Centennial quarterback Jaden Jefferson (3) runs with the ball as Servite’s Jordyn-Taylor Brown (55), left, and Isaiah Leilua (2) tries to move in during a high school football game at Orange Coast Collage in Costa Mesa, August 20, 2026. (Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)
Servite’s Jorden Wells (4) runs for a first down as Centennial’s Koti Fultz (20) tries to stop him during a high school football game at Orange Coast Collage in Costa Mesa, August 20, 2026. (Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)
Centennial’s Quentin Hale (1) leaps to complete a pass as Servite’s (7) Jace Wells tries to block him during a high school football game at Orange Coast Collage in Costa Mesa, August 20, 2026. (Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)
Centennial’s Quentin Hale (1) reaches to complete a pass against Servite during a high school football game at Orange Coast Collage in Costa Mesa, August 20, 2026. (Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)
Servite’s new head coach Rick Garretson at a football game against Centennial at Orange Coast Collage in Costa Mesa, August 20, 2026. (Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)
Servite’s Mataua Niumata (11) holds onto the ball as Centennial’s Caleb Bynum (24) tries to take him down during a high school football game at Orange Coast Collage in Costa Mesa, August 20, 2026. (Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)
Servite’s Parker Covin (10) runs with the ball as Centennial tries to stop him during a high school football game at Orange Coast Collage in Costa Mesa, August 20, 2026. (Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)
Servite’s Jorden Wells (4) holds onto the ball as Centennial’s Augus Saunders (7) moves in during a high school football game at Orange Coast Collage in Costa Mesa, August 20, 2026. (Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)
Centennial’s Quentin Hale (1) returns a punt as Servite moves in during a high school football game at Orange Coast Collage in Costa Mesa, August 20, 2026. (Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)
Centennial’s Quentin Hale (1) catches a touchdown pass against Servite during a high school football game at Orange Coast Collage in Costa Mesa, August 20, 2026. (Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)
Servite’s new head coach Rick Garretson at a football game against Centennial at Orange Coast Collage in Costa Mesa, August 20, 2026. (Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)
Servite’s quarterback Gino Wang (3) completes a pass as Centennial’s Albert Martinez (54) tries to block during a high school football game at Orange Coast Collage in Costa Mesa, August 20, 2026. (Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)
Servite’s Benjamin Harris (6) holds onto the ball as Centennial’s Dean Gibson (8), left, and Andre Pommells (23) tries to take him down during a high school football game at Orange Coast Collage in Costa Mesa, August 20, 2026. (Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)
Servite’s new head coach Rick Garretson at a football game against Centennial at Orange Coast Collage in Costa Mesa, August 20, 2026. (Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)
Servite’s new head coach Rick Garretson at a football game against Centennial at Orange Coast Collage in Costa Mesa, August 20, 2026. (Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)
COSTA MESA – Jaden Jefferson is going to be a problem for every football team that plays Centennial of Corona this season.
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Jefferson is a senior who transferred to Centennial from Cathedral before this season. He passed for 282 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns as the Huskies defeated Servite, 41-21, on Thursday at Orange Coast College in the season opener for both teams.
Senior receiver Quentin Hale transferred from Cathedral to Centennial, too. His connection with Jefferson was evident. Hale had eight receptions for 154 yards and caught his quarterback’s two touchdown passes.
Jefferson, who committed to Hawaii, completed 17 of his 21 passes without an interception.
He impressed Centennial coach Matt Logan.
“He’s incredible,” Logan said. “His ball placement is as good as I’ve ever seen and he can run like no other.”
Centennial was penalized 15 times for 108 yards. That irked Logan but he figured that the several false-start infractions might have been inevitable, given that the Huskies had to make a last-minute change at offensive center.
Servite fell behind, 21-0, early in the second quarter. But the Friars battled throughout and showed that their speedy skill-position players will make significant impact.
Senior receiver Benjamin Harris, the CIF State champion in the100 meters this past track and field season, had seven receptions for 52 yards, including a tough leaping catch late in the game.
Junior running back Jorden Wells rushed for 117 yards on 16 carries. He scored on a 55-yard run down the right sideline. Once he got past Centennial’s linebackers, nobody was going to catch him.
Servite amassed momentum in the second half. Wells’ long scoring run made it 34-14.
Friars linebacker Caleb Ota recovered a Centennial fumble at the Servite 29 and the Friars then went on a 12-play, 71-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by senior Parker Covin. The score trimmed Centennial’s lead to 34-21 with 8:48 to go in the fourth quarter.
Centennial then had to punt on fourth-and-10 at its 28, but a roughing the punter penalty enabled the Huskies to retain possession.
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Centennial’s Kennie Leggett capped the scoring with a 16-yard touchdown run for the final score, 41-21.
It was Rick Garretson’s first game as Servite’s head coach. Garretson was an All-CIF receiver at Servite and later served for several years as the team’s offensive coordinator. He was also the head coach at Chandler in Arizona where his teams won two state championships.
He was disappointed by the loss, but found some good results.
“Our kids battled,” he said, then nodded toward Centennial’s players. “That’s a really good football team.”
Centennial is No. 3 in the CalHiSports.com preseason state rankings; Servite is No. 12.
“I’ve got a young team,” Garretson said. “I’ve got a team that made mistakes on both sides of the ball and we’ll work with that. We have a long way to go but ultimately we’ve got some pieces that I think can make things happen.”
Both teams failed to convert on fourth down on their first possessions of the night. Centennial struck on its second possession, with Jefferson scoring on a 2-yard run.
A beautiful deep pass from Jefferson to Hale covered 45 yards and made it 14-0 with 4:55 left in the first quarter. Jefferson got the ball to Hale in stride as Hale, who committed to USC, crossed the goal line.
A 12-yard touchdown pass from Jefferson to Hale in the rear left corner of the end zone stretched the lead to 21-0.
Servite scored with 2:06 left in the half on a 5-yard run by Cinco Kennett.
Centennial scored early in the third quarter on Jefferson’s 18-yard run around the left end for a 28-7 lead. Braylin Drake’s 2-yard touchdown run later in the quarter extended the advantage to 34-7 (the point-after kick was wide).
The Friars lost to the Huskies twice last season: 42-14 at Centennial in the season opener and 41-6 at Centennial in the first round of the Division 1 playoffs.
Servite plays at Murrieta Valley on Friday, Aug. 28.
Centennial has two more nonleague games coming against Trinity League teams. The Huskies will be home against Santa Margarita on Friday, Aug. 28. and face Mater Dei on Sept. 11 at Santa Ana Stadium.
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