Given a second chance at its West Valley rivals, Centennial put up a fight, but it wasn't enough to hold down the Liberty Lions.

And quarterback Navi Bruzon, for that matter - the heralded senior guided Liberty to its first Open Division championship with a 33-21 victory over the Coyotes on Saturday night at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe.

Liberty, able to overcome a 14-6 deficit midway through the second quarter, completed a 12-1 season (12-0 vs. Arizona opponents).

Bruzon did it not only with his arm (two TD passes), but also with his elusive legs (110 yards rushing and one touchdown).

The victory finally brought closure to years of frustration for returning Lions' players and coaches. Liberty made the Open Division in each of the past three years and lost twice in overtime (to Chandler) and once by a single point in regulation (to Saguaro).

Centennial held a 14-6 lead in the second quarter with just under five minutes remaining. From midfield, Bruzon went deep to Ryan Jezioro, who beat his defender by five yards and pulled in the pass in stride at the 10-yard line. Following a three-and-out by the Liberty defense, sophomore Cannon Garday blocked a punt, which was recovered by Zane Tallman at the Centennial 29-yard line. Four plays later, the Lions had the lead for good on a touchdown run by Bruzon (19-14).

Statistically, it was a pretty even game. Centennial actually led in yardage (376-335), there were no turnovers, and only six total penalties called. So, we'll take a look at a couple of things Centennial was able to do that almost nobody else was able to do against the Lions.

First, Centennial avoided getting buried in the first quarter. It sounds simple, but that's what Liberty did all season. Perhaps my favorite stat about this Lions' team is they entered the championship game with a 221-19 advantage in the first quarter. The Coyotes actually led 7-6 at the end of the opening stanza, so you can update that final number to 227-26.

Also, the Coyotes were able to slow Liberty down. The Lions punted just nine times in their first 12 games. Total. That's a result of averaging 47.5 points per game and getting such a large lead that many of the second halves (eight in total) were played with a running clock, essentially shortening the remainder of the game. Centennial made back-to-back stops in the first half holding Liberty to just 31 total yards in those two drives. The Lions were also forced to punt twice in the second half.

Prior to Bruzon's long throw to Jezorio, Centennial's sophomore quarterback Kainan Manna went deep to Kenny Worthy. On the 44-yard touchdown, Manna placed the ball perfectly and Worthy caught it with a man covering him. It gave the Coyotes a 14-6 advantage and was the largest lead any team held on the Lions all season. Until Saturday, LHS hadn't trailed in a first half all season.

Bruzon finished his high school career with a 28-3 record. His rushing total on varsity went over the 2,000-yard mark. Not only did Bruzon complete 12 passes, he had the most rushing attempts of anyone in the game (23). Midway through his sophomore year, he became the starting quarterback and ended up throwing a total of 75 touchdown passes. Most importantly, he didn't make mistakes and maintained the mental focus to get the Lions over that final hurdle to go out as champions.

Liberty has worn shirts all year with the slogan TDLC (squared). Head coach Colin Thomas said that stands for Toughness, Discipline, Leadership, Commitment, and Composure.

"We carry that all throughout the year. This week it was about Time. We really felt it was our time. It was right there in front of you, go take it. And that's what our guys did." - Thomas

"It's unreal. It's just joy that I'll have with these guys forever. We just stayed focused. Just do us. We believed that when we were at our best, we can't be beaten." - Liberty quarterback Navi Bruzon

"Cannon Garday got a great block. We've been working on that all week. I saw an opportunity and I just jumped on it and made a play. We knew what we had to do to stop them and we just needed to be more physical." - Liberty linebacker Zane Tallman

"I think our guys improved. They came together as a team. They worked hard. We just came up a little short." - Centennial head coach Richard Taylor

"He is wise beyond his years," Taylor said of Manna, who passed for 223 yards and had a pair of TD passes. "He's slippery. I think he has a chance to be really good."

First Quarter:
Lib - Ryan Jezioro 20 yard pass from Navi Bruzon (kick blocked), 7:20
Cent - Owen Reynoso 1 yard run (Aaron Alvarez kick), 1:06
Second Quarter:
Cent - Kenny Worthy 44 yard pass from Kainan Manna (Alvarez kick), 7:55
Lib - Jezioro 50 yard pass from Bruzon (pass failed), 4:43
Lib - Bruzon 4 yard run (Nathan Hawkins kick), 2:00
Third Quarter:
Lib - Jon Wilson 5 yard run (Hawkins kick), 7:21
Fourth Quarter:
Lib - Wilson 3 yard run (Hawkins kick), 7:34
Cent - Angelo Matamoros 6 yard pass from Manna (Alvarez kick), 4:00

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