Eagles 21 - Centennial 20
CORONA, CA., August 28, 2026 – WRITEUP COMING SOON
| Santa Margarita | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Centennial | 7 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 20 |
SM – Petero 2 run (Koga kick)
SM – J. Smith 5 run (Koga kick)
CEN – Hale 7 pass from Jefferson (Estrada kick)
CEN – Leggett 24 pass from Jefferson (Estrada kick)
SM – Williams 31 interception return (Koga kick)
CEN – Drake 11 run (kick blocked)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: SM - Petero 23-111, J. Smith 7-45;
Passing: SM - F. Palmer 6-13-0-52;
Receiving: SM - Callis 3-38, S. Guerdat 1-9
Compiled by Chuck Nan
Statistics by Shane Mielke
Santa Margarita football beats Centennial for fourth consecutive time
CORONA, CA., August 28, 2026 – Santa Margarita’s rebuilt defense and new-look offense clashed with a familiar yet challenging opponent known for exploiting weaknesses and pushing the tempo.
The Eagles showed they’re still the team to beat in Southern California football.
Ca’ron Williams returned an interception 30 yards for a go-ahead touchdown on the final play of the third quarter and Santa Margarita forced a missed extra-point attempt in the middle of the fourth to collect a 21-20 victory against Centennial at Centennial High on Friday.
Santa Margarita (2-0), the reigning CIF-SS Division 1 and CIF State Open champion, beat the Huskies (1-1) for the fourth consecutive time.
“We’re a tough, gritty football team,” Eagles coach Carson Palmer said. “We’ve played in big games. This is a phenomenal environment. This community gets behind this program tremendously. It’s packed. … Just proud that we didn’t flinch.”
“We played hard right to the very end,” the second-year coach added. “That’s a very good football team.”
Williams snapped a 14-14 deadlock with his fifth interception against Centennial in four career games. The junior cornerback believed the Huskies miscommunicated on the first-down play. Williams, however, was ready.
“Film room,” he said. “(I’m) always looking at what the QB is looking at (in film study).”
“I feel like we can be back-to-back state champions,” Williams added. “No team can mess with us right now.”
Santa Margarita’s Kai Koga added the all-important extra-point as Santa Margarita took a 21-14 lead into the fourth.
Centennial answered with an 11-yad touchdown run by Braylin Drake with 7:33 left in regulation but a deflection by the Eagles on the extra-point sent the ball bouncing off the upright.
Santa Margarita’s defense forced the Huskies to the turn the ball over on downs at the Eagles 45 with 2:42 left in the fourth quarter. Santa Margarita then turned to running back Adrian Petero to run out the clock. The 5-foot-5, 185-pound sophomore finished with 110 yards on 23 carries.
“A-Train was phenomenal,” Carson Palmer said. “He’s as tough as they come. Incredible balance at the point of contact. Super shifty. Powerful.”
“We came in with a mindset that we were going to run the football, and we were able to do that,” the coach added. “Really proud of our guys up front.”
The offensive featured Raymond Jacobs, Elyjah Aiava, Aaron Klatt, Adam Iloilo and Kairin Brunt.
Santa Margarita entered the nonleague game ranked No. 1 in Orange County and sixth in the nation by MaxPreps. Centennial is eighth in the nation.
The Eagles faced Centennial for the first time since they raced past the Huskies 42-7 in the Division 1 final last season at the Rose Bowl.
Santa Margarita also won the teams’ nonleague game last fall 33-27 in overtime .
A lot has changed with the Eagles since last season.
Fletch Palmer, the son of the coach and Heisman Trophy winner, earned the starting quarterback position. Fletch wears jersey No. 3, the same number his father donned at USC and with two NFL teams. One of his top targets is freshman wide out Kiyan Callis.
The defense features nine new starters with only USC committed lineman Isaia Vandermade and Williams back.
Vandermade teamed with Kingston Jimmerson to cause plenty of trouble for the Centennial offensive line, which was missing a few starters.
Freshman linebacker Aydan Steen added a late sack to give him four in two games.
Santa Margarita led 14-7 at halftime but Centennial tied the score early in the third quarter. Former Mater Dei running back Kennie Leggett made a leaping 24-yard reception from Jaden Jefferson.
Santa Margarita’s defense asserted itself on the opening possession of the first quarter. The Eagles recovered a fumble at the Centennial 32 on the fourth play from scrimmage.
Eight plays later, Petero scored on a 1-yard run to cap a drive that grinded up 5:31.
Santa Margarita’s defense also set up another score in the second quarter. Jimmerson and linebacker Cruz Nuñez combined to sack Jefferson on a fourth-and-short from near mid-field.
