De La Salle and Corona Centennial made plenty of mistakes on Friday night at Home Depot Center in the CIF state Division I championship bowl game, but in a game for a state title, you take it clean, messy or anything in between.  Centennial used two interceptions to take a seven-point lead in the first quarter.  It held up until the final minute behind a great defensive effort, and the Huskies avenged last year’s loss to the Spartans, 21-16.

Centennial quarterback Taylor Martinez slung 21 passes and completed 15 of them for 243 yards, but the difference was his feet.  His four-yard touchdown run in the first quarter got the Huskies the lead they never relinquished, and he continued to venture outside the pocket to make plays in the second half.

Mike and I watched the game as impartial viewers, so going in we had three questions:

1. Did CIF Get This Thing Right?
Despite Angel Stadium being a better venue for high school football than Home Depot Center, it was clear on Friday that the Huskies and Spartans rematch was the right call.  Centennial, De La Salle, Grant and Poly all have an argument for the “true” state title.  Last year, two of those teams would be at home this weekend.  But with the new open division game, the Evil Empire was able to exact its revenge.  It was a slow, measured, offensive struggle between two very different styles with very similar talent levels.  I guess we won’t know if it was the right call for sure until we see Poly and Grant tonight.

2. So, What’s With The National Championship?
According to ESPN, a loss by top-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas of Florida would have set up Poly for a chance at the National crown.  However, if Centennial or De La Salle won their game by a large margin, they could’ve leapfrogged Aquinas and Poly.  But of course, Centennial won by five points, and Aquinas beat Lakeland 56-7.  Guess that answers that question.

3. Who Will Play Like A Champion?
Whether it be a dominating performance or composure under pressure, football fans want to see the best at their best when they’re playing the best.  Forced to tell the truth, I think both Centennial and De La Salle would admit they weren’t at their best at HDC on Friday.  However, guys like Martinez, Centennial linebacker Vontaze Burfict, and De La Salle running back Kylan Butler played like champions.  The best moment of the night came from Derek Perio.  With Centennial lined up for a field goal that would’ve effectively ended the game in the middle of the fourth quarter, Perio came flying from the left side to block the kick.  Even though the final product wasn’t extremely memorable, those kids (especially in the fourth quarter) put on a championship performance.