Chandler (Ariz.) at Centennial (Peoria, Ariz.)
Bryce Perkins and Chandler will face Centennial in a battle of two of Arizona's best football squads.
Photo by Barry Shaffer
It's a season-opening showdown between preseason No. 1 teams in the Arizona Republic's state rankings. Chandler, which started on top of the Division I poll, has eight offensive starters back from a 10-3 team. The featured player is senior quarterback
Bryce Perkins, a 6-2, 200-pound dual-threat prospect who is verbally committed to Arizona State. Meanwhile in Division II, Centennial is favored to win the state championship – something it has been unable to accomplish since three-peating from 2006-08. Centennial will lean heavily upon three-star running back
Dedrick Young. The 6-1, 200-pounder ran for 1,696 yards and 17 touchdowns as a junior.
This game will be featured on Qwixcore, featuring live scoring updatesJust the facts: These teams have met three times in the last five years. Chandler beat Centennial, 41-21, a year ago but lost to the Coyotes in 2009 and 2010. … Centennial's 20-point setback to Chandler last year was only its fourth loss by more than a touchdown in any game played since 2006.
Mitch Stephens: Centennial 28, Chandler 27
Kevin Askeland: Chandler 28, Centennial 21
Jamie DeMoney: Chandler 34, Centennial 27
Stephen Spiewak: Centennial 31, Chandler 28
Leland Gordon: Centennial 36, Chandler 35
Colin Ward-Henninger: Chandler 45, Centennial 17
Jamie DeMoney has covered high school sports and recruiting for the past 20 seasons. He is a Regional Content Manager and Product Specialist for XOS Digital and compiles the National Prep Poll (PrepNation) for World Features Syndicate.
