Centennial

That was a strange game. There were 22 accepted flags for 211 yards in penalties, fumbles galore and three turnovers in total. There was a safety and a missed field goal. Ultimately, Mater Dei (4-0) won 10-9 over Corona Centennial (1-2) in a game where it only converted two out of 10 third down attempts.

Beyond the weirdness, however, a solution at the quarterback position might have emerged for the Monarchs — in the form of a freshman, no less. Head coach Raul Lara has cycled through three players in the position so far this season, and the standout against Corona Centennial on Friday was Paytyn Guess.

“The young kid is dynamic, no doubt,” Lara said before the game. “But he’s young and he’s still learning the program and playbook. Once he learns, we’ll get him in the game a little bit more.”

Friday night’s game showed that Guess might be ready to be the starter.

Santa Ana Stadium has played host to Mater Dei football games for many decades, but the fans in its stands might not have seen a better pass than what the freshman conjured during the second quarter. Running away from oncoming rushers, Guess threw the ball back against his body — something most coaches advise against — and found heavily recruited senior wideout Gavin Honore at the one-yard line.

It was a dot. Right on the money. Professional players 10 years Guess’ senior would be excited to make that kind of play.

Mater Dei High freshman quarterback Paytyn Guess.

(Caleb Otte / For The Times)

The only hesitation to not start Guess was shown on the very next snap. Under center, Guess fumbled the snap and Centennial recovered the ball in the end zone. It was an unfortunate low after such a triumphant high.

Ultimately, though, Guess made the key throw after being entrusted to lead the final drive. With Mater Dei in their own half of the field on a third down, he found Honore along the sideline to pick up a first down and effectively end the contest.

That came after Mater Dei junior quarterback Russell Sekona tied the score, 9-9, midway through the fourth quarter with a one-yard touchdown plunge. Jerry Shifman converted the point-after kick for the winning margin.

Centennial had a chance to reclaim the lead with 2:30 left in the game, when its last drive ended in a missed field goal.

As far as Guess, he can make plays and had multiple downfield passes that fell just incomplete. But in that moment, the kid showed true composure. There might be growing pains, but the raw talent is on display.

Guess finished the nightcompleting four of nine passes for 56 yards, while rushing for 19. Lara had no worries about putting the freshman in the fire and letting him secure the victory.

“Coach Lara’s trust in me means everything,” Guess said after the win. “It shows me what I can accomplish on the field.”

He has a lot of time to develop, but aGuess said he needs to acclimate to this new stage.

“High school football moves quicker,” Guess said “I also need to be louder in my cadence because this was my first game in front of a big crowd.”

His skills directly resembled that of his counterpart on the night, senior Jaden Jefferson. The Hawaii commit might be ending his high school career just as Guess is starting, but both have a slippery and slinking style of play that excites fans just as much as it moves their teams down the field.

Jefferson had a solid game, going 14 for 23 through the air with 205 yards and tacked on 65 on the ground. The play that defined the night, however, was a blemish on his record. Backed behind its own 10-yard line, Centennial looked to Jefferson for another magic moment. His flip pass to a running back bounced off his teammate and into the waiting arms of a Mater Dei defender, setting up Sekona’s run.

Centennial’s defense was top notch all night, only allowing two third-down conversions. Mater Dei’s run game was shut down, gaining less than 100 yards, and it looked like the Monarchs would be stifled for the entire four quarters.

The game started out with a jet sweep touchdown from Kennie Leggett, a former Mater Dei player, and it seemed as though Centennial would beat the Monarchs as it did twice last season when building a 9-0 lead in the first quarter. The home team’s defense ratcheted up the pressure, however, not giving up another score. The Huskies only scored again on the freak safety in the first quarter.

Centennial has dealt with a lot of injuries to the offensive line this season, which allowed Mater Dei to get multiple sacks and hurries on Jefferson. Before the game, head coach Matt Logan said that his team has been treating every game in the same way regardless of the opponent. Three tough Trinity League matchups to start the season, however, have left them with a losing record.

