I spent Friday at Casteel High to watch their 5A debut against defending 5A champion Centennial. For a full recap of the game, check out my article on YourValley.net. And don't forget to check out the Arizona Varsity Centennial/Casteel Recap Podcast.

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Tawee Walker scored four times in his Centennial debut. The scariest part about this is that he's still learning how to run within the confines of the Coyotes offense. As he becomes more patient and in tune with his offensive line, he'll only get better.

AJ Jackson is the unheralded standout of the 2017 Centennial playoff run. He continued his strong play on Friday, with two punt returns that got Centennial inside Casteel's 30-yard line, and an interception that led to another Coyotes scoring drive.

Jaydin Young is very fast. While previous Centennial teams had some deceptively quick players, like Alex Escobar and Jordan Ware, as well as some true burners like Dom Hampton, Young might just be the fastest of them all. He's a weapon in the running game, the passing game, and a huge asset on defense.

Witt opposing teams keying on heavily-recruited Khyheem Waleed, as well as stat-stuffing junior Brandt Goodwin, Zach Nelson is ready to take advantage. Nelson looks much more physically mature than last season, and it was evident in Casteel's 4th quarter comeback, when Centennial defenders couldn't bring him down one-on-one. With his monster two-score fourth quarter, Nelson ended up the games leading receiver. Gunner Cruz has a plethora of options in this Casteel offense, and after Friday, it wouldn't be crazy to make the argument that Nelson might just be the best one.

What a fantastic surprise this kid is. He's tall, long, physical, has good footwork, and instinctually gets to the ball on nearly every snap. Hunter Barth has a bright future in the Casteel defensive backfield.

Centennial's ability to replace last year's impact starters with players that were ready to perform in week against a defending champion was the highlight of this game. Jeiel Stark, Tawee Walker, Jonathan Morris, Jaydin Young, and the rest of Centennial's starters are more than just replacements, they're replenishments.

Centennial may have been in trouble if the two teams had to play a fifth quarter. The 19 points the Coyotes surrendered in the fourth quarter while half their team was cramping on the sideline represent one third of the total points they surrendered in the 2017 regular season. They have to hydrate and get into better shape before their week 3 game against Bishop Gorman.

On Casteel's first drive, Mack Johnson had three touches for a total of -4 yards. The biggest question mark about Casteel in their move to the 5A Conference is whether they'll be able to maintain some semblance of the success they've had on the ground. Johnson ran for over 2,600 yards and scored 44 times as a sophomore and junior, and he'll need the offensive line to step up in a big way if he's going to continue his productivity on the ground in 2018.

2020 Centennial QB Jonathan Morris didn't come off as inexperienced or anxious in his debut for the Coyotes. I've been hearing that Morris has the talent for Centennial to potentially open the offense up and get talented wideouts like Dyelan Miller involved, but having watched Centennial for several years, I had my doubts about whether the coaching staff would be willing to toy with a run-heavy recipe that has brought them nothing but success. I have to say though, Morris might just have the level of composure to make Richard Taylor and company comfortable with the idea of airing things out a bit more than usual.

To hear from Tawee Walker and AJ Jackson, listen to The Arizona Varsity Show, Centennial/Casteel Recap Podcast

Casteel (0-1) travels to Glendale to take on talented RB Ali Mohammed and the Apollo Hawks (1-0) on 8/24

Centennial (1-0) hosts nationally ranked Bishop Gorman (0-0) from Las Vegas on 8/31