![FINAL — TSN No. 20 Centennial [CA] stuns TSN No. 1 Mater Dei [CA] in 43-36 upset image](https://library.sportingnews.com/styles/crop_style_16_9_mobile_webp/s3/2025-09/partner_matchup_gam132f9f5f16.png.webp?itok=kp2PshLg)
CORONA, California, Sept. 12 — After 10 years of coming up empty against the Mater Dei Monarchs, the Centennial Huskies finally found the winning formula.
Put the pedal to the medal early, and then hang on for dear life.
Centennial had not beaten Mater Dei since November 27, 2015, in a 42-36 win in the playoffs that season. The Huskies had lost seven times to the Monarchs since that day, so it seemed fitting that they would end that streak in similar fashion with a 43-36 win Friday night. It certainly didn't come easy, even though it looked like the Huskies might win in a blowout early.
The hosts looked unstoppable in the first quarter, building what would have been an insurmountable lead against most teams at the high school level. Jordan Kirkpatrick's 13-yard run gave Centennial a 7-0 lead barely four minutes into the game, and Derek Schaper's 8-yard interception return near the four-minute mark made it 14-0. Following another turnover, Boogie Williams scooted into the end zone to make it 21-0, and yet another Monarch turnover put the Huskies in position for Zander Lewis's 7-yard touchdown run.
At that point, it was 28-0, and we hadn't even completed the first 12 minutes.
Mater Dei would finally get on the board minutes later in the second quarter to trim the lead to 28-7, but a field goal and a safety would give the Huskies a comfortable 33-7 lead at the half.
But, somehow, you sensed these Monarchs weren't ready to abdicate their throne without a fight. And that's exactly what they gave the Huskies in the second half. A furious third-quarter rally ensued after the break, and two Mater Dei touchdown runs by Justin Lewis (5 yards) and Ryan Hopkins (42 yards) were followed by successful 2-point conversions to trim Centennial's advantage to 33-23.
By the time Hopkins connected with Kayden Dixon-Wyatt on a 71-yard touchdown, it felt almost inevitable that the Monarchs would regain the lead, and they did it moments later on a short touchdown run near the end of the third quarter. At that point, Mater Dei led 36-33, and it felt like the Huskies were running on fumes.
And they may very well have been, but it was Mater Dei that ran out of gas first. The Monarchs were unable to sustain their third-quarter rally while Centennial did just enough to move into position for a 29-yard Jaden Walk-Green field goal with about eight minutes to play to even it up at 36-all. After trading possessions again, the Huskies managed to mount one final game-winning drive with Malaki Davis scoring from four yards out with less than two minutes to play for the final margin of 43-36.
Jaden Walk-Green. 2 interceptions. 2 field goals. Starts in center field for baseball team. Corona Centennial hero in 43-36 win over No. 1 Mater Dei. pic.twitter.com/0NioQGqUFR
— eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) September 13, 2025
The Huskies made it stand with one final interception on their own 35-yard line, and the celebration in Corona began moments later.
It's unclear where this Mater Dei Monarchs' team goes from here. If they had won the game, it would have set up a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in The Sporting News High School Football Top 25 rankings next week against the Bishop Gorman [Las Vegas, NV] Gaels who beat the East St. Louis [IL] Flyers Friday night by a score of 35-10.
Gorman appears to be the much better squad, and a loss by Mater Dei next week would mark the first time since that 2015 season that they've lost more than a single game.
Unfortunately for Centennial, the Huskies already have a loss, and they would need a lot of things to happen ahead of them to get back into the fringe of the national title conversation – especially if this Mater Dei team continues to lose against other top-ranked opponents. But, no doubt, that's far from the Huskies' minds tonight, and they should find a much easier path moving forward next week against the Rancho Cucamonga [CA] Cougars.
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Refresh for updates
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STREAM: Watch Mater Dei vs. Centennial live on NFHS Network
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FINAL — Centennial 43, Mater Dei 36
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|| FOURTH QUARTER ||
After blowing a 33-7 lead and falling behind, the Huskies have rallied for 10 straight points. They lead by a touchdown with under two to play.
4th Qtr — CENTENNIAL 43, MATER DEI 36
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Centennial isn't done just yet. They drive down for a field goal to tie it up.
4th Qtr — CENTENNIAL 36, MATER DEI 36
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|| THIRD QUARTER ||
Mater Dei has rallied from 28-0 in the first quarter and 33-7 at halftime to lead this game 36-33 before the end of the third quarter. They've outscored the Huskies 29-0 in the third quarter.
3rd Qtr — MATER DEI 36, CENTENNIAL 33
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Well, Centennial has now been outscored 23-0 in the second half. This is really Mater Dei's first good stretch since the second quarter of their opener at St. Thomas Aquinas in Florida when they outscored the Raiders 26-0 in one quarter. This feels very much the same. The only difference is Mater Dei is climbing out of a hole instead of burying the other team in one.
3rd Qtr — CENTENNIAL 33, MATER DEI 30
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Well, we've officially got a ball game now. It felt like Centennial really needed to answer on that last drive. Still leading by 10, it feels like it's absolutely imperative now.
3rd Qtr — CENTENNIAL 33, MATER DEI 23
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Mater Dei opens the second half with a scoring drive to trim the lead. It feels weird to say this feels like a drive that Centennial needs to score already leading by 18 points. But it feels like they need to answer that, and not let Mater Dei seize the momentum.
3rd Qtr — CENTENNIAL 33, MATER DEI 15
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|| SECOND QUARTER ||
Mater Dei has its work cut out for it. I wouldn't say this is done, yet, but if Centennial scores again, it's going to require the Monarchs to outscore the Huskies by at least 30 points to win this.
Halftime — CENTENNIAL 33, MATER DEI 7
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Centennial is beating Mater Dei in every phase of the game right now. The Huskies score a safety on defense to add to their lead.
2nd Qtr — CENTENNIAL 33, MATER DEI 7
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Centennial adds a field goal to answer the Mater Dei touchdown.
2nd Qtr — CENTENNIAL 31, MATER DEI 7
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Mater Dei finally gets on the board.
1st Qtr — CENTENNIAL 28, MATER DEI 7
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|| FIRST QUARTER ||
A shocking 12 minutes.
1st Qtr — CENTENNIAL 28, MATER DEI 0
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Just a complete stunner here so far. Complete domination by Centennial.
1st Qtr — CENTENNIAL 28, MATER DEI 0
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So far, we've got a shocker brewing in California. Centennial up three touchdowns, and we're still in the first quarter.
1st Qtr — CENTENNIAL 21, MATER DEI 0
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Centennial's pass rush gets to Mater Dei's quarterback as he's throwing from his own end zone. The ball is picked off and returned for a short touchdown. Centennial is all over the Monarchs early.
1st Qtr — CENTENNIAL 14, MATER DEI 0
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Centennial strikes first in this battle of California titans.
1st Qtr — CENTENNIAL 7, MATER DEI 0
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Coming soon!
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OUR PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAMS ...
Finally, don't miss out on The Sporting News Preseason All-American Teams that just debuted today!
The Sporting News High School Preseason All-American Offense 2025
The Sporting News High School Preseason All-American Defense 2025
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