Centennial and Liberty are Open Division title contenders nearly every year in Arizona. But these Peoria rivals would not be #1 and #2 in the state entering the final game and MaxPreps would not rank the Coyotes #23 and the Lions #25 nationally without their dominant offensive lines.

Before we look at how both programs got here, we asked players and coaches what life is like along the offensive line in a Centennial-Liberty game. Remeber, these teams also regularly churn out elite defensive lines:

Kaden Haeckel (senior) OT Liberty: “This is now the rivalry for Liberty. Not really the cross-town rival Sunrise, it’s Centennial. It’s going to be a good game every time, so you just make sure you’re in the moment.”

Brady Bakke (senior) OT Centennial: "It’s super exciting to be able to play in a game like this with two top lines being able to go at it. This is why you go here to play in top games like these. They are different from the others considering it’s also a rivalry game I’m sure both sides are really excited to get at it."

Caden Gabbard (senior) C/G Centennial: "These games mean more. They are an incredibly talented and tough opponent, but we are getting a little tired of being in Liberty's shadow. No other matchup can compare to this atmosphere. It’s going to be a battle between two great teams."

Shawn Gloden Liberty offensive line coach: “Number 53, the defensive tackle (Dylan Roberts) is an excellent young man (now at Northwestern). I’ve met him a number of times. Great young man off the field and a ferocious defensive lineman. He was always a handful – very smart and strong, with a very good base,” Gloden said. “Now you have number 11 (Noah Carter) in there at end and I think number 43 (Ryder Marple) is a heck of a player. They’ve always have good guys on the defensive line.”

Centennial head coach Richard Taylor: "We know they’re going to be good every year. Their population dictates that they’re going to have more kids and more depth than us. And their coaching staff does a great job in all three phases of the game.'

Believe it of not there was a time when Centennial did not get elite linemen to come in. It was called the 90s. Centennial regularly lost linemen in its boundaries to Cactus and Peoria - with both schools about 2 miles away. Taylor was there when the school opened in 1990 and a year or two later he had increased hope, when former University of Arizona offensive lineman Joe McDonald joined the staff to coach the o-line:

Taylor: “We had 165-pound offensive guards. I think we had to pay or dues. We had Cactus right there, and Peoria right there. Eventually we stopped losing our kids and we started getting kids from other places.”

“It takes kids with heart. And eventually you get the kids that look like Bakke. They want to come here because they know they’re going to be taught well and they’re a good chance they’re going to get a scholarship,” Taylor said. “Plus recruiters trust Joe. Often they bypass me and ask Joe if they can go D1 or not. And he’s honest with them.”

Liberty opened in 2006 and had to watch its offensive linemen go - to Centennial. The Lions original varsity teams led by Danny Filleman averaged 200 pounds aloing the line. The big boys were going to three-time state champion Centennial (2006-2008)

Filleman built the program up and by 2013 Mark Smith was his defensive coordinator. Centennial and Liberty were now rivals in Division II (basically today's 5A).

Centennial won the first game between the two in 2013 by a 42-31 margin after Liberty grabbed a 24-7 lead in the first half. A Coyotes line led by future Pac-12 players Kamryn Bennett and Layth Friekh paved the way for eventual Nebraska linebacker Dedrick Young gaining 329 yards and five touchdowns on 39 carries.

Both lost in the quarterfinals that year but were the top two teams in Division II in 2014. Centennial came back to win the regular season game 17-14. They won the state title too, 26-14.

Young ran for 180 yards and quarterback Isaac Steele 87 as Centennial controlled Liberty lines with stars on both sides like defensive tackle Aaron Blackwell and current Atlanta Falcons guard Kyle Hinton.

Filleman left for Regis Jesuit in meto Denver, Smith became head coach and Colin Thomas arrived as offensive coordinator from Delaware. He quickly learned about Centennial, which won the 17-team superteam Division I in 2015.

By 2017, Liberty was able to stand in with the Coyotes on both sides of the line, knocking of a nationally top 20 ranked Centennial team 21-19 in the season finale thanks in part to defensive linemen Braxten Croteau and Jon Clark.

Centennial won the epic playoff rematch 42-37 despite a tremendous effort from the Lions undersized, unheralded offensive line:

Colin Thomas: “To have a chance to beat Centennial you’ve got to meet them physicality wise up front. That team was not the biggest but they played hard and gelled well.”

Centennial won their 6th and 7th state titles in 5A during the 2017 and 2018 season as parents continued to send linemen to Joe McDonald.

Taylor: “Joe is patient. He’s very knowledgeable and so the kids know he played at a very high level and would have played in the pros had it not been for three knee operations. He’s willing to spend time to make sure they do it right. A lot of times coaches go, ‘Aah, that’s close enough.’ It’s never close enough with Joe. He wanted to do it again and make sure they’re doing it the way they were taught.”

Kamryn Bennett former OT, Centennial run game coordinator: “As a coach you see every step, you see every hand placement. It’s kind of a challenge to get these guys to understand that the little things matter. I get to reap what I sowed, pretty much,” Bennett said. “This group is kind of special because I ended up moving down to JV two years ago. I’ve been with this group since. They’ve been hearing the same rhetoric we use in the film room. The fact that they’re speaking my language now kind of blows me away. It’s a double-edged sword because now they’re starting to ask questions in film that make too much sense.”

