The 2012 California high school football season will conclude Friday and Saturday at Home Depot Center in Carson with five championship bowl games. Every team left standing has certainly earned their way.
The primetime matchup this year is the Open Division Championship, featuring the perennial powerhouse Concord De La Salle Spartans and the Corona Centennial Huskies. It will be the rubber match between the two schools as they split bowl contests in 2007 and 2008.
Corona Centennial comes into the game fresh off defeating previously undefeated Vista Murrieta and Narbonne to book their spot in the big game.
The Huskies will be led on offense by junior quarterback Robert Webber and his arsenal of weapons that include receivers Barry Ware, Chase Krivashei and Ryan Pascarella as well as running backs Tre Watson and Austin Renken. The success of the Centennial offense is due in large part to the offensive line, anchored by Cameron Hunt and Anthony Jaurez.
CIF Regional Final Full-Game Highlights: Centennial vs. Narbonne
On defense, the Huskies are led by defensive linemen Garrett Hughes and Brandon Garcia. Centennial will face a formidable challenge in De La Salle.
The Spartans cruise into the matchup undefeated at 14-0 and having dominated previously undefeated Folsom 49-15 in the North Regional Championship. De La Salle relies heavily on their ground game, highlighted by senior running back Tiapepe Vitale, who has rushed for 1957 yards and 29 touchdowns this season.
The suffocating Spartan defense is spearheaded by linebacker Michael Hutchings. The USC commit has 103 tackles and is a primary reason De La Salle has allowed more than 17 points just once this season.
CLA will be on the sidelines to capture the action and get post-game reactions for what should be a classic championship battle Saturday night 8pm at the Home Depot Center.
