GEICO Bowl: Eastside Catholic (WA) 17 Centennial 0

WEEKLY BLOG: 12/22/18

Three nights before Christmas, the Centennial Coyotes and their fans were awakened late in the night by visitors from Eastside Catholic. The Crusaders, from just outside Seattle, were there to show them a glimpse of Football Fridays past.

Not the team that faithful supporters of the West Side power in Peoria were accustomed to seeing this season. The one that went undefeated in the regular season, defeated Las Vegas' Bishop Gorman, and went on to successfully defend its 5A championship. Instead, Saturday night's annual GEICO Bowl provided a chance to see things through the eyes of the 13 Arizona opponents that the Coyotes dominated by a combined score of 611-78.

Eastside didn't just slow down a Centennial offense that came in averaging 44.6 points per game. The Crusaders ground it to a halt, allowing just one first down in the entire first half (six possessions) during a 17-0 victory in a matchup of state champions televised nationally by ESPNU.

The tone in this one was set early. Centennial had the ball just three plays and lost a yard. Following a punt, Eastside Catholic (13-1) posted 73 yards of offense and got on the board first as Blake Hall drilled a 27-yard field goal.

The Coyotes' only scoring opportunity of the first half came late in the opening quarter. Centennial had the field position advantage as punter AJ Jackson pinned the Crusaders at their own 6-yard line. Unable to get a first down, CeHS took over at the Eastside Catholic 36 after a punt and penalty. However, a 47-yard field goal attempt was no good.

Sam Adams, who was Washington's Player of the Year, was instrumental in the first touchdown drive of the game. The son of the former NFL player (with the same name) had a seven-yard run on first down, caught a pass for a 14-yard gain, and later scored on a five-yard run while following a block by Hayden Harris.

The complexion of the game was similar to that of previous Centennial tilts against Long Beach Poly, St. Thomas Aquinas (FL), and Bishop Gorman. All were defensive battles in which neither team scored more than two touchdowns. It looked like the Coyotes were going to get the ball back midway through the second quarter after stopping the Crusaders a yard short on third down.

The punting unit was out, but it wasn't the regular punter (Hall). Instead, senior safety Tohi Angilau took the snap and executed a fake punt for the first down. It was a play specifically put in for this game to limit the touches for Centennial's return ace Jackson.

"We have a rugby punter," Eastside Catholic head coach Jeremy Thielbahr said. "We did not want their punt returner to touch the ball. Tohi Angilau was going to rugby punt and he's got the option if he is inside of five yards to go."

The Crusaders took advantage of the new reset of downs and junior quarterback Michael Franklin completed a 40-yard pass to Gee Scott to cross midfield. Harris, who signed with UCLA earlier in the week as a linebacker, shared some time at quarterback and extended the lead with a four-yard run.

The size and physical play of the ECHS defense was evident. The defensive front included Barret Albright (6-3, 215), John Taumopeau (6-2, 290), J.T. Tuimoloau (6-4, 245) and Will Vea (6-4, 290). At halftime, the Coyotes had 25 total yards of offense.

"They were really sound in all three phases of the game," Centennial head coach Richard Taylor said. "Some of their kids were a little quicker than I thought on defense. It seemed we couldn't match their quickness."

There was no scoring in the second half, but some long drives as each team had the ball just three times before the Crusaders ran out the last three minutes of the game.

Dre Harris blocked a field goal attempt in the third quarter. The Centennial defense registered a stop as a fourth-down pass from the 17-yard line fell incomplete. Senior linebacker Dylan Wampler was constantly around the action. He finished the game with 17 tackles.

"There's a reason that the Cardinals named him High School Defensive Player of the Year," Taylor said of Wampler. "And you saw it tonight."

On offense, the Coyotes rarely tested Eastside's strong corners deep. Centennial (14-1) did hit on one early in the fourth quarter as Jonathan Morris connected with Eric Haney for a 66-yard completion. But, the Coyotes couldn't turn it into points. They faced a fourth-and-goal at the 6-yard line and went for it. Jeiel Stark took a direct snap, but Tuimoloau threw him down for a six-yard loss. It was the third sack (of five total) for the sophomore defensive end, who is ranked among the top players nationally for the Class of 2021.

"We play a lot of run-first teams in our league," Thielbahr said. "Our defensive line played great and JT Tuimoloau is a beast."

Tuimoloau is used to being double teamed, but Centennial did not employ that strategy.

"I was just playing my assignments," Tuimoloau said. "I wasn't trying to be selfish. I just stay patient and let the play come to me."

Centennial's last gasp at scoring came as a pass interference penalty gave the Coyotes a first down at the 13-yard line. They passed on another field goal attempt at fourth-and-two from the 5-yard line and attempted a quarterback keeper, which required a measurement, but was short.

It was the first time the Coyotes had been shut out in a game since 1997 (278 total games). In that time, it has been Centennial doing the blanking as the team has posted 62 shutouts in that span, including five this season.

"They deserved the victory," Taylor said. "They were clearly the better team tonight."

This was the third year that Arizona was represented in the GEICO State Champions Bowl Series. Chandler won each of the past two against teams from Georgia and Florida, respectively. Despite suffering a loss, which ended an 18-game winning streak," Taylor said it was a "real honor" to be chosen to play in the game and called it "icing on the cake" after the 5A championship game win over Notre Dame.

"I'm going to remember the Gorman game," Taylor said. "I'm going to remember the senior retreat. I'm going to remember the trip to California and the state championship game. But most importantly, I'm going to remember the fun times we had in practice and I'm going to remember the kids that really matured a bit and changed for the better."

Knowing the work ethic of the kids at Centennial, they'll be lined up at the weight room on the first day after winter break (if not sooner).

They want to be ready for the next visitor in Football Fridays future.

First Quarter:
EC - Blake Hall 27 yard FG, 7:58
Second Quarter:
EC - Sam Adams 5 yard run (Hall kick), 11:47
EC - Hayden Harris 4 yard run (Hall kick), 2:50
Third Quarter:
No Scoring
Fourth Quarter:
No Scoring