“He’s an old school, take no crap kind of guy. That is instilled in all these kids,” Bennett said. “Every film meeting he kind of gets on someone. ‘You don’t take that. The next play you’d better be right in his face.’ I’m more of the technical guy and about how can we set them up for the next play. Coach McDonald is, ‘I don’t care. Whatever it is, you’re in their face 24/7.’ He’s got that early 90s U of A college football in him still. That’s who Coach McDonald is. The kids love him and the parents love him. I don’t think a lot of parents really want to go say hi to him because they’re a little scared.”

Gloden arrived at Liberty from Mesa Community College after playing there, then coaching 15 years there. He said he inherited a very smart 2018 line.

He said it was the first time he came into the program with this solid of a foundation.

And he realized this was going to be a great offensive line going forward in the fourth quarter of a seemingly nondescript 35-16 win at O'Connor in October 2019.

Gloden: “We get the ball back with 6:43 on the clock. We start on the 17 yard line and we knew all we needed to do was take off as much time as we could. We didn’t need to score, just had to eat the clock. I think we were up pretty good in that game,” Gloden said. “We took two knees inside the 5 to end the game. From then on, that’s the standard now.”

Thomas: “Ever since we’ve gotten better and better each year. We’ve had four or five straight years of guys going on to play line at a Division I level, and that will continue. When I first got here, we were not the biggest team. Now we’re a good-sized team and can have a physical run game, which Liberty wasn’t known for. So I’m very proud of that.”

The Peoria powers met again in 2020. This time Liberty lost to Centennial to end the regular season 34-24, then beat the Coyotes 25-24 in the first round of the Open Division.

Suddenly in 2021, Centennial could not push front sevens around. The Coyotes finished last in the region and were 3-8 while Liberty again made the Open Division semifinals.

Was this rivalry over?

Centennial fought its way back, going 8-3 and returning to the Open Division last year.

Bennett: “Guys live Ivan Olivas and Caden Gabbard want to grind it out. They want to be better and they’re competitive. Edward Aragon, who’s as a sophomore last year started – I think – the last four games of the season. Ivan Olivas ended up starting the first three before he got hurt. These guys have that competitive drive and they don’t want to be second to anyone,” Bennett said. “Their passion for the game and their camaraderie together is what brought back that Centennial o-line culture.”

Bakke: "Going through the 2021 season I feel like was really good for my development even though it was a down year as a team I was able to go up against top guys like Anthony Lucas really helped me develop my game. All of us have been really determined to get back to old school Centennial with a dominant line. And it feels great to be apart of this group. We knew how much work we’ve put in and how much talent we have we just had to put it all together and I think it’s safe to say that’s what we’ve done this year."

Meanwhile Liberty was the top team in the state, and top 20 nationally until an upset loss to Saguaro in the Open semifinals. Haeckel didn't start but played in every game, but 6-6 290-pound sophomore Nick Spence started at right tackle.

Spence: “Last year I was that quiet kid. I had Layton Vining as my guard and he was the guy. Now, it’s a big role because I was the only starter from last year back, so I’m trying to play that big role and be vocal."

Now we're here and these are the top two teams, and lines, in the state. Running back John Wilson (Liberty) and Tony Greer (Centennial) are enjoying the space.

Haeckel: “Jon Wilson brings a different level of energy that we haven’t had in the running back room in a while. He’s having fun and making sure everyone Is having a good time. He fires us up,” Haeckel said.

“My left guard Cam Uresti is a big influence in us being able to run the ball. And having him pull and kick out and then me run up and get the cream in on the free safety is a big role. There’s been no drop off,” Haeckel said. “Our center, Jace, is also becoming a more vocal leader.”

Gabbard: We always knew we could be an elite offensive line. We knew had a difficult schedule and it would take a lot to get back to the top. We took no days off in the offseason. It all starts in the weight room. Each one of us increased our bench 50+ pounds in the offseason among other lifts, and we emphasized our conditioning. We may not be the largest o-line but we made sure we’re the most conditioned. It’s incredibly fun seeing our hard work translate to wins. Every guy I play best to has worked his but off to be there. As much as the oline would love to take all the credit, our coach Kamryn Bennett deserves nuch of it."

Spence: “My guard, J.R. Hecklinski, transferred in at the end of last year. Obviously we needed a guard. He’s played well this year."

Liberty also has a sixth offensive lineman in a sense - tight end Ryan Wolfer was an all 6A offensive tackle last year.

Gloden: “We had talked about it last year, saying ‘Man we should put him at tight end.’ And we had a plan that we were going to work toward it. But we had an injury. Layton Vining played left guard but he was originally going to play center. Things were rolling but we lost two guys in camp and one for the entire season (Joey Page) who will end up starting at guard this week. When that happened I had to make some shuffles. It was a difficult thing to do. We had that chance this year.”

“I was raised through the coaching tree by a lot of NFL guys with NFL mindsets. I come from Alex Gibbs’ tree and Mike Freeman was my first o-line coach. You’re always going to put your best 5 on the field, no matter what you have and where you are. The way I build stuff is, we’re always competing here. Nothing’s set in stone,” Gloden said. “I’ve sat a number of kids that have the ability but it’s about what’s between the ears.”

Taylor: “I’m so proud of linemen. They work so hard and very rarely get recognition. All they ever get is somebody yelling at them, ‘You missed that block. What’s a matter with you?' Sometimes it gets dirty and sometimes it gets bloody. The people scoring the touchdowns, everybody knows their name. Well, it happened because somebody up front picked up a linebacker, or they’d have gotten our quarterback and there would not have made that 40-yard pass.”