Mater Dei vs. Corona Centennial tops Week 3 CIF high school football games

Mater Dei takes on Corona Centennial in Week 3, which is a rematch of last year's CIF Southern Section Division 1 semifinal.

Mater Dei will travel to Corona Centennial for a big Week 3 tilt Friday night. / Photo: Heston Quan

Week 2 was full of stunning results, including Bishop Amat knocking off Valencia; Los Alamitos beating Gardena Serra; and Long Beach Poly beating Tustin.

Heading into Week 3, there will be big games to keep an eye on that might reveal more about where a team stands. For example, Mater Dei and Corona Centennial. After Mater Dei's narrow 21-18 win over Kahuku (HI), all eyes will be on Week 3's matchup.

Here are the biggest games to keep an eye on in the CIF Southern Section for Week 3, Sept. 12.

MATER DEI (2-0) at CORONA CENTENNIAL (2-1)

Mater Dei's two victories are by a combine six points, which is very unlike the Monarchs, who are usually thumping opponents. Does this mean, finally, Mater Dei is mortal? Friday will tell us.

Centennial's only loss is to a talented Santa Margarita team in overtime (33-27) without coach Matt Logan on the sideline (medical emergency). That said, if the Huskies can keep this game close, it could mean — that for the first time in a long time — Mater Dei could be susceptible to a loss late in the season, or even the playoffs.

That possibility will create intrigue to the football season, instead of Mater Dei rolling through every team until playing St. John Bosco. Only one team not named Mater Dei or St. John Bosco has played in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 final: Servite, 2021.

Prediction: Mater Dei.

• Games to Watch in 2025
• All-CIF Southern Section preseason team
• New coaches making impact

MISSION VIEJO (3-0) at SAN DIEGO LINCOLN (3-0)

Mission Viejo took down NorCal power Folsom 53-14 last week thanks to Luke Fahey's five TD passes. Now, the Diablos will take on another out-of-section power in San Diego Lincoln, the powerhouse program of San Diego.

Lincoln is just as loaded as Mission Viejo with running back Rashad Robinson, quarterback Jordan Roa, and a bevy of talented defensive players like Seth Fanua and Jamari Sherell. A win for Lincoln could put the Hornets in contention for a CIF State Open Division regional final bid, instead of the SoCal finalist having a bye before the state final.

Lincoln would need to win this game and run the table for the CIF State office to justify a game with the CIF Southern Section Division 1 winner in a regional bowl game.

Prediction: Mission Viejo.

GARDENA SERRA (2-1) AT ORANGE LUTHERAN (2-1)

Both teams are coming off defeats for the first time this season. Serra lost in a lopsided game to Los Alamitos while Orange Lutheran fell short in Arizona to Basha. Which team will respond better to the wake-up call?

Serra has tremendous skill and speed with Duvay Williams, Devohn Moutra, Jayshawn Edwards and Ohio State commit Khary Wilder on the defensive line. But Orange Lutheran might have one of the biggest, most effective offensive line in the section.

Prediction: Serra

TUSTIN (2-1) AT DAMIEN (3-0)

For some reason, each game seems to be a litmus test for Damien despite a road win over JSerra a couple weeks ago. Are they 'for real'? Well, here's another test against a talented Tustin team that blew a 21-point lead in a loss to Long Beach Poly last week.

Tustin should be fired up after dropping the game, so will that fuel them to a win? Or is Damien that good? Damien QB Isaiah Arriaza has thrown for 977 yards and eight TDs in three games.

Prediction: Damien

SIERRA CANYON (3-0) AT DOWNEY (3-0)

This is simple: Will Downey be the first team to score against Sierra Canyon this season? With Arizona commit Oscar Rios at the controls, I think the answer is yes. But the Vikings defense probably won't be able to stop the Trailblazers enough.

The more Sierra Canyon dominates opponents, and teams like Mater Dei and St. John Bosco keep winning by narrow margins ... the more people believe maybe Jon Ellinghouse's all club could knock one (or both) of them off.

Prediction: Sierra Canyon

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS SHOW

Senior Reporter Tarek Fattal hosts a live high school sports show on Youtube called 'FATTAL FACTOR' every Monday night at 8 p.m.

Latest episode:

feed

---

Bookmark High School on SI for all of the latest high school sports news.

To get live updates on your phone — as well as follow your favorite teams and top games — you can download the SBLive Sports app: 

Download iPhone App | Download Android App