Centennial defeats ALA Queen Creek, moves on to 6A state title game

Peoria Centennial coach Andrew Taylor had a feeling before the 6A semifinal against ALA Queen Creek. That feeling involved sophomore linebacker Aidan Torres intercepting a pass. Taylor says that nine times out of 10, he’s usually wrong when it comes to pre-game feelings.

Except this time, he wasn’t. Torres did indeed come up with an interception, the first of his high school career, returning it 70 yards for a touchdown. That touchdown proved to be pivotal in No. 2 Centennial’s 35-23 win over No. 3 ALA Queen Creek on Friday, Nov. 28.

“Before the game, I said, ‘You’re going to get a pick. I know it. I feel it. I see it,’’ Taylor recalled. “I didn’t see that he would run it all the way back for a touchdown. Afterwards, he came over and said, ‘Coach, you called it.’ I’m like, ‘Hey, that’s the easy part. You did it.’ As a sophomore, he’s not the biggest guy out there, but he’s very quick, very tough. Got a great football mind. Loves football and loves Centennial.”

With the win, No. 2-seeded Centennial will have a chance to defend its 6A championship against No. 4 Queen Creek Casteel on Saturday, Dec. 6, at noon at Mountain American Stadium in Tempe. The Colts defeated No. 8 Salpointe Catholic, 37-28, in the other 6A semifinal.

This is he first season of the Andrew Taylor era. He took over from his Hall of Fame father, Richard, this season. Centennial beat Mesa Mountain View in Richard Taylor’s final game as a coach for the 2024 6A title.

“I try not to think of individual accolades, but I’d be lying if it wasn’t a thought on my mind,” Andrew Taylor said. “‘Like we’ve been at a certain level for a long time. Now that I officially take the reins, we can’t drop off now.’ Having a chance to win this is so exciting.”

Torres’ touchdown put the Coyotes ahead, 14-10, with 10:43 left in the second quarter and was the spark the team needed following a sluggish start. After ALA Queen Creek marched down the field and went back ahead 17-10 on a 36-yard touchdown from sophomore quarterback Cody Lalama to senior wide receiver Khalil Bender, Centennial responded again.

First, sophomore quarterback Titus Hill rolled out to his left and threw across his body to hit Sebastian Moreno for a 43-yard catch. Two plays later, Hill connected with his twin brother, Torrin, a sophomore tight end and wide receiver, for a 6-yard touchdown to go up 21-17 with 1:55 remaining in the first quarter.

From their youth football days to now at the high school level, the Hill brothers are making an impact for the Coyotes.

“It’s special,” Titus Hill said. “Just visualizing that – we’re going to have big plays. It means a lot.”

Centennial extended the lead to 28-17 coming out of halftime, with senior wide receiver Carter Reidy hauling in a 14-yard touchdown to go up two scores with 8:56 remaining in the third quarter.

ALA Queen Creek cut it to 28-23 on a 17-yard pass from Lalama to senior wide Nash Proctor on the first play of the fourth quarter.

With the game in the balance, the Centennial coaching staff dialed up a pass play for Moreno. Earlier in the game, Taylor encouraged Moreno to take back the first kickoff if he had the chance. That led to a big return, the first of many big plays on the night for Moreno.

Moreno broke free from his defender right at the line of scrimmage, with Hill then hitting him in stride for a 65-yard touchdown to ultimately go up 35-23 with 10:45 left in the fourth quarter.

The defense held firm there, forcing a turnover on downs and then running the clock out.

Centennial fell out of the Open Division playoffs after losing to Mesa Mountain View in Round 1, going back to the 6A bracket and then beating Mesa 41-39 in a thriller in the quarterfinals last week.

“There are times you have to recalibrate your goals,” Taylor said. “We adjusted our goals. ‘OK, now we’re going to go all the way in 6A.’ Win the last game is always the goal, of course.”

Afterwards, ALA Queen Creek coach Rich Edwards was emotional. Following a 0-5 start, the Patriots clawed back to finish 6-7 and reach the semifinals, putting up a fight against a powerhouse program. Bender finished his high school career with two touchdowns, coming on plays of 32 and 36 yards.

Even with a backup quarterback, sophomore Cody Lalama, who was called up from JV last season, filling in for injured senior Britt DeWitt, there were moments where ALA Queen Creek had a chance to make it to the state championship.

“I’m proud of our guys,” Edwards said before pausing. “You talk about why kids play football, it’s to learn these lessons. Preserve. Battle. Fight through hardship. We had our share this year. These are seniors that’ve been part of a program that’s been to the Open the last four years, prior to this year. For a school of 1,110 kids, it’s not because we have huge numbers. It’s because they buy in, they work hard. That’s the legacy they leave. If we do more with less, I think we’ll be successful in anything we do.”

Logan Stanley is a sports reporter with The Arizona Republic who primarily focuses on high school, college and Olympic sports. To suggest ideas for human-interest stories and other news, reach out to Stanley at [email protected] or 707-293-7650. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @LSscribe.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Centennial advances to 6A state championship game, will face Casteel