North Is Top Dog, 45-15

This time, there was no overtime. In fact, it wasn’t even much of a dogfight. A mauling, yes. A dogfight, no.

Top-seeded Riverside North, with too much speed to contain, defeated Corona Centennial, 45-15, in a Division V semifinal Friday before an overflow crowd of 4,500 at Riverside Norte Vista High. It avenged last season’s 57-55 triple-overtime loss in the championship game.

The expected high-powered showdown -- North (13-0) averaged 44.3 points this season, Centennial (9-4) averaged 42.8 -- materialized on only one end in the battle of the Huskies.

Josh Barnett scored three times in the first half as North used its big-play offense, and defense, to take a 31-7 lead on its way to the final, in which it will face the winner of tonight’s game between Norco and Corona Santiago. Barnett finished with five touchdowns and 171 yards in 29 carries. But the difference in the game?

“Those twins,” said Centennial Coach Matt Logan, referring to Dion and Damon Morton.

Quarterback Dion not only rushed nine times for 50 yards and completed eight of 15 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown, he was also the leading receiver, with two catches for 69 yards, and had an interception. As important as anything was his scrambling, which eluded pressure from Centennial’s defense.

Receiver Damon Morton ran six times for 36 yards, caught two passes for 26, passed twice for 69 yards -- both completions came on touchdown drives -- and intercepted two passes.

The Mortons also played defense, and they, along with Thomas Cornejo, Wes Uepi and Jesse Spence (who had an interception), helped limit one of the top running backs in the country. Centennial’s Terrell Jackson rushed 24 times for 135 yards and one touchdown that cut the deficit to 31-15 with 4 minutes 19 seconds left in the third quarter.