MaxPreps is pleased to announce that the
Centennial (Peoria, AZ) Coyotes have officially been named to the 11th Annual MaxPreps Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard, which is in its 11th year honoring football.
This is one of the most prestigious team awards in all of high school sports and it is an exclusive honor reserved for the top 100 teams nationwide. In order to be eligible, a team must win a state championship and be highly ranked in the MaxPreps National Rankings. For football, only 50 of the country's best are invited and with nearly 17,000 competing varsity teams. This puts the Coyotes ahead of 99.9 percent of their opponents!
Year after year the Coyotes had proven themselves as a powerhouse in Division II after they claimed four state titles and won nine section championships since 2006. Coming off a 12-2 finish last season and the 2014 Division II title, Centennial was named as one of the MaxPreps' 2015 Arizona football
Fab 5 teams as an early contender as they would make the jump from Division II to Division I.
Heading into the 2015 season, the team looked to prove themselves as a strong competitor in its new division. By the end of the regular season, it was evident that Centennial could keep up with the big school teams as they finished 8-2 and No. 1 Section II with a 4-1 section record.
The Coyotes were the No. 6 seed going into their first-ever
2015 AIA Division I football playoffs. Although it was a new division, the team had plenty of experience making it deep into the postseason. Their football program had ten playoff and seven state final game appearances in the last ten seasons since 2005, so the well-seasoned Coyotes were definitely in familiar territory.
No. 6 Centennial beat the odds in the first three rounds and defeated No. 11 Basha (38-13), No. 3 Hamilton (34-23) as well as No. 2 Mountain Pointe (31-21) in the semifinal matchup to play No. 4 Desert Vista in the state finals.
While Desert Vista was in search of its first state title, Centennial was looking to claim its first Division I title and back-to-back championships. The Coyotes also looking to make history and become the first west-side team to win a big-school title since 1982.
On Nov. 28, Centennial beat Desert Ridge
28-6 at the University of Phoenix Stadium to capture its first Division I title and second consecutive title. The victory marked the first time a team from the west-side had won the state's biggest classification since Moon Valley in 1982.
Head coach Richard Taylor, the 2015 high school coach of the year, led the team to a 12-2 season and repeat state titles in two different divisions. In 14 games, the team averaged 34.1 points per game and 4.8 touchdowns per game. The Coyotes also dominated in the running game with 49 rushing touchdowns and an average of 249.6 rushing yards per game with a total of 3438 rushing yards.
At the end of the season, Centennial was ranked No. 27 in the nation, No. 1 in the state, No. 1 in Division I, and No. 6 in
MaxPreps' Southwest region.
These incredible season achievements have earned the Centennial Coyotes an invitation to the 11th Annual Tour of Champions.
Please join us as we celebrate with the football team, coaching staff, students and fans on Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. during halftime of the boys basketball game in the gym.
For more information about the Tour of Champions, please visit the MaxPreps Tour of Champions
site.
To view more photos from the state final game, click
here.
