Column: Corona Centennial begins Division 1 title defense with plenty of obstacles ahead

J.T. Daniels of Santa Ana Mater Dei has thrown for 53 touchdowns in 10 games. Mission Viejo has won 38 consecutive games. Running back Jaylon Redd of Rancho Cucamonga has rushed for 1,574 yards and 21 touchdowns. Colorado-bound defensive end Jacob Callier of Bellflower St. John Bosco is nearing double figures in sacks.

Welcome to the obstacles facing teams in the Southern Section Division 1 football playoffs that begin on Friday. Oh, and I forgot to mention one big roadblock: To win a championship, you must go through two-time defending champion Corona Centennial, which is reaching peak form.

“Until someone is able to solve the riddle of their offense, they’re the favorite,” St. John Bosco Coach Jason Negro said.

Mater Dei (10-0) received the No. 1 seeding in pairings announced on Sunday. Centennial (9-1) is No. 2, St. John Bosco (8-2) No. 3 and Mission Viejo (10-0) No. 4. Rancho Cucamonga (10-0) is also lurking nearby. Six of the 16 teams come from the Trinity League.

Under the new playoff format using a formula based primarily on past performance, Division 1 is supposed to be composed of the schools that have had the best teams in in recent years. It would have been better to place teams in Division 1 based on what they did this season similar to the Open Division in basketball, but that’s for another day. As it stands, there could be some mismatches in the opening round, but come the quarterfinals, it might be wise to rent a helicopter to be able to watch all four games.

While Mater Dei has proven to be unbeatable in the regular season thanks to its high-powered offense that has outscored opponents, 539-93, there’s a suspicion Centennial remains the team to beat. The good news for Mater Dei is the earliest possible matchup against Centennial would come in the championship game on Dec. 3 at Angel Stadium. Mater Dei hosts Tesoro; Centennial hosts San Juan Capistrano JSerra; St. John Bosco hosts Upland; and Mission Viejo hosts Anaheim Servite in openers. Centennial’s only loss this season was to Florida’s IMG Academy, 50-49. The same IMG Academy defeated Long Beach Poly, 34-0.

“We’re progressing each week,” said Centennial Coach Matt Logan, whose program has won 10 Southern Section titles. All the concerns about Centennial before the season — new defensive line; inexperienced secondary; new linebackers; new quarterback — they’ve been largely forgotten. The new players are performing up to expectations.

Quarterback Tanner McKee, a 6-foot-6 junior, is on his way to becoming one of Centennial’s best quarterbacks under Logan.

“He’s such a smart quarterback and it’s so fun to coach him,” Logan said. “The offensive line has improved and could be potentially one of our best.”

There will be complaints about the new playoff system, which puts teams in divisions based on competitive equity instead of what league they play in. Some schools in the lower divisions (10 through 13) are not happy about failing to make the playoffs after finishing in third place in league, but only one third-place team in Divisions 1 through 9 didn’t make it — Newport Harbor.

The new format has allowed schools stuck in tough leagues to finally make a playoff appearance. Santa Clarita Golden Valley has been competing since 2005 and received its first playoff berth in Division 7 as a fourth-place team from the Foothill League.

“It’s huge for the school,” Coach Dan Kelley said.

No matter the seedings, it’s still going to come down to teams showing up on Friday nights and producing.

“It’s going to be interesting how it all works out,” Logan said. “It will be a fun adventure for all of us.”