Mission Viejo vs. Centennial Preview: Players to Watch

The two top public schools in the state square off in the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 playoffs on Friday. Centennial of Corona will host Mission Viejo and the game will be televised on Bally Sports West. The Panthers enter play 10-0 and as the No. 4 seed in Division 1. They play two quality quarterbacks in [player_tooltip player_id="25365" first="Izzy" last="Carter"] and [player_tooltip player_id="25368" first="Carson" last="Conklin"]. They have combined for 22 touchdowns and five interceptions and both have around a 61 percent completion percentage. Carter is the more effective runner with seven yards per carry and eight touchdowns. https://twitter.com/Cen10Football/status/1457740172313849863?s=20 <strong>Jayson Cortes</strong> is Centennial’s leading rusher but a fun back to watch for them too is sophomore <strong>Cornell Hatcher Jr.</strong> who averages 11 yards per carry and has 9 touchdowns. The Huskies prefer to run the ball but when they do pass <strong>Nathan Jimenez</strong> and [player_tooltip player_id="25371" first="Eric" last="Denham"] are the two top receivers. [player_tooltip player_id="25331" first="AJ" last="Vaipulu"] and [player_tooltip player_id="187263" first="Doughless" last="Teloma"] lead a very good offensive line for the Huskies. https://twitter.com/prepzone/status/1458964007608537092?s=20 Mission Viejo’s offense is pretty well-balanced. [player_tooltip player_id="25441" first="Kadin" last="Semonza"] is a pro style quarterback but can extend plays with his legs if need be. In a win against Sierra Canyon earlier this season, he ran for first downs on two third down attempts to ice the game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="187301" first="Kenny" last="Manassero"]</strong> is the team’s running back and he can turn on the jets in the open field. [player_tooltip player_id="25408" first="Mikey" last="Matthews"], who has seven offers, and [player_tooltip player_id="190360" first="Jackson" last="Holman"] are two blue chip receivers and <strong>KJ Reed</strong> is a sleeper who can make big plays. The offensive line has quality players like <strong>Thomas Haney</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="187306" first="Rashad" last="Beckham"]</strong> and <strong>Shlomo Bass</strong>. The Diablos defense isn’t loaded with top prospects but is full of really good players who accept their roles. <strong>Ruben Lopez</strong> is the veteran leader of the defense. <strong>Jake Higgins</strong> is the team’s leading tackler and <strong>Daniel Dominguez</strong> is a great tackler with scoop and score abilities. <strong>Finley Weinheimer</strong> is a good pass rusher along with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="195570" first="Jack" last="Matranga"]</strong>. <strong>Trey Tolmaire</strong> is a corner who has an eye for the ball and can get a game-changing interception. Centennial’s defense features more top prospects. [player_tooltip player_id="25243" first="Jaden" last="Mickey"] (Notre Dame) and [player_tooltip player_id="141869" first="Eric" last="Butler"] Jr. (San Diego State) are two elite defensive backs and [player_tooltip player_id="187304" first="Joel" last="Thomas"] is a solid defensive back with Division 3 offers. [player_tooltip player_id="25459" first="Aaron" last="Williams"] is a great junior prospect and [player_tooltip player_id="145197" first="Owen" last="Chambliss"] is too. <strong>Carter Plewe</strong> is a sleeper in the Huskies secondary. [player_tooltip player_id="141896" first="Gavriel" last="Lightfoot"] is an athletic interior defensive lineman with offers to Morgan State and Nevada among others. [player_tooltip player_id="145196" first="Lucas" last="Conti"] is the best pass rusher on Centennial and may force Semonza to make quick decisions with the football. <strong>Chad Johnson</strong> (Mission Viejo) and <strong>Matt Logan</strong> (Centennial) are two of the best coaches in Southern California and both teams will be well-prepared and healthy. This is my favorite matchup of the week. https://twitter.com/prepzone/status/1458129485753044992?s=20