CLOSER LOOK: Centennial’s Israel Carter
Take a closer look at Corona Centennial senior Israel ‘Izzy’ Carter and you’ll see the Huskies best chance to beat Mater Dei.
Carter completed 4 of 7.passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns, and also ran for 125 yards and two more scored as the Huskies (11-0 overall) outpaced Mission Viejo, 62-16, on Friday, Nov. 12, in a CIF-Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinal game.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound quarterback had touchdown runs of 32 and 51 yards in the first half, and added touchdowns of 24 and 35 yards through the air as the Huskies put on a dominant display to open their postseason.
Carter has completed 60 percent of his pass attempts and has 10 passing TDs and 10 rushing TDs as the presumed No. 1 in coach Matt Logan’s two-QB system. Carter and fellow junior Carson Conklin have combined for six total touchdowns and nearly 400 total yards between them in the win over Mission Viejo.
We caught up with Carter after the win over Mission Viejo. He’s done a few of these already this season.
InlandFieldhouse.com: How much hype was there for this game internally?
Izzy Carter: “Of course we wanted to beat Mission Viejo. Going into practice we have the mindset of going 1-and-0 every week, but we kind of took it like we were playing for a state championship – all gas, no breaks – like today was going to be a state championship game and that proved out a lot today. Coach Logan got us here and I’m just proud of my team.”
IF: If you treated this one like a state championship game then how do you come back with that same energy against Mater Dei in the semifinals?
IC: “Mater Dei – that’s a great team and they’re the No. 1 team in the nation for a reason. There’s no bigger stage than that in high school football, so when we go out to practice next week we have to give it all we’ve got (and) like we’re playing Mater Dei in practice. We just have to translate the energy, realize who we’re playing, and come together as a team. I think we’ll be alright. First game of the season we got that game taken away so we scrimmaged them and we felt really good off of that, and all of SoCal was shocked a little bit that we’re competing with these guys, but we spoke it into existence (and) I believer we’re going to win a state championship this year.”
IF: How important was it for the team to set a tone in the running game?
IC: “The offensive line… those boys have my back. I love those guys to death. Before games they come up to me and tell me, ‘Whatever happens, we’ve got your back,’ and I love those guys with all my heart. We have a bond outside of football. I think that’s very important for your linemen and I love those guys. They make me a better person. And Coach Logan, that’s like a father to me. All the tools and wisdom that he gives me, I soak that in as a student of the game and I apply it to the field and great things happen.”
IF: What do you think playing under Coach Logan will mean for your career?
IC: “Growing up as a kid I always wanted to play for Coach Logan. Always. Goings to Centennial games and we were winning state championships with Tre Watson, Anthony Catalano, Taylor Martinez, J.J. Taylor… those guys. I just wanted to be on the same field and play against the top teams in the country like we’re dright now. Coach Logan is a great coach. You can’t ever take anything from Coach Logan. He’s amazing.”
INLAND FIELDHOUSE 