Corona, CA: Football - A night to remember

On a night that was filled with incredibly good week-one matchups, I have to say St. Bonaventure and Corona Centennial put on the most compelling game. By the time week 14 comes around, I expect both schools to be competing for championships and bowl bids.

For St. Bonaventure to drive in from Ventura and come away with a 29-27 road victory over the Huskies was pretty stunning. And the way it happened, with running backs Zach Green and Shaun Wick each rushing for more than 100 yards, made the victory even more startling.

One thing I've learned watching St. Bonaventure play four times in the last two seasons is that Coach Todd Therrien has become quite a play caller. He used to be the defensive coordinator when he was an assistant to Jon Mack. Now he acts like he's playing a video game, taking chances whenever possible. He has so many two-point conversion plays ready to spring that college and pro coaches might want to consult him, because they work.

For those who think summer passing tournaments don't mean much, you're wrong. It was during the summer that receiver Jordan Farris started to serve notice about being a potential standout, and what a first game back he had after not playing since his sophomore year. He had a TD reception, made another clutch catch and scored the key two-point conversion on a run. He's an athlete who's going to be tough to stop all season.

Centennial had way too many penalties on offense for a first game, but it doesn't diminish the potential of the Huskies. Quarterback Hayden Gavett, the fastest player on his team, is going to be dynamic running the option play. Yes, Centennial got run over in the second half, so much so that the Huskies were the ones calling time out trying to stop St. Bonaventure's momemtum, but they'll be fine.

After two weeks, I've already seen in person Servite, Orange Lutheran, Oaks Christian, Crenshaw, St. Bonaventure, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, Gardena Serra and Centennial. And I can't wait to watch Long Beach Poly, Santa Margarita, Loyola, Alemany, Mission Viejo, Crespi, Narbonne, Carson and Westlake.

There are a lot of top teams this season. But after Friday night, I'm going to remember how intense the game was and how much fun players were having knocking each other to the ground, then getting back up and saying with their body language, "Come on, I dare you to do it again."