Narbonne, Centennial to play in regional Open Division bowl game

Narbonne wide receiver A.J. Richardson is congratulated by teammate Josh Collins after making a touchdown catch against Crenshaw in the fourth quarter of the City Section Division I championship game Saturday at East Los Angeles College.

By Eric Sondheimer

Dec. 2, 2012 12 AM PT

Two elite high school football teams that run no-huddle, fast-paced offenses and are mirror images of each other have been selected to play in the inaugural CIF state regional Open Division championship bowl game.

It will be City Section Division I champion Harbor City Narbonne (14-0) taking on Inland Division champion Corona Centennial (13-1) on Saturday night at Cerritos College. The winner will play the Northern California representative, Concord De La Salle or Folsom, in the CIF state championship Open Division bowl game Dec. 15 at the Home Depot Center.

This weekend is the first time the CIF will be holding five regional bowl games in Southern California for the chance to earn a trip to Carson. On Sunday, the 10 section commissioners announced their regional bowl selections.

In Division I, Pac-5 champion Long Beach Poly (11-3) will face Central champion Clovis North (12-1) on Friday night at Veterans Stadium. In Division II, Western champion Gardena Serra (12-2) will take on Southwest champion Huntington Beach Edison (13-1) on Saturday at Orange Coast College.

In Division III, San Diego Division IV champion Madison (12-1) will take on Mid-Valley champion Monrovia (12-2) on Saturday at Monrovia.

In Division IV, San Diego Division V champion Solana Beach Santa Fe Christian (10-3) will face Northeast Division champion Arcadia Rio Hondo Prep (12-1) at Del Norte High.

The Narbonne-Centennial matchup is the most intriguing game of the weekend. Narbonne learned its no-huddle format when the coaching staff took a trip to Centennial in 2008 to study under Coach Matt Logan.

“He gave us everything what to do,” Narbonne Coach Manuel Douglas said. “We refined it and made it work for us.”

Now both coaching staffs will be looking for weaknesses.

“It will be a fun game,” Logan said. “It will be interesting to see who has a twist to make it work.”

One concern for Narbonne is the health of quarterback Troy Williams. He played Saturday’s City Section Division I final with a separated shoulder suffered two weeks ago.

Edison won its first section title in Coach Dave White’s 27 seasons and now gets its first bowl berth. “We’re honored and we’re excited,” White said.

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