After more than a full year on top of the high school football universe, the Monarchs have been dethroned. In a showdown between two of Southern California's best Friday night, No. 21
Centennial (Corona) took down No. 1
Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 43-36 in a stunning instant classic.
After an evening full of twists, turns, comebacks and Mater Dei turnovers (seven of them), the game ended in wild fashion as
Jaden Walk-Green of Centennial intercepted a pass intended for Monarchs wide receiver
Kayden Dixon-Wyatt with just under two minutes to go.
Or did he?
Replays on the NFHS Network (see in the video) showed near-simultaneous possession on the catch and that's likely what Mater Dei coaches, players and fans would testify to as well.
Nonetheless, the play and the call sealed the victory for the Huskies as they ran out the clock and snapped Mater Dei's 21-game win streak dating back to 2023.
Centennial ended a decade of frustration, snapping a seven-game losing
streak against the Monarchs dating back to 2015. That year, the Huskies
knocked off Mater Dei 42-36 playoff shootout. That was Mater Dei's last loss to a team other than No. 2
St. John Bosco (Bellflower).
Zander Lewis scored a touchdown to give Centennial a 28-0 advantage before chaos ensued. (FILE PHOTO: Duy Pham)
While the late interception will be debated in the coming days, Mater Dei will also point to a slow start for its shortcomings Friday. The defending national champions fell behind 28-0 in the first quarter.
Sophomore running back
Malaki Davis helped Centennial knife through the Mater Dei defense to go 80 yards for a score on its opening possession. Davis capped the drive with a 13-yard touchdown run on a Statue of Liberty play
to give the the Huskies a 7-0 lead just over three minutes into the
contest.
Following a stop by both defenses,
Jonathan McKinley pressured Mater Dei quarterback
Ryan Hopkins into an
interception to Walk-Green, who returned it nine yards
for another Centennial score to put the Huskies up 14-0 with just under
four minutes remaining in the opening period.
A fumbled snap that led to Centennial recovering the ball inside the 20-yard line led to Davis capping another scoring drive for the
Huskies to put them ahead 21-0 in the opening stanza.
Another turnover by the Monarchs aided Centennial's early
onslaught with another touchdown run of eight yards by
Zander Lewis to
give them a 28-0 margin.
Mater Dei got on the board just over two minutes into the second quarter as four-star Ohio State pledge Dixon-Wyatt capped an eight-play, 73-yard drive with a 15-yard touchdown reception.
Centennial added a field goal and safety before the half to extend its advantage to 33-7 at intermission.
Following a 29-0 blitz from the Monarchs in the third quarter that helped them go up 36-33, Centennial knotted things at 36 with
8:27 remaining after Walk-Green connected on a 36-yard field goal.
After the Mater Dei's sixth turnover of the contest, Davis was able to punch
home his third touchdown of the game with 2:27 remaining on a drive that
saw them convert a crucial fourth and 10 as
Dominick Catalano linked up with
Keawe Browne just beyond the sticks.
Mater Dei (2-1) looks to bounce back with another highly-anticipated showdown next week as the SoCal powerhouse faces off against No. 3
Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) in the MaxPreps Game of the Week Friday at 7 p.m. PT.
Centennial (3-1) hope to continue its momentum from the win at
Rancho Cucamonga on the same night.
Centennial players head to the sideline in celebration after a controversial interception call late in the game against Mater Dei. (NFHS Network)