Centennial played better, and Logan was right by saying it can go toe-to-toe with any opponent, but the scoreboard favored Lara’s men on a weird night in Santa Ana.

If anyone wants to know what “big-boy” football in Southern California looks like, Santa Margarita’s 21-20 road win over Corona Centennial on Friday night gave fans everything they expected from two powerhouse programs.

“There was greatness on that field,” Santa Margarita coach Carson Palmer told his players afterward.

From cornerback Caron Williams producing a pick six on the final play of the third quarter to Mighty Mouse 5-foot-4 running back Adrian Petero rushing for 108 hard-earned yards in 23 carries to run out the clock, the Eagles (2-0) are proving they are no one-hit wonder after winning last year’s Southern Section Division 1 championship over Centennial.

“Even if I can’t find a hole, I’ll make one,” Petero said.

Unlike that 42-7 loss at the Rose Bowl, Centennial rallied from a 14-0 deficit. An 11-yard touchdown run by Braylin Drake with 7:33 left put the Huskies within 21-20. But Santa Margarita’s Jake Martin deflected the PAT attempt, and the Huskies (1-1) never got another opportunity to score against a defense with top linemen, young and sensational linebackers and defensive backs who engaged in hand-to-hand combat with one of the best receivers in the nation in Quentin Hale.

Santa Margarita’s defense celebrates a pick six by Caron Williams (21) at the end of the third quarter from 30 yards.

(Craig Weston / For The Times)

Centennial was at a severe disadvantage by not having two potential starters available on its offensive line because of injuries. Then the Huskies lost a third lineman in the third quarter. Quarterback Jaden Jefferson was left having to run for his life from the outset but used his instincts and intelligence to find ways to succeed. He passed for 192 yards with touchdowns of seven yards to Hale and 24 yards to Kennie Leggett. He adjusted to the pass rush by scrambling up the middle for gains of 11 and 15 yards. Hale caught seven passes for 105 yards.

For some unknown reason, Williams, a junior, now has five of his six career interceptions against Centennial. He said the pick six was no surprise.

“I saw it coming,” he said. “I saw the quarterback’s eyes.”

“Defense suffocating,” is what Palmer told his players in his postgame talk, and he was right.

Santa Margarita’s defense controlled much of the first half because of its ability to put pressure on Jefferson. It wasn’t until Centennial’s final possession of the first half, when trailing 14-0, that Jefferson finally started to connect with Hale. Jefferson got the ball to Hale for a touchdown, rolling left and throwing off his back foot to find Jefferson in the back of the end zone.

Santa Margarita’s defense lost nine of its 11 starters to graduation and was supposed to need time this season to develop, but the guy who wears No. 99 for the Eagles, Kingston Jimmerson, had two sacks in the first half. He’s 6-foot-2, 270 pounds, only.a sophomore and likes to manhandle ballcarriers.

“When he’s a senior, he’s going to be an All-American,’’ Williams said.

Also contributing was 6-5, 225-pound freshman lineman Kaleb Herndon and linebacker Cruz Nunez, a transfer from JSerra. Then there’s freshman linebacker Aydan Steen, who contributed two huge tackles in the second half in critical situations.

Short touchdown runs by Petero and Jaion Smith accounted for Santa Margarita’s first-half touchdowns. Centennial fumbled on its first possession to set up Petero’s two-yard TD run.

The last time Centennial coach Matt Logan was on the same field with Santa Margarita, his face with bright red at the Rose Bowl. He blamed himself for his team’s poor performance. “We weren’t prepared to play football that night,” he said.

This time, the Huskies were able to stay close with the help of a defense that sacked Santa Margarita quarterback Fletch Palmer three times. Cal-bound Miles Schirmer was effective on the defensive line.

“The defense played phenomenal,” Logan said. “We were not on the same page on offense. The kids didn’t waver and kept fighting.”