Football: Corona Centennial’s top RB out of opener

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Denzel Hawkins, one of the few returning skill position players for defending CIF state bowl champion Corona Centennial, will not play in the Huskies’ opener against Chaparral on Friday after being sidelined recently because of infected tonsils, Coach Matt Logan said.

Hawkins rushed for more than 500 yards last year and was one of the few known entities coming back from an offense that lost quarterback Casey Martinez and running back Arthur Burns.

‘He has to get a number of practices in before he can play,’ Logan said of Hawkins, a 5-foot-7, 185-pound senior.

The Huskies will start the game with Dion Bass, a converted defensive back, as their top ballcarrier. Chaparral Coach Tom Leach said Bass might have looked even more dangerous than Hawkins in Centennial’s scrimmage.

Centennial has defeated Chaparral in the teams’ last three meetings, but the Pumas, ranked No. 7 in the Southland by The Times, should be favored going into Friday night’s game at the No. 17 Huskies. Chaparral returns quarterback Mitch Glasmann, running back Johnny Diaz and all-purpose standout Darius Guillory, a junior who plays receiver-running back-linebacker-safety-cornerback and was described by Leach as the best player he has ever coached.

--Ben Bolch