The Centennial Bulldogs will face off against the Faith Lutheran Crusaders at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Centennial is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last three games.
Centennial is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They claimed a resounding 55-26 win over Green Valley. The Bulldogs' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Nehemiah Dunlap-Myvett produced another solid effort rushing for 128 yards and two TDs on only 12 carries, while also throwing for 328 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 10.9 yards per attempt. His longest rush was for an impressive 53 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Another pass catcher making a difference was Jayden Thomas, who picked up 105 receiving yards and a pair of scores.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Centennial was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 224 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 205 rushing yards in five consecutive games.
Special teams also deserves some recognition, posting 12 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Luke Lawrence, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Faith Lutheran faced Las Vegas in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Crusaders walked away with a 17-7 victory over the Wildcats. The Crusaders haven't had any issues with the Wildcats recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.
The critical scores for Faith Lutheran came from Jaden Mason and Ace Brimmer.
Faith Lutheran didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Mason and Brimmer. Faith Lutheran is 2-1 when Brimmer posts one or more interceptions, but 3-6 otherwise. The Crusaders received some extra help from Mason, whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.
Faith Lutheran's victory bumped their record up to 5-7. As for Centennial, their win bumped their record up to 7-4.
Centennial might still be hurting after the 45-21 loss they got from Faith Lutheran when the teams last played back in October of 2022. Can the Bulldogs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
