INLAND FIELDHOUSE

Corona Centennial senior Chacho Ulloa has been among the Inland Area’s interception leaders each of the last two seasons.

Take a closer look at Corona Centennial senior Chacho Ulloa and you’ll see a young man with a bright, bright future at the tip of his fingers.

Ulloa emerged as one of the Inland Area’s top defensive backs after a stellar junior campaign after which many recruiters tabbed him as the best athlete in the Huskies backfield.

Of course, starting Centennial means plenty of extra recruiting eyeballs, and deep playoff runs mean even more eyeballs, but he’s made the most of it.

The 6-foot, 180-pound ball hawk backed up his breakout season six more interceptions this season for the reigning CIF-Southern Section PAC-5 Division champions.

Now Ulloa can look forward to several years of playing on Saturdays. He committed to Stanford University in early November.

We caught up with him after Centennial 79-31 victory over Corona Santiago back in Week 8.

FOMB: What happened on your pick-six?
Ulloa: “Honestly, I shouldn’t have got that pick but the ball just landed in my arms. It was man coverage and I was playing two soft and I should’ve been pressed more. The quarterback threw it. I saw the ball, I reacted to it but a good quarterback and receiver in the PAC-5, it’s not going to happen. It would be a touchdown, so there’s always room for improvement. I’m going to go back and work on my tackling. It was a good team win but as an individual I think I need to improve a lot.

FOMB: Another Big VIII League title firmly in your grasp, what’s important between now and the playoffs?
CA: “The score doesn’t show it but we can do so much better. That’s the most points we’ve had scored on us. We need to practice harder, start flying to the ball faster and we have to work on our tackling and just the little things. Big thing is 79-31, the offense with an amazing win, but we have to work on the little things because right now we’re trying to get ready for the PAC-5 championship. We’re looking in the future. We got to take it one step at a time but we have to keep working.

FOMB: What do you think about the idea of your team, after getting such big first-half leads, getting lackadaisical in the second halves of games?
CA: “The coaches kept us in because we haven’t played a full game in a few weeks. We need to step it up way more. Santiago is a good team but I feel we’re a far more talented and well-coached team so we need to get back to square-one and play Husky football.”

FOMB: What can you say about your decision to commit to Stanford?
CA: “Academics is the big thing but I had the choice between Notre Dame and Stanford so it was a real toss-up, but I just felt like I fit into the coaching scheme a little more (at Stanford). I really couldn’t lose with either of them. I feel like it was a good decision on my part. I fit in the defense better with Stanford. I feel like a can get early playing time better than later. Upperclassmen have seniority at Notre Dame, so I feel like Stanford it’s the best player plays. Definitely after this season I’m going to go to work for the next six months before I go up to Palo Alto.”