The Eagles drove for a 5-yard touchdown run by Jaion Smith to open a 14-0 lead in the middle of the second period.
Fletch Palmer helped set the score with 15-yard scramble to the 5. The junior finished 6 of 13 passing for 51 yards.
Santa Margarita almost forced another fumble on the ensuing kickoff. Sophomore Daxton Karney nearly forced a fumble on USC commit Quentin Hale. The Huskies maintained possession and drove for a 7-yard touchdown catch by Hale with 1:29 left in half.
The strike capped a 12-play, 75-yard possession as the Huskies trimmed the Eagles’ lead to 14-7.
Santa Margarita’s defense held the Huskies to 34 yards rushing in the first half and 78 for the game.
“Our defense was suffocating tonight,” Carson Palmer said.
Next week, Santa Margarita plays host to Highland (0-2) at Saddleback College on Sept. 4. The Eagles beat Highland 45-13 last season.
By Dan Albano
Friday, August 28, 2026
The Orange County Register
Santa Margarita wins the battle of ‘greatness’ against Corona Centennial
CORONA, CA., August 28, 2026 – If anyone wants to know what “big-boy” football in Southern California looks like, Santa Margarita’s 21-20 road win over Corona Centennial on Friday night gave fans everything they expected from two powerhouse programs.
“There was greatness on that field,” Santa Margarita coach Carson Palmer told his players afterward.
From cornerback Caron Williams producing a pick six on the final play of the third quarter to Mighty Mouse 5-foot-4 running back Adrian Petero rushing for 108 hard-earned yards in 23 carries to run out the clock, the Eagles (2-0) are proving they are no one-hit wonder after winning last year’s Southern Section Division 1 championship over Centennial.
“Even if I can’t find a hole, I’ll make one,” Petero said.
Unlike that 42-7 loss at the Rose Bowl, Centennial rallied from a 14-0 deficit. An 11-yard touchdown run by Braylin Drake with 7:33 left put the Huskies within 21-20. But Santa Margarita’s Jake Martin deflected the PAT attempt, and the Huskies (1-1) never got another opportunity to score against a defense with top linemen, young and sensational linebackers and defensive backs who engaged in hand-to-hand combat with one of the best receivers in the nation in Quentin Hale.
Centennial was at a severe disadvantage by not having two potential starters available on its offensive line because of injuries. Then the Huskies lost a third lineman in the third quarter. Quarterback Jaden Jefferson was left having to run for his life from the outset but used his instincts and intelligence to find ways to succeed. He passed for 192 yards with touchdowns of seven yards to Hale and 24 yards to Kennie Leggett. He adjusted to the pass rush by scrambling up the middle for gains of 11 and 15 yards. Hale caught seven passes for 105 yards.
For some unknown reason, Williams, a junior, now has five of his six career interceptions against Centennial. He said the pick six was no surprise.
“I saw it coming,” he said. “I saw the quarterback’s eyes.”
“Defense suffocating,” is what Palmer told his players in his postgame talk, and he was right.
Santa Margarita’s defense controlled much of the first half because of its ability to put pressure on Jefferson. It wasn’t until Centennial’s final possession of the first half, when trailing 14-0, that Jefferson finally started to connect with Hale. Jefferson got the ball to Hale for a touchdown, rolling left and throwing off his back foot to find Jefferson in the back of the end zone.
Santa Margarita’s defense lost nine of its 11 starters to graduation and was supposed to need time this season to develop, but the guy who wears No. 99 for the Eagles, Kingston Jimmerson, had two sacks in the first half. He’s 6-foot-2, 270 pounds, only a sophomore and likes to manhandle ballcarriers.
“When he’s a senior, he’s going to be an All-American,” Williams said.
Also contributing was 6-5, 225-pound freshman lineman Kaleb Herndon and linebacker Cruz Nunez, a transfer from JSerra. Then there’s freshman linebacker Aydan Steen, who contributed two huge tackles in the second half in critical situations.
Short touchdown runs by Petero and Jaion Smith accounted for Santa Margarita’s first-half touchdowns. Centennial fumbled on its first possession to set up Petero’s two-yard TD run.
The last time Centennial coach Matt Logan was on the same field with Santa Margarita, his face with bright red at the Rose Bowl. He blamed himself for his team’s poor performance. “We weren’t prepared to play football that night,” he said.
This time, the Huskies were able to stay close with the help of a defense that sacked Santa Margarita quarterback Fletch Palmer three times. Cal-bound Miles Schirmer was effective on the defensive line.
“The defense played phenomenal,” Logan said. “We were not on the same page on offense. The kids didn’t waver and kept fighting.”
By Eric Sondheimer
Friday, August 28, 2026
The Orange County Register
