Friday night rewind: Young Centennial squad gets 1st win

Two years ago, Centennial played for the Class 4A authorities shot championship.

The Bulldogs mislaid to Liberty 50-7 connected that December time successful Sam Boyd Stadium, but the information they were determination signaled the Bulldogs had arrived arsenic a premier squad successful the authorities 2 years aft posting a 1-7 grounds successful 2017, manager Dustin Forshee’s archetypal season.

All of that momentum near Centennial with the cancellation of the 2020 season, and missing 10 days successful the spring, 10 much successful the summertime and the archetypal 10 days of autumn signifier due to the fact that of COVID-19 protocols near the Bulldogs down arsenic they entered this season.

They opened with a 31-22 nonaccomplishment to Class 4A contender Shadow Ridge successful a back-and-forth battle, past fell to 4A Durango erstwhile they were unopen retired aft the archetypal 4th successful a 31-28 decision.

For the 3rd consecutive week, the Bulldogs recovered themselves with a accidental to triumph Friday against Legacy. Both defenses dominated, and Centennial ne'er recovered the extremity zone. But 3 tract goals from Brayden Bayne — the lone returning letter-winner from the 2019 squad — allowed the Bulldogs to squeak retired a 9-8 win.

Forshee has said helium views this play arsenic his programme wholly starting over. While that mightiness beryllium overstating it, since galore of the players were successful Centennial’s precocious schoolhouse programme successful 2019, missing 2020 and the 30 days of workouts due to the fact that of COVID-19 is simply a setback.

But there’s nary amended mode to marque up for mislaid clip than playing successful adjacent games.

“Just similar anything, if you privation to beryllium successful, you person to win,” Forshee said. “You person to beryllium successful adjacent games. You person to woody with adversity, and enactment calm and collected erstwhile you’re successful a adjacent game.

“That’s what happened with us. We had 2 truly large catches and throws to get america successful field-goal range. I deliberation the kids are learning, and it’s bully for them to acquisition that.”

It’s said that a travel of a 1000 miles begins with a azygous step. If Centennial is going to instrumentality to the apical of the heap successful Nevada precocious schoolhouse football, it begins with a azygous win.

The Bulldogs person that retired of the way.

Moapa Valley reasserts dominance

After Moapa Valley’s 2 regular wins (over Eldorado and Pinecrest Cadence) to commencement the season, a gathering with Boulder City was expected to supply its archetypal existent test.

That’s not however it worked out.

Nothing went close for the Boulder City. Transportation issues caused the crippled to beryllium delayed. The Eagles fumbled connected the archetypal play of the game. Moapa Valley’s Peyton Neilson threw 5 touchdown passes, and the Pirates led 34-0 astatine halftime en way to a 54-14 win.

Game of the night

Green Valley dominated its archetypal 2 games, beating Canyon Springs and Chaparral by a combined full of 102-6.

The Gators appeared to beryllium connected their mode to different one-sided triumph Friday, erstwhile they jumped retired to a 14-0 pb connected Palo Verde. It looked particularly atrocious for the Panthers erstwhile they mislaid starting backmost Davis Whetten to a breached ankle.

Brady Denardin took implicit nether halfway and threw 2 touchdown passes for the run-heavy Palo Verde, and Paisley Nichelson bulled his mode into the extremity portion from a gait retired with 26 seconds near to springiness the Panthers a 21-20 win.

First look ahead

The apical 3 teams successful 5A volition get out-of-state tests, and each 3 of the games volition beryllium played astatine Bishop Gorman arsenic portion of the Polynesian Classic.

Desert Pines meets Orem (Utah) astatine 4:30 p.m. Friday, with Liberty pursuing astatine 7:30 against arguably the premier precocious schoolhouse programme successful the state successful Mater Dei (Calif.). Bishop Gorman closes the lawsuit against Lone Peak (Utah) astatine 4 p.m. Saturday. Faith Lutheran besides gets an out-of-state team, hosting Columbine (Colo.).

Green Valley volition look to bounce backmost Friday, connected the roadworthy against a Coronado squad coming disconnected an opening 51-14 triumph implicit Cimarron-Memorial. Shadow Ridge travels to Palo Verde for what should beryllium different carnal battle.

Contact Jason Orts astatine jorts@reviewjournal.com. Follow @SportsWithOrts connected Twitter.