Big plays, rather than steady offense, saved Centennial in its Oct. 14 road trip to an ascending O’Connor program, allowing the Coyotes to move to 5-1 this season with a 20-15 win.
Arguably the two biggest plays came from a pair of Coyotes upperclassmen on the recruiting radar.
After running into a loaded box all night, senior Kavaughn Clark saw a defense spread out by Centennial freshman quarterback Kainan Manna’s success in the two minute drill. Clark took a draw and scooted untouched through a gaping hole in the middle of the line for the decisive 18-yard touchdown run with 20 seconds left.
“I saw the clock and that we were starting to move the ball and spread guys out. I was licking my chops before the play getting ready,” Clark said.
The Eagles stingy defense was the first to hold Clark under 100 yards this season. The 5-8, 180-pound running back finished the first half of the season with 731 yards and eight touchdowns on 93 carries.
With senior quarterback Steven Urquiza hobbled on a bad leg and replaced by Manna after a third quarter end zone sack and safety allowed drew O’Connor within 14-8. Most of the night, the home team could sell out on stopping Clark most of the night.
“He’s playing so hard and so well. We know that people are going to say, ‘if you can stop him, you’ve got a good chance of winning.’ I was real proud of the offensive line. It’s tough. They’re seeing a man on each of their shoulders,” Centennial coach Richard Taylor said.
Clark finished the night with 18 carries for 89 yards, and also kicked off the night’s scoring with a 4-yard touchdown tote.
“It’s not really me calming down, it’s me being in my element. It’s more normal. Like this game, I don’t have to come out and have 300 yards every game because I know my team will come out here and pick up. All I have to do is execute, and when I have a plan like that and my o-line blocks so good,” Clark said.
Clark received an offer from Nevada in March 2021, but things have quieted since then. As a running back, he realizes the position is one of the last in line for most Division I schools to fill.
“There’s a lot of people that are looking at him, and the kind of year he’s having, there’s going to be a lot more,” Taylor said.
When the eyes return to the running back, they’ll be looking at film and statistics even better than Clark’s breakout sophomore season.
For now all eyes from the teams that fill your TV screen on a Saturday are on another Coyote who shines Friday night – junior defensive end/tight end Noah Carter.
Carter received his third offer from ASU on Oct. 5. Iowa State and Idaho State offered Carter well before his junior season primarily at a position the 6-4, 220-pounder rarely played before said junior season.
“I also have schools like Oregon, Colorado and Duke. They’re recruiting me for defense, I think,” Carter said.
Projected as an edge rusher who can easily add more weight to his lanky frame, Carter is already producing to go along with his potential. He forms a lethal pass rush duo with senior Salehe Koonoka.
Along with three sacks against the Eagles, Carter blew up a crucial O’Connor third down attempt by taking down senior receiver Ben Currence for a loss.
“It’s been fun. You get to play more freely on the d line, and you get to really show what you can do,” Carter said. “There’s a lot of trust in the d line, and we trust each other to be in the positions we need to be in. And our coach – a big shout out goes to Coach (Andrew) Taylor because he puts us in position to make plays.”
Carter is listed as a three-star recruit, primarily as a defensive end, though he also could be recruited as a tight end. In any case, the arrow is pointed up.
“Whenever recruiters come out, they go ‘Who’s that kid?’ Taylor said. “Noah seems to have the ability to come up with a big play when it’s needed. Noah has this nonchalant approach. But he was excited tonight, several times.”
Carter made the most exciting play of the night, catching a slant from Urquiza about 15 yards out and turning on the jets for a 79-yard touchdown reception.
Less than two minutes into the second half, the big strike gave the Coyotes a 14-0 lead.
“It was a very good throw by my quarterback and he put me in the right spot to score,” Carter said.
After finishing 3-8 last year, the program's only losing record this century, the Coyotes are off to a 5-1 start.
It is far more than a redemption year for Clark. His mother, Leona Diggs, died from COVID-19 complications in September 2021.
It took until this fall for the familiar football atmosphere to return.
“I think it means a lot. I went through a lot of adversity, on and off the field. It’s a really good feeling to kind of be back in my normal space with my brothers, doing what I love,” Clark said.
