Chandler had gone 22 days without playing a football game. And, for a while in the first half, it looked like it.
But, on Friday night, Oct. 16, as the game wore on, the Wolves looked like they were in Open Division championship form with a goal-line stand in the closing minutes to stave off visiting Peoria Centennial for a 20-16 win between Top 5 ranked 6A opponents.
For a second, it looked like Centennial would win it in the end. But receiver Jason Lee had the ball for half a second and it came out in the end zone on a sharp pass from Titus Hill.
Then, on fourth down from the Chandler 3, Hill figured he'd go to his brother, Torrin, lofting a pass in the end zone in his direction. Torrin usually
wins 50-50 balls, but the ball was just out of his reach with two-way star Jai Jones tightly contesting.
It wasn't quite over. Chandler was backed up to its 1 after a penalty, then wasn't able to get it out of the end zone, as Centennial registered a safety.
Centennial got the ball back with 10 seconds left, but Titus Hill was sacked by Cau'Re Smith. Game over.
"I thought our defense played well all game," Chandler coach Ty Wisdom said. "We missed some tackles in the first half. Some of that is they have good players, and some of it we hadn't played a game since Sept. 24th. Maybe a little rust to knock off.
"I'm just proud of the resiliency of our guys with that goal-line stand."
No. 2 Chandler (6-1) had huge efforts on offense, defense and special team to make sure No. 5 Centennial (6-1) lost its first game.
Tight end Gage Scheurn had a big 34-yard catch in the second quarter that was part of a 98-yard scoring drive that quarterback Will Mencl capped with a 7-yard run to tie the score at 14 just before halftime.
Kicker Ryan Zima drilled field goals of 47 and 30 yards in the second half that gave the Wolves a 20-14 lead.
And safety Austin Reese had two sacks and an interception in the second half, when the Coyotes weren't able to get the ball into the hands of dynamic tailback Jaylee Abraham enough.
"That was playoff atmosphere," Wisdom said. "That was fun."
Reese was all over the field and in the backfield, making plays, as the Wolves constantly changed up their defenense making it difficult for Titus Hill to find time to pass.
"We played together as a group and really put it into the game," Reese said. "It was a little boring (going 22 days without a game) but we made it work."
During one stretch in the fourth quarter, to try to kick-start the offense, 5-foot-7 sophomore Jonah Garcillano took over at quarterback. He got the Coyotes moving with his legs. But, when the Coyotes worked the ball near the Chandler goal line, Titus Hill came back and nearly had them in the end zone.
Asked about the near catch in the end zone, Centennial coach Andrew Taylor said, "I'll have to look at the film on that one."
And on the tight coverage from Jones on the pass intended for Torrin Hill, Taylor said he felt there was a lot of contact.
"They did a better job of getting pressure," Taylor said. "They made some plays here and there. But we needed one more at the end.
"Back-and-forth exciting game. Great plays by both teams. Disappointed by the ending. But good job by them. Their defense is very stout."
Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. Catch the best high school sports coverage in the state. Sign up for Azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don't miss a thing. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Late goal-line stand carries Chandler to big win over Centennial
