Upset Alert: Former QB Carson Palmer Gets First Win as HC - No. 16 Santa Margarita upsets No. 8 Centennial in OT

Santa Margarita avoids late scare, blocks PAT, gets fourth-down stop to set up game-winner in overtime thriller to give former USC and NFL quarterback Carson Palmer his first win at alma mater

Santa Margarita remained focused late and came away with a blocked PAT to preserve a tie with 49 seconds to go before winning in overtime to give coach Carson Palmer his first victory with the Eagles as coach of his alma mater. / Photo by Bodie De Silva

No. 8 Centennial (Corona, CA) hosted No. 16 Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) in a highly anticipated non-league matchup on Friday night.

Centennial (1-0) opened the season with a commanding 42–14 victory over Anaheim Servite. Senior quarterback Dominick Catalano led the offense, completing 24 of 38 passes for 330 yards and four touchdowns. He also added seven carries for 43 yards. Senior wide receiver Keawe Browne was a standout, hauling in four receptions for 102 yards and two touchdowns. Senior running back Zander Lewis contributed 86 rushing yards on 14 carries, while sophomore Malaki Davis showcased his versatility with three total touchdowns—two rushing and one receiving. Defensively, junior Jaden Walk-Green recorded 13 tackles, and junior Augus Saunders added an interception.

Santa Margarita (0-1) is coming off a 7–3 loss to Mission Viejo. Senior quarterback Trace Johnson completed 20 of 29 passes for 205 yards in the game. Sophomore running back Jaion Smith led the ground attack with 56 yards on 19 carries, while freshman Adrian Petero added 38 yards on eight attempts. The receiving corps was led by junior tight end Luke Gazzaniga, who had five receptions for 67 yards, and senior wide receiver Trent Mosley, who added 52 yards on seven catches. Defensively, senior Dash Fifita and sophomore Ca'ron Williams each recorded six tackles, and seniors Vai Manutai and Leki Holani each had a sack. Senior kicker Tyler Wiegand accounted for the team's only points with a 23-yard field goal in the second quarter.

This matchup features two teams with high expectations for the season. Centennial aims to continue its strong start, while Santa Margarita looks to rebound from its season opener. The game will be a test of Centennial's high-powered offense against Santa Margarita's resilient defense.

Former NFL and USC quarterback Carson Palmer will be seeking his first win aas head coach at Santa Margarita, his alma mater.

Carson Palmer (3) on the cover of the Santa Margarita football media guide for the 1997 season. / Santa Margarita Football/EaglesFootball.com

Be sure to follow this page and refresh it often for live scoring, updates, big plays and highlights from Thursday's showdown in the expandable space below.

---

No. 8 Corona Centennial vs. No. 16 Santa Margarita

Teams	1Q	2Q	3Q	4Q	OT	Final
Centennial	7	0	7	13	0	27
Santa Margarita	13	7	7	0	6	33

Live Updates

Pregame

Centennial will receive the opening kick.

First Quarter

TOUCHDOWN! That didn't take long. Just 25 seconds into the game, and on the first play from scrimmage, Centennial quarterback Dominick Catalano passed to Keawe Brown, who flicked it to senior receiver Tyler George for 61 yards. The PAT made it 7-0, Centennial.

TOUCHDOWN! Santa Margarita got into the end zone for the first time this season. On third-and-8, quarterback Trace Johnson rolled right, juked a defender and raced 15 yards with 8:26 left in the first quarter. The PAT was blocked. Centennial leads 7-6.

TOUCHDOWN! Santa Margarita took the lead when Trace Johnson sprinted to his left and connected with Ryan Clark on a 20-yard pass. The PAT was good and the Eagles claimed a 13-7 lead late in the first quarter.

The first quarter ended with Centennial driving at the Santa Margarita 16.

End 1: Santa Margarita 13, Centennial 7

Second Quarter

INTERCEPTION! With Centennial driving, senior cornerback Jayden Crowder made a big play for Santa Margarita, stepping in front of a pass at the 2-yard line and picking it off. Santa Margarita regained possession at its own 3 early in the second quarter.

KEY MOMENT: Santa Margarita quarterback Trace Johnson made some impressive plays and nice throws to get the Eagles out of trouble. Backed up at their own 3, he avoided a sack that could have resulted in a safety, then made some big throws to get the team near midfield and plenty of breathing room.

TURNOVER ON DOWNS! The promising Santa Margarita drive stalled at the Centennial 40. The Eagles nearly converted on fourth-and-8, but a pass to the boundary was just out of bounds. Centennial took over at its own 40 with 3:19 left in the first half.

PICK SIX! TOUCHDOWN! Centennial was driving in Santa Margarita territory when cornerback Prime Williams jumped in front of a Dominick Catalano pass and returned it 43 yards for a touchdown. The PAT extended the Eagles' lead to 20-7 with 46 seconds left the half.

