RENO, Nev. – Arizona football teams don’t get mentioned with the nation’s elite.
Just doesn’t happen.
So when USA Today came out this week with Centennial (Peoria) ranked No. 9 nationally – weeks after MaxPreps had the Coyotes among its top 20 – coach Richard Taylor was understandably concerned his team would come in overconfident.
Photo by Todd Shurtleff
Centennial's Matt Baugh huals in 3rd-quarter TD pass.
Especially traveling out of state for the first time. … In the Biggest Little City in the World, no less. … Against the defending and undefeated
Nevada state champion McQueen Lancers.
No worries coach.
The Coyotes are apparently as good as advertised.
The three-time defending state 5A-I champs toyed with McQueen and got major contributions in all facets during a 51-20 season-opening Barry Sollenberger Classic victory at Mackay Stadium on the campus of the University of Nevada Saturday night.
“A lot of people all week said we didn’t deserve (the rankings),” tailback Anthony Hughes said. “We deserved it.”
Hughes, a strong, fast and elusive 5-foot-11, 210-pound senior, backed up the billing best of all with a pair scintillating early runs and finished with 187 totals yards and two touchdowns as the Coyotes raced to a 28-7 halftime lead, increased it to 51-7 early in the fourth quarter before giving up a pair of long late touchdown runs against second-teamers.
Centennial, ranked 19th in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 preseason national rankings and No. 32 in the MaxPreps computer rankings, finished with 431 total yards to 233 for McQueen, which returned just one starter from last year’s 14-0 squad.
The Coyotes, which returned 13 starters from their 14-0 squad, had 17 first downs to six for McQueen. Besides TD runs of 65 and 63 yards by Lucas Fejer (10 rushes, 164 yards) and a 32-yard run TD run off a fumble return by Nick Shepard, Centennial’s defense allowed a scant 73 yards in 39 plays.
Despite blustery conditions, third-year starting quarterback Dain McFarland was pinpoint accurate, completing 9 of 13 for 170 yards and three touchdowns, one each to Hughes, tight end Austin Arias and wide receiver Matt Baugh.
"I'd give us a B-plus," Centennial coach Richard Taylor said when asked to grade the performance. "I liked how our offensive line played and except for one play, I liked our first-team defense played.
"Out of all of them, however, our special teams probably played the best. They definitely got the momentum going for us."
It took less than five minutes and one drive to show what a talent Hughes promises to be as he led the Coyotes to a 28-7 halftime lead.
On the opening drive, Hughes carried six times for 61 yards, including a scintillating 42-yard scamper that set up a 1-yard touchdown with 7:48 left in the first half to give Centennial a 7-0 lead.
Hughes, who’s waited in the wings after cousin Jeff Hughes and brother John Hughes led the team in rushing previous seasons, was even more spectacular on the Coyotes’ next drive.
He took a swing pass to the right from McFarland, evaded several tacklers, reversed field and then sprinted virtually untouched down the left sideline completing a 70-yard touchdown, making it 14-0 with 1:13 left in the first.
“He knows the importance of the Hughes name in the Centennial program and he played like he wants to better them both,” Taylor said. “He's an outstanding kid and he worked harder this summer than he has his whole career. It paid off tonight."
Said McFarland: “(Hughes) is definitely an amazing player – an amazing kid. He does that in practice all day.”
Just two plays later McQueen scored on an equally stunning touchdown as Fejer broke loose on a seemingly pedestrian off-tackle play and went 65 yards for a score, closing the gap to 14-7.
The 65 yards accounted for more than half of McQueen’s 126 first-half yards.
Centennial’s rugged defense seemed to take offense at the long score and accounted for its two second-quarter touchdowns.
Linebacker Tevin Ray blocked and recovered a punt, setting up a 10-yard scoring drive – a 10-yard TD pass from McFarland to Arias, making it 21-7 with 6:06 left in the half.
Then, with McQueen once again pinned deep, punter Eric Martinez muffed a punt snap in the end zone and Centennial’s Jacob Callahan recovered, giving the Coyotes a 28-7 lead with 1:08 left in the quarter.
Centennial’s special teams struck again early in the second half as punt returner Gary Ross broke right, reversed field, followed a wall of blockers for a 61-yard touchdown, making it 35-7 with 10:07 left in the third quarter.
A 46-yard scoring toss from McFarland to Baugh and a 2-yard TD jaunt by Tevin closed out the scoring for the Coyotes, who got big pushes up front from their three Division I forces Dylan Lusk (6-3, 300), Nick Rowland (6-5, 300) and Junior Nieves (6-4, 300).
“We believe we’re a good team but we’re not going to let the rankings get to our head,” McFarland said. “We just try to put it aside and play the game and do what we do at practice.”
Those must be some practices.
CENTENNIAL 51, MCQUEEN 20
Centennial 14 14 16 7 - 51
McQueen 7 0 0 13 - 20
First quarter
C - Hughes 1 run (Jesse Ortiz kick), 7:48
C - Hughes 70 pass from McFarland (Ortiz kick), 1:13
M - Fejer 65 run (Eric Martinez kick), 0:50
Second quarter
C - Arias 10 pass from McFarland (Ortiz kick), 6:06
C - Jacob Callahan 0 fumble recovery (Ortiz kick), 1:08
Third quarter
C - Gary Ross 61 punt return (Ortiz kick), 10:07
C - Matt Baugh 46 pass from McFarland (Ortiz kick), 4:02
C - Safety team
Fourth quarter
C - Tevin Ray 2 run (Ortiz kick), 5:58
M - Fejer 63 run (kick failed), 4:50
M - Nick Shepard 32 run (Martinez kick), 1:01