It’s as if the month of November was made for the Centennial Coyotes football program. After spotting underdog Higley seven points early, the ‘Yotes balanced attack on both sides of the ball was simply too much in the 48-13 5A semi-final route on a cold night at Willow Canyon High School in Surprise.
Talented junior Jaydin Young returned a first quarter kickoff for a touchdown and blocked a field goal just before halftime while, once again, senior running back Tawee Walker came up big for Centennial’s offense who will face the Saints December 1st at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe.
“I got a lot of help,” Walker said after the victory. “Every practice we do great. The offensive line played great and our quarterback made perfect reads.”
Said quarterback is junior Jonathan Morris who has thrown 18 touchdowns and only turned the ball over five times for the 13-0 defending 5A state champions.
“We have so many weapons on offense and our defense is just stellar,” Morris explained. “We have some of the best running backs in the state. We have some really great wide receivers. It’s just really hard to figure out who to cover for one game.”
Defensively, top-seed Centennial neutralized Higley star quarterback Spencer Brasch who was under constant duress from the Coyotes’ stout defensive front and was seen gingerly walking to the sidelines after a fourth quarter possession holding his side.
Walker accounted for three total touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving) and the ‘Yotes also scored on a fake punt. Eric Haney capped the Centennial scoring with a 10-yard run midway through the fourth quarter.
Taylor and his veteran staff continue to mold outstanding, balanced teams and will again hoist the gold ball if they can duplicate Friday’s performance in two weeks against NDP.
