CORONA — Centennial junior safety Jaden Walk-Green is a magnet for the football, and he also has a nose for the end zone.
Walk-Green intercepted two passes Friday, bringing his season total to 10. He returned one for a touchdown, his sixth defensive score of the season, as the Huskies cruised to a 41-6 victory over Servite in a CIF Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinal game.
“He’s truly a center fielder out there for us,” Huskies coach Matt Logan said of Walk-Green, who also is the starting center fielder for Centennial’s baseball team. “He’s got great ball skills with his ability to catch it, and he also has a knack for taking them back.”
Walk-Green’s two interceptions and touchdown sparked another strong performance by Centennial’s defense. The Huskies (10-1) will host Mater Dei (8-2) in next week’s semifinal round. Centennial beat the Monarchs 43-36 in a nonleague game in September.
“That first one doesn’t mean much at this point of the season,” Logan said about the rematch with Mater Dei. “The only thing that matters now is what we do next week. We’re excited about being in the semifinals, and we’re going to have to get ready to play.”
Both offenses struggled early because of the rain, with a combined four turnovers on downs and two punts on the first six drives.
“I’m hoping that (the rain) and having a week off is the reason for the slow start,” Logan said. “It’s funny because during pregame, I was looking at my sheet and trying to remember what we’re doing. That bye week is tough, so it was good to be back out here.”
Centennial finally broke through near the end of the first quarter, with Malaki Davis scoring on a 1-yard run to cap a seven-play drive.
Davis delivered one of the biggest game-changing plays of the night. Logan kept his offense on the field on fourth-and-3 from the Centennial 30, and Davis burst through the middle of Servite’s defense for a 70-yard scoring run that increased the lead to 14-0.
That was the score when Servite received the kickoff to start the second half. But Walk-Green dashed the Friars’ hope of getting back into the game, when he intercepted a pass over the middle and weaved his way 48 yards to the end zone for a touchdown.
“I think so. It just seems to find its way to me,” Walk-Green answered when asked if he’s a magnet for the football. “Whenever I get an interception, I’m immediately looking up and seeing what hole I can hit. I don’t think many can tackle me one-on-one.”
Centennial’s offense found a solid rhythm during the third period. Dominick Catalano tossed a 34-yard touchdown to Gavin Lorge with 5:55 in the third quarter, and Catalano added an 8-yard touchdown run 4 minutes later to increase the advantage to 34-0.
Servite avoided the shutout when Gavin Gutierrez scored on a 3-yard touchdown run with 9 1/2 minutes remaining in the game.
Centennial’s final score of the night was a 24-yard touchdown pass from Dylan Crowder to Keawe Brown just 2 minutes later.
Walk-Green’s second pick of the night came in the closing minutes, and he was one broken tackle away from another pick-six.
“I should’ve had another one there,” Walk-Green said. “I was a little disappointed. But there’s always a chance next time.”
Davis ran for a career-high 170 yards on 19 carries to lead the ground attack for the Huskies.
Gutierrez ran for 64 yards on 17 carries for Servite, and Seth Tetzlaff came off the bench to throw for 98 yards in the second half.