Football takes: Corona Centennial sold out its tickets for Mater Dei game in 35 minutes
Those who were quick on their devices Monday morning probably were successful getting a ticket or two for this Friday’s football game between No. 1 Santa Ana Mater Dei and No. 3 Corona Centennial when tickets became available at 8 a.m.
It took only 35 minutes for the Corona Centennial portion of tickets to sell out. Centennial seats about 5,000. Mater Dei still had tickets left from its allocation on sale. The 7:30 p.m. game will be shown on Bally Sports. Mater Dei (2-0) has a 19-game win streak, and Centennial (2-0) came closest of all last season when losing to the Monarchs 21-16.
Centennial has been impressive so far this season, scoring 85 points in its opener, then beating San Diego’s best team, Cathedral Catholic, on the road. Mater Dei rallied last Friday night to defeat Las Vegas Bishop Gorman.
No. 1 Santa Ana Mater Dei faces No. 3 Corona Centennial on Friday night in a showdown of powerhouse high school football programs.
Injury: Standout quarterback Ty Dieffenbach of Agoura, a UNLV commit, suffered a knee injury on Friday night against Ventura when one of his linemen was pushed back and ended up hitting Dieffenbach on his knee, hyperextending it. Dieffenbach said he will undergo an MRI.
The “other” showdown: Yes, Mater Dei vs. Corona Centennial is a pretty good matchup, but so is Long Beach Poly (2-0) at Mission Viejo (2-0).
“I think this is as big a game as any,” Mission Viejo coach Chad Johnson said. “They’re good. They’re way better than last season.”
Quarterback Darius Curry and a good group of receivers will offer a major challenge to the Diablos, who have relied on their offense in the first two games. Receiver Jackson Holman has been the big offensive weapon for Mission Viejo.
Rise of Cleveland: Last season, Lincoln was the big surprise in the City Section, going 10-0. Reseda Cleveland is trying to be this season’s Lincoln with a 2-0 start. Junior Donovan Powell had a 99-yard touchdown run and 355 yards rushing in a win over Grant on Friday.
Mission League intrigue: There’s really no favorite in the Mission League, where teams are unexpectedly winning and losing games. There’s Chaminade upsetting JSerra. There’s Bishop Alemany knocking off San Diego Lincoln. There’s Gardena Serra losing to top teams Orange Lutheran and Long Beach Poly. There’s Bishop Amat starting 2-0 but having to face St. John Bosco on Friday night. There’s Sierra Canyon losing to JSerra and Oaks Christian to start 0-2. There’s Sherman Oaks Notre Dame going 2-0 against nonranked opponents.
Good start for Cypress: Cypress is 2-0 and has one of Southern California’s best athletes in 6-foot-4 senior receiver Matthew Morrell, an Oregon State commit for baseball.
In two games, Morrell has one pass completion, two rushes for 12 yards, 14 catches for 219 yards and two touchdowns.
Receiver on the rise: Don’t underestimate senior receiver Maddox Bernardino of Diamond Bar. He has 15 receptions for 350 yards and four touchdowns in two games.
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