Palo Alto defeats Corona Centennial, 15-13, in Division I bowl
By Eric Sondheimer
Los Angeles Times
December 17, 2010
Palo Alto High is located across the street from Stanford University, so you know there are some bright, feisty teenagers in the neighborhood, and what the Vikings pulled off Friday night at the Home Depot Center in the CIF state championship Division I bowl game should even impress the college students.
Considered a heavy underdog to unbeaten Corona Centennial and its high-powered offense, Palo Alto came away with a 15-13 victory after a 42-yard field-goal attempt by Ezequiel Rivera with 30 seconds left was no good.
The Vikings (14-0) three times stuffed Centennial on fourth-down situations, led by linebacker Michael Cullen and defensive tackle Kevin Anderson. And they came through with their biggest stop on a wet, rainy night with 4:14 left. Quarterback Michael Eubank, after racing 33 yards for a touchdown, was dropped short on a two-point conversion attempt.
Centennial (14-1) bumbled and stumbled all night, picking up 11 penalties for 112 yards.
"It wasn't what they did," Eubank said. "It was us making mistakes. The slippery surface really affected us, but they did what they had to do to get the W."
The first half was most stunning in terms of how poorly Centennial performed. The Huskies acted as if they had never played on a wet field. Barrinton Collins twice lost the ball on fumbles before leaving the game with a concussion. There was a bad snap that resulted in a safety. There were two other fumbles the Huskies happened to fall on.
There were three 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, a holding penalty that wiped out a touchdown run and another holding penalty that nullified a 41-yard pass play. It helped Palo Alto do something few thought was possible
