The road to the Open playoffs just got a little bit clearer for Gilbert Highland.
In a key early season 6A matchup, the Hawks took down Peoria Centennial in a 24-17 win behind the legs of Kash Allen and its formidable defense, showing they deserve to be firmly in the conversation for a spot in the coveted eight-team playoff bracket at the state’s highest level.
Before Friday night, Highland coach Brock Farrel said the game was either going to set the Hawks up for what they wanted to do the rest of the season or they would face an uphill battle.
“We’re in the driver's seat now,” Farrel said. “I think that showed we should be considered, They’re a great team. They’re going to be even better come week 6, so obviously this win will look good. This year, the Open is open to anybody. Nobody’s really like Liberty last year, where they were in the driver’s seat the whole year. It’s pretty wide open. I think we have a shot at it.”
With the win, Highland moves to 2-0 while Centennial drops to 0-2. This is familiar territory for Centennial, which also began the 2014 season 0-2 before going on to win the Division II state title. Centennial, which lost to Liberty in the Open championship last year, still is a team very firmly in the mix as the Coyotes are awaiting key transfers, wide receivers Nikko Boncore and Shamar Berryhill, who will make their debuts in October after sitting out due to Arizona Interscholastic Association rules.
Centennial set the tone at first, jumping out to a quick 10-0 lead after the first quarter behind a 19-yard touchdown run from running back Owen Reynoso and a 15-yard field goal from Aaron Alvarez.
Highland then got on the board for the first time with a 23-yard field goal from Grady Crandall at the 5:31 mark in the second quarter to make it 10-3 before the tide of the game switched.
Backed up in its own end zone, Centennial quarterback Kainan Manna dropped back and rolled out to his left for a pass. As Manna's arm went back for the pass, the ball fell out of his hands. Manna appeared to think the play was dead. Officials ruled the play live, and linebacker Cooper Camac picked up the ball and ran it in to tie the game with 4:58 left in the second quarter.
Centennial coaches were arguing that the play should’ve been ruled an incomplete pass, but officials disagreed.
In a span of 33 seconds, the game was tied.
“We’re opportunistic,” Farrel said. “That definitely was the turn in the game because we looked slow, legathric a little bit. They came out ready to go. We didn’t. We weren’t ready to start. Gotta come off the bus ready to go. They did. We didn’t. Luckily we persevered and some things went our way.”
The teams traded interceptions before halftime and went into the break still tied.
Then Manna came out the half slinging, connecting with freshman WR Haaj Brown to take a 17-10 lead midway through the third quarter. It looked like for a moment that the Coyotes offense was starting to find its rhythm and would march its way to victory. But it was just a fleeting moment as the Hawks' defense clamped down the rest of the way, not surrendering a single point.
From there on out, it was all Highland.
First quarterback Kalen Fisher, who struggled all game, dialed it up at the final play of the third quarter. A penalty gave the Hawks an untimed down and the 6-foot-5 Fisher beautifully floated down a pass into the back left of the end zone right into the hands of wide receiver Max Brown to tie the game up heading into the fourth quarter. It was a big play at a big time when Highland needed it.
“He definitely didn’t have his best game,” Farrel said. “Centennial is great on defense. Whenever you play a great defense, you’re not going to do everything perfect. I love his resiliency. I think he’s showed really a lot of resiliency this year. Last year, maybe it would have gotten to him. This year, he’s very calm and collected and poised. We definitely missed some opportunities tonight that we had. But he was great when we needed him to be.”
That’s when running back Kash Allen stepped in, who had been the most consistent player the whole evening for an offense that couldn’t quite move the ball through the air.
On the very next offensive drive for Highland, which got the ball with great field position following a poor series from Centennial that pushed the ball all the way near its own end zone after three consecutive penalties, Allen punched it in from 25 yards to take a 24-17 lead with 8:42 remaining in the game.
“Kash Allen ran the ball excellent tonight,” Farrel said. “He can do everything. He runs in between the tackles, runs physical. He’s elusive. He’s a great receiver, he can run routes. He just does everything. It’s hard to defend a kid like that.”
The appreciation extends to the quarterback room.
“Having a guy like Kash behind you, the trust is built-in already,” Fisher said. “You don’t have to build it. You just know that Kash is going to do whatever he has to do when has the ball in his hands. That’s what makes me so happy about it. I love him.”
After both punting on the next two offensive possessions, Centennial had the ball at its own 20-yard line with 2:47 left to try to tie it up. But defensive end Jackson Peel effectively ended the game on 4th and 8 with his sack.
The win on Friday night is just like last year when Highland took down Basha in week 2, proving to the state that it was going to be a worthy opponent for the rest of the season. The Hawks are hoping the same thing happened.
But up first is a road trip against an out-of-state opponent, Frontier.
“The challenge is going to be: we go to California next week,” Farrel said. “We’re getting on a bus, long trip against a team that we’ve seen off of a big win. We gotta battle the adrenaline dump. That’ll be the message all week.”
Logan Stanley is a sports reporter with The Arizona Republic who primarily focuses on high school, ASU and Olympic sports. To suggest ideas for human-interest stories and other news, reach out to Stanley at logan.stanley@gannett.com or 707-293-7650. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@LSscribe.
