This could be start of something big for Corona Centennial’s Michael Eubank
There’s probably no more impressive-looking athlete playing quarterback in Southern California than Corona Centennial’s muscular Michael Eubank.
He’s 6 feet 5, weighs 225 pounds and could seemingly play any position on the field. But he wants to be a quarterback, and this summer, he has started making a jump in mastering the Huskies’ no-huddle offense.
“His development has been unbelievable,” Coach Matt Logan said.
Eubank guided Centennial to the championship game of the Huntington Beach Edison tournament Saturday before losing to La Habra, 25-24. Centennial has rarely excelled in the Edison tournament, which is a warning about what the Huskies might be able to do this fall.
“Boy, is he big,” Valencia Coach Larry Muir said. “Holy cow, who’s going to tackle that guy?”
Last summer, in the same tournament when he was a junior, Eubank was tentative and uncertain. A year’s experience has done wonders for his confidence, and now it’s his team.
Defensive backs Dion Bass and Chris Gonzales were singled out by Logan as defensive standouts.
La Habra comes through
La Habra started the day with an overtime win over Santa Ana Mater Dei and later knocked off Westlake Village Oaks Christian. Those two wins alone should be a boost for a program that has been trying to crack the elite group of football powers.
Washington State commit Cody Clements, the Highlanders’ quarterback, showed good passing skills and has the mobility to create problems for opponents.
“Clements threw fantastic,” Coach Frank Mazzotta said.
Safety Will Peppard and linebacker Aaron Porter led a defense that was strong all day.
Chaparral confident
Temecula Chaparral Coach Tom Leach can’t wait to have his team put on pads. That’s when he believes Chaparral will be tough to beat, especially because of the presence of 6-2 junior quarterback Matt Morin, a left-hander who transferred from Murrieta Valley.
“All the colleges who come by think he’s the real deal,” Leach said. “He’s got a strong arm and he’s fearless.”
Receiver Antoine Arnold didn’t play Saturday at Edison because of a minor injury.
Defensive back to watch
Another tournament, another top performance from Valencia sophomore safety Tedric Thompson, who played on varsity as a freshman and is destined to become one of the top defensive backs in Southern California by the time he graduates. He helped the Vikings reach the semifinals before losing to La Habra.
Looking for another option
Westlake Village Westlake was 4-1 on the day, losing only to Corona Centennial in the first game of the championship playoffs, but that loss let Coach Jim Benkert know that the Warriors need to find another receiving option besides standout Nelson Spruce.
The Huskies’ athleticism caused problems.
“I thought it was a good tournament in that it exposed some things,” Benkert said.
Lakewood prevails
Lakewood defeated Los Angeles Loyola in the championship game of the Santa Fe tournament. The Lancers figure to be a top-10 team this fall, especially with the development of quarterback Tyler Schultz, a baseball player.
Junior receivers Darius Powe and Malik Gilmore received high praise from Coach Thadd MacNeal, as did Arizona State commit Rashad Wadood, a defensive back-running back.
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