Eric Sorenson
If you would have told “Zone Read” back in late July when we sat in his Peoria office that, at the time this column was published, Richard Taylor would have as many career wins now as he did then, I’d probably offer you some beautiful beach front property in Yuma.
A month into the regular season, the Centennial Coyotes sit at 0-4.
Let it sink in for a minute.
A year ago, Cen10 advanced to the Open Division Championship. To call the Coyotes an Arizona high school football blue blood just doesn’t seem like enough, considering Taylor’s ultra-successful blueprint since starting the program back before cell phones, and when people actually read the newspapers tossed on their driveway (1990).
Taylor didn’t have to take my call earlier this week, but he did. He didn’t have to agree to a 15-minute phone interview in the middle of his Monday…on a four-game losing streak, but he did.
I started by asking Taylor if he’d ever lost the first four games of a regular season at any level of coaching. He paused, then quietly responded, “No, I don’t think so.”
Centennial is a young team, starting three freshmen and a handful of sophomores.
The biggest issue to this point is finishing games.
“We’ve got young kids that are learning, and getting a lot better,” he said to the “Zone Read.” “But at the same time, they are still making mistakes that hurt us. I think the best way for them to grow is to get out there and make mistakes.”
Just when Centennial is putting a drive together…it goes backwards. A holding penalty on this screen pass to Owen Reynoso pushes the Coyotes back before Hamilton’s Ben Jones sacks Kainnan Manna forcing a punt. Hamilton leads Centennial 10-3 at the half. @Husky_Football7 pic.twitter.com/JydW5EvsL0
— Ben Stapley (@AZpreps365Ben) August 30, 2024
For perspective, Centennial’s four losses are to teams who are a combined 14-1 to open the season (Hamilton, Highland, Brophy and Tucson Salpointe). Three of the four setbacks were one-score games. In their season opener at Hamilton, the Coyotes had a chance to potentially tie the game before their final drive stalled in a hard-fought 17-10 loss. Last week, they missed two field goals and an extra point in a 27-23 home loss to Salpointe.
Flawless execution – something we almost took for granted with Taylor-led teams, dating back thirty-some-odd years ago, simply hasn’t been there.
“These [young players] may be great by the end of the season,” he explained. “But these are the growing pains we’re going through.
Brutal QB sack by Centennial… but is it a penalty? Refs said yes. You be the judge.
Lancers lead the Coyotes 14-10 in the second quarter.
Via @Zone48live pic.twitter.com/LfUTKOGYhA
— ArizonaVarsity.com 🔥PREPS🔥 (@AZHSFB) September 20, 2024
“I’ve long thought you either win, or you learn, if you’re smart. There’s no time to be feeling sorry for yourself. Smart people learn from their mistakes, foolish people continue making them.”
At the 6A level here in Arizona, there’s a razor-thin boundary between winning and losing. As one head coach told me last season, “Winning 6A games is hard.”
For a glass-half-full perspective, the young Coyotes have a handful of mid-season “get right” games coming up, including three of the next four, against Boulder Creek (0-4), Saguaro (0-4), and Chaparral (2-2), the week after trip across the Valley to take on a talented 3-1 Queen Creek squad.
Centennial will also add to the mix a handful of expected impact transfers in three-star wide receiver Shamar Berryhill who holds a University of Arizona offer, versatile Saguaro transfer Tyler Overstreet, linebacker Brion Lawrence, former Chaparral defensive lineman Jace Langley, and others. The group will be eligible for the Saguaro game on October 4th.
The present tense is getting ready for this week and, just as important, making sure the psyche of these baby ‘Yotes is still intact after the last 30 or so days – a sobering reality for a program which has hoisted seven gold balls in the last 18 years.
“Young men are either sky high because they win, or down in the dumps because they lose,” Taylor noted. “We’re never as good, or as bad, as we think we are. The reality is…they’re playing good teams and every time you make a mistake, they’re taking advantage of it.
“We’re trying to keep the boys’ spirits up. That’s difficult for them, I know. I just keep telling them, there are going to be good things that will happen…that’s hard for young guys to see.”
There have been whispers in the AZHS football community that this Centennial version isn’t like past teams which physically dominated at the line of scrimmage and seemed to get stronger as the game went on. Taylor praised the work of his team this off-season, particularly at their team camp in Thousand Oaks, CA.
It’s a wrap, Cali Camp success! Thank you to @AY_BILT for great camp site and experience. Thank you to players and coaches for work put in! #SeniorsLead #TEAM_Teammate__self #CoyoteStrong pic.twitter.com/SfrSAxqdts
— Centennial Coyotes Football (@Cehsfootball) July 20, 2024
He is still a big believer in this group, but realizes the turbulence of these losses partly stems from not having senior-led alphas like 2024 stars Noah Carter, Kenny Worthy, Tony Greer, Iverson Small, and others.
“You have to learn from kids who are two and three-years older than you, and are teaching you lessons in the game,” said Taylor.
Nobody knows what Centennial’s win-loss record will be after the remaining six regular season games play out, but we do one thing, Taylor and his veteran staff will get it figured out. They’re too good and too experienced not to.
Centennial’s success didn’t happen overnight.
Taylor has been, wait for the football cliche’, “trusting the process” for over 30 years.
No reason to change now.
