BRONCOS SEEK THE TYPE OF ELITE STATUS CORONA CENTENNIAL HAS EARNED WITH FIVE CIF SS CHAMPIONSHIPS. THEY COULD TAKE A STEP TOWARD THAT WITH A VICTORY OVER THE FAVORED HUSKIES IN FRIDAY'S INLAND DIVISION FINAL

MURRIETA ---- The owner of a state title and five section crowns, Corona Centennial's football legacy is certainly already in place.

Meanwhile, Vista Murrieta right guard Zayde Khalil can admit his program is playing catch up as one of the newer schools in Riverside County, and the Broncos can write a significant chapter in its history in its meeting with the Huskies at 7:30 tonight at Corona Centennial High School in the CIF Southern Section Inland Division championship.

"That's a team that has a legacy of always being really good and always competing each and every year," Khalil said. "But it's exciting to play a team like that. You can come out and show what you can do and how far our program has come the last couple of years.

"We're a new program and we're coming out to show the Valley that we're a team to reckon with."

To a certain degree, the Broncos (12-1) have already achieved that much.

Vista Murrieta has won four of the last five Southwestern League titles and finally advanced past the quarterfinals last year with a stirring, last-minute, come-from-behind victory over Norco that stands out as a program benchmark.

Prep football aficionados have always known that the Big VIII is where it's at in Riverside County and the Broncos' semifinal victory over one of the area's cornerstone programs told coach Coley Candaele his team had finally turned a corner.

"That win over Norco put our kids in the mental state that we can do anything," Candaele said. "We can have an opportunity to win a game. Before, even though we might have had better football teams, they didn't have that experience that we can win a tough game.

"Now the kids believe they can play."

The Broncos, of course, were tripped up by Chaparral, 13-7, a week later in an All-Southwestern League showdown. This year, the Broncos draw the undefeated Huskies (13-0) and they're an entirely different kind of animal to tame in 2010.

The No. 2-ranked team in the state ---- behind Mission Viejo, according to calpreps.com ---- Centennial is averaging 54.8 points a game and holding opponents to 15.4 points a game en route to its sixth section final berth under coach Matt Logan. An overtime loss to Chaparral last year kept the Huskies from defending their 2008 section and state titles ---- a shortcoming that hasn't been lost on this year's class.

"I said before last week's game, 'You remember last year?,'" Logan said. "'This is where our season was over.' That certainly makes them hungry, and a lot of the seniors were sophomores on our state championship team.

"They have a feel for what big games are like and what it takes to win."

Bigger games could be on the horizon for the Huskies, too.

Anaheim Servite (13-0) and Mission Viejo (13-0) are battling for the Pac-5 Division title this weekend, with the victor becoming a heavy favorite to land an open division state bowl berth. Centennial, meanwhile, would likely land the South region's Division I bowl berth with a victory over the Broncos.

If it' s convincing enough, the Huskies have an outside shot at sneaking to an open division game. None of this is lost on a class of seniors who missed out a year ago.

"We play one game at a time, but our goal at the beginning of the season was that we wanted to win state," said Huskies linebacker Ryan Jack, who leads his team with 133 tackles and ---- like Broncos defensive end Jon Sanchez ---- is committed to San DiegoState. "That was our goal."

The Broncos' goal is to do whatever they can to slow Centennial's attack, which is as multi-faceted as any they've faced this year. Do that, and the Vista Murrieta offense ---- led by quarterback Derrick Brown (1,528 yards passing, 985 rushing, 38 total TDS) new workhorse running back John Hardin (847 yards, 10 TDs) and receiver Michael Mazur (766 yards, 12 TDs) ---- might have a bit more magic up its sleeve.

Brown, after all, needed just two touches to cash in two overtime touchdowns last week and linebacker Manuel Moreno combined with Xavier Stevenson on a goal-line stop to record his school-record 26th tackle and send the Broncos to their second straight finals berth.

Centennial is indeed thought to be a heavy favorite. One common opponent, though, wouldn't rule out an upset.

"There's something about Vista Murrieta this year," said Chaparral coach Tom Leach, whose program lost to both the Huskies and Broncos ---- 45-12 and 45-17, respectively, this year.

The Huskies' worth, of course, is concrete.

Quarterback Michael Eubank has thrown for more than 2,500 yards and 21 touchdowns, Oregon State-committed receiver Larry Scott is nearing a 1,000-yard, 10-TD season and running back Barrinton Collins has already accounted for more than 2,000 yards and 37 touchdowns. On top of that, Eubank and Romello Goodman have already combined for another 2,100 yards and 29 touchdowns on the ground.

It all left Candaele and his staff plenty to ponder a day after overcoming Rancho Cucamonga on Saturday night.

"We worried about them (Sunday), and there's a lot to worry about," Candaele said. "There's a reason they are the No. 1 or No. 2 team in the state. Everything they do is well-deserving of that. We faced them in 2008 when they were the state champions and they are even better than then."

A TALE OF TWO TEAMS

CIF SS Finals Appearances

Vista Murrieta

Year Opponent Outcome

2009 Chaparral L, 13-7

Corona Centennial

1996 Alta Loma L, 26-16

2000 Elsinore W, 27-18

2002 Riverside North W, 57-55

2004 Norco W,49-35

2007 Corona Santiago W, 42-7

2008 Chaparral W, 23-17