In the week’s only MaxPreps Top 25 matchup, No. 23 Centennial (Corona, Calif.) handed No. 9 Mission Viejo (Calif.) its sole loss of the season with a 25-20 victory. Junior running back Malachi Roby delivered a standout performance, rushing for 188 yards and two touchdowns, including a crucial long run in the final two minutes to secure the win. Centennial led 19-10 at halftime, but Mission Viejo rallied with 10 unanswered points to take a 20-19 lead midway through the third quarter. The Huskies responded quickly as five-star quarterback Husan Longstreet ran for a 10-yard touchdown, regaining the lead at 25-20. Longstreet finished with 236 passing yards and two total touchdowns.
Mission Viejo’s Draiden Trudeau connected with Vance Spafford on a flea-flicker play that set up the Diablos inside the Huskies’ 10-yard line. However, Centennial’s defense stood strong with four key stops, including a critical interception by Fifita Tauteoli-Moore on a fourth-down pass from Trudeau. The Huskies ran out the clock with two key first downs to seal the victory and advance to the CIF Southern Section Division 1 semifinals, where they will face No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) on Nov. 22. Mater Dei cruised to a 33-13 win over Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), but in their earlier season matchup, Centennial was without Longstreet due to a foot injury.
No. 7 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) overcame a 23-10 third-quarter deficit to defeat Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) 31-29, securing their spot in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 semifinals. Freshman quarterback Koa Malau’ulu sparked the comeback, connecting with Madden Williams for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 23-17. In the fourth quarter, the Braves took a 24-23 lead with a 66-yard touchdown run by sophomore Maliq Allen. After extending their lead to 31-23, the Braves held off a late surge from the Eagles, who scored to make it 31-29 but were stopped on a two-point conversion attempt.
No. 16 Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) defeated JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) 42-20 and will face St. John Bosco next Friday for a chance to reach the CIF Southern Section Division 1 championship. The Braves won the earlier season meeting 28-24, with Malau’ulu throwing for 272 yards and four touchdowns in a comeback victory after a 10-0 halftime deficit.
In Utah, No. 20 Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah) secured a 35-34 overtime victory over Lehi (Utah) to advance to the 6A state championship. King Cooper’s 11-yard touchdown run on the first overtime possession gave the Chargers a 35-28 lead. Lehi answered with a touchdown pass, but missed the extra point, sending the game into a second overtime. Corner Canyon had initially taken a 14-0 lead, but Lehi scored 18 unanswered points to go ahead. The Chargers rallied late, and after a game-tying touchdown pass with 19 seconds left, they forced overtime. Corner Canyon will now face Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) in the 6A state championship on Nov. 21. Lone Peak is the only team to have defeated Corner Canyon this season, winning 28-21 in August.
No. 11 Archbishop Spalding (Severn, Md.) captured its third consecutive MIAA-A title with a 31-7 victory over McDonogh (Owings Mills, Md.). The Cavaliers overcame a 7-0 deficit, scoring 31 unanswered points to claim the championship. Archbishop Spalding finished the season with a dominant 487-34 scoring margin.