BIG PLAY! Centennial ran the Statue of Liberty play and got a big run down to the 26 of Santa Margarita with 12 seconds left in the half.

INTERCEPTION! On the final play of the first half, Prime Williams got his second interception in as many drives. He had outside leverage on a slant and picked off Catalano on a bit of an overthrow at the Eagles 1-yard line. Williams with two huge plays to close out the half for Santa Margarita.

Halftime: Santa Margarita 20, Centennial 7

Third Quarter

Santa Margarita and head coach Carson Palmer received the second-half kick and began possession at their own 20.

PUNT! The Eagles' drive stalled and they punted it to midfield, but a block in the back afforded Centennial its first possession of the second half at the Santa Margarita 40.

BIG PLAY! Right after converting a first-and-goal, Centennial passed for a 3-yard touchdown, but the play was called back for offensive pass interference. It appeared the outside receiver was flagged for an illegal pick. The costly penalty made it second-and-goal from the 19.

KEY MOMENT: Facing what would have been third-and-goal from the 19, Santa Margarita gave the penalty right back to Centennial. A roughing the passer penalty gave Centennial first-and-goal at the 9.

KEY MOMENT: On third-and-goal, another roughing the passer penalty on Santa Margarita gave Centennial first-and-goal from the 3.

KEY MOMENT: On a bad snap that went through Dominick Catalano's legs, he was tackled for a huge loss, but a personal foul penalty on the play pushes the ball back to Santa Margarita's 5.

TOUCHDOWN! Sophomore running back Malaki Davis scored on a 2-yard run. The kick was good and Centennial trimmed the deficit to 20-14 late in the third quarter.

TOUCHDOWN! Trace Johnson threw a perfect 39-yard strike on a post route into the breadbasket of senior receiver Trent Mosley, who made a teriffic falling catch. The PAT extended the Eagles' lead to 27-14 late in the third quarter.

Santa Margarita's defense forced a punt and Adrian Petero ran for 16 yards on the final play of the third quarter to give the Eagles a first down near midfield.

End 3: Santa Margarita 27, Centennial 14

Fourth Quarter

BIG PLAY! On third down and short, Centennial linebacker Jonathan McKinley II batted down a screen pass to deny an easy first down.

TURNOVER ON DOWNS! One play after McKinley II's big play, Santa Margarita quarterback Trace Johnson appeared to have an opportunity to run for an easy first down on fourth-and-4, but he took a shot at the end zone and the ball was knocked out of the receiver's arms.

BIG PLAY! TURNOVER ON DOWNS! With Centennial facing fourth-and-3 from the Santa Margarita 33, Eagles senior defensive lineman Manoah Faupusa burst through the line and tackled the running back in the backfield to give the ball back to the Eagles' offense with just over 6 minutes remaining.

TURNOVER ON DOWNS! Centennial stopped Santa Margarita with 3:31 left to take over at its own 18.

TOUCHDOWN! On a quick pass, Dominick Catalano hit senior receiver Ty Plinski, who raced untouched for 76 yards. The PAT suddenly makes it a six-point game. Santa Margarita will nurse a 27-21 lead with 2:54 remaining in regulation.

KEY PLAY: Santa Margarita junior tight end Luke Gazzaniga made a defender miss and got a picked up a key first down for the Eagles. That forced Centennial to burn its final two timeouts on the ensuing plays.

KEY PLAY: On third-and-5 Centennial's defense got a stop and forced a punt with 1:37 left. Centennial began its final drive with 1:26 left from its own 19.

BIG PLAY! With 1:18 remaining, Centennial called a brilliant shovel pass and Malaki Davis took it to the Santa Margarita 43 with 1:00 remaining.

TOUCHDOWN! Dominick Catalano launched a 43-yard pass to Ty Plinski to tie the game at 27 with under 40 seconds remaining. BIG PLAY! On the PAT attempt to take the lead, a bad snap led to the kick being blocked. Officials initially threw a flag for roughing the kicker, but waved it off after a conference. The game remained tied. What a wild turn.

End of regulation: Santa Margarita 27, Centennial 27

OVERTIME

Centennial began the overtime period with the ball first at the Santa Margarita 25.

TURNOVER ON DOWNS! On fourth-and-5 from the 9, Centennial went for it, but the Eagles' Leki Holani batted it down to give the ball back to the offense.

TOUCHDOWN! On third-and-goal from the Centennial 1, Adrian Petero - the smallest player on the field - would not be denied. He was hit twice behind the line of scrimmage, but he powered his way through the second tackle and fell into the end zone for the game-winner.

FINAL: Santa Margarita 33, Centennial 27, OT

Legendary quarterback Carson Palmer got his first win under the lights at Santa Margarita, but not on a Friday. His Eagles overcame fourth-quarter surge Thursday night by Centennial and benefitted from a huge blocked PAT with 49 seconds remaining to preserve the tie, which sent the game to overtime. Santa Margarita also had its first PAT attempt of the game blocked.

---

Recommended Articles

manual