All downhill for Centennial in Mountain View League

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Thought I’d save the best for last.

The Mountain View League may only be four teams strong this season, but three of those would be title contenders in just about any other league.

The king of the MVL, no doubt, is Corona Centennial. The Huskies just went 5-1 against the likes of Mater Dei, Crespi, Dominguez and Clovis West, cementing their status as one of the top teams in the state.

Centennial features one of the most dangerous two-pronged running attacks in running back Ryan Bass and Arizona-bound quarterback Matt Scott.

The biggest question -- much of which will be answered tonight/Friday when Corona Santiago hosts Norco at 7 p.m. -- is which team will be left hoping for a wild-card entry into the postseason. With only two MVL teams receiving automatic playoff berths, either Santiago or Norco will likely be stuck with the short straw.

Norco’s speedy, sizable defense has allowed only 18 points in its last four games, which has helped offset the loss of running back Joshua Nakamoto, who dislocated his ankle on the first play of the season and isn’t expected back until the regular season finale, when the Cougars host Centennial on Nov. 9.

Norco has been forced to use a rotation of ballcarriers, including a freshman and two sophomores.

‘We’re trying to fill our way through,’ Norco Coach Todd Gerhart said Friday afternoon. ‘That’s why we’re struggling on offense, we don’t have the horse to put the points on the board.’

Scoring won’t get any easier tonight against Santiago, which features UCLA-bound defensive back Anthony Dye and linebacker Wesley Tameifuna, who are each in the top 10 in the state in tackles.

- Dan Arritt

Editor Bob: Haven’t we seen enough photos of Ryan Bass and Matt Scott, bless their lil’ helmets? Thought I’d share a pretty view of a mountan, and don’t you wish Corona had this kind of view? Instead, photo is of the Fiscalina valley in Northern Italy. Sweet. Makes me hungry for pizza.

-- Image by Christian Tschurtschenthaler/EPA