. Am interception by Centennial with 2:57 to go basically sealed it.

With no timeouts for Serra, which came into the season ranked 19th in the country, Centennial ran out the clock. The final 5:23 without scoring was by far the longest dry spell in a wide-open game.

Despite 402 yards passing and five touchdowns, plus 119 yards rushing and three more scores (all numbers from Sondheimer) from Khalil Tate, Serra finished its season 8-3. It was the first year both Centennial and Serra have played in the rugged Pac 5 Division, which features 14 of the state's top 25 teams.

A lot of good teams won't be playing in any regional championships.

Tate started the scoring with a 34-yard run, but a 66-yard scoring pass from Nate Ketteringham to Greyson Bankhead closed the game to 7-6.

Tate tossed to Deontay Burnett for 14 yards, making it 14-6, but Javon Mckinley caught a 53-yard pass from Centennial's other quarterback, Anthony Catalano, cutting the lead to 14-13.

Centennial took its first lead, 20-14, on a Ketteringham 23-pard pass to Bankhead, but Tate's 12-yard touchdown to Caleb Wilson with three seconds to go in the first quarter gave Serra a 21-19 lead.

Lead change one and two.

A Serra turnover led to a 21-yard TD pass from Catalano to McKinley giving Centennial a 27-21 advantage. Lead change three.

Tate scrambled for a 14-yard TD to give Serra a 28-27 lead. Lead change four.

Catalano to Brandon Quinones for an 11-yard touchdown, Centennial 34-28. Lead change five.

Tate 27-yard TD pass to Isaac Cox with 36 seconds left in the half, Serra 35, Centennial 34. Sixth lead change.

Wait, a defensive sighting! Jihree Stewart intercepted a Tate pass and went 29 yards for a touchdown to start the third. Centennial 41, Serra 35. Lead change seven.

Tate registered a 26-yard TD run for the eighth lead change. Serra 42, Centennial 41, 9:37 left in third.

Catalano to McKinley for a 54-yard TD bomb and Centennial goes up 48-42. Ninth lead change.

Tate again, wow what a game for him, a 53-yard TD pass to Caleb Wilson. Serra 49, Centennial 48 with 7:21 left in the third. Tenth lead change.

McKinley returns a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown and 11th lead change. Centennial 54, Serra 49, 7:09 left in third.

See complete Qwixcore scoring account of Serra versus Centennial here

"I'm officially declaring Centennial-Serra a classic and it's only 7:09 left in the third," Sondheimer tweeted.

Tate with yet another TD pass, an 8-yard connection to Burnett for lead change No. 12. Serra 56, Centennial 54, 24 seconds left in the third.

McKinley, what a game for him, a 24-yard TD pass from Ketteringham (what a game for him). Centennial 61, Serra 56, 10:18 left. Lead change No. 13.

Serra's Malik Roberson rushes for a 1-yard TD and adds a 2-point conversion for lead change No. 14 and Serra takes a 64-61 lead.

"Players are starting to cramp, which is no surprise in a game like this," Sondheimer tweets.

But what about the referees and chain gang?

Finally, Taylor, not heard from along the goal line all game, scores on his 1-yard TD for the 15th and final TD.

All told, according to Sondheimer, there were 12 touchdown passes, 13 catches for 213 yards by McKinley, who also run back a TD. The constant quarterback rotation of Catalano (246 yards, four TDs) and Ketteringham (178, 3), worked beautifully.

"It was a crazy game," Centennial coach Matt Logan told Sondheimer.

Believe it or not, it was not the craziest game in the Southern Section Friday night. In fact, it wasn't even the craziest game that a Big VIII League team played in.

Less than 5 miles north of Centennial High, Norco defeated St. Bonaventure 71-70 in three overtimes. If you want to see how that all broke out, you'll have to follow the Qwixcore HERE and the Ventura County Star's story HERE.

There were 43 points scored in the California tiebreaker period and nobody punted in the barnburner.