Corona Santiago vs. No. 1 Corona Centennial

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I just arrived at Husky Stadium, where Corona Santiago visits Corona Centennial, ranked No. 1 by The Times, tonight at 7. It’s a rematch of last year’s Inland Division title game, which the Huskies won, 42-7.

I went to the Huskies’ practice Wednesday and a few players wore Santiago T-shirts. They also wore a stripe on top of their helmets, in reference to Santiago’s nickname, the Sharks. Bottom line: It seems like the Huskies don’t look at the Sharks, a cross-town rival, too kindly.

Centennial is undefeated at 8-0 and 5-0 in the Big VIII League in the Southern Section, is considered a bowl favorite and is considered the 20th best offensive team in California. It recently came off a 42-19 win against Riverside North. Quarterback Taylor Martinez, who’s verbally committed to Nebraska, threw for 279 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s game. Expect the Huskies’ spread offense to be very, very quick, which I will touch on in a story next week for The Times.

The Sharks (5-3, 3-2) are coming off a 28-13 Big VIII League loss to Norco. The offense was absent last week, but the Sharks won three games in a row before the setback. Look out for quarterback Brandon Connette. He’s a dual-threat quarterback and rushed for 238 yards in Santiago’s 28-13 win on Oct. 17 over Roosevelt.

I’ll have quarter-by-quarter updates. Stay tuned.

--Mark Medina