PEORIA — Salpointe Catholic picked up a critical road win Thursday night in a 27-23 victory over Centennial. In football, every game matters when you want to make the playoffs; for Salpointe this season, each game carries a little extra weight for the Lancers as they’re forced to play a nine-game schedule following a week two cancellation by Mission Hills (Calif.) Bishop Alemany.
“We’ve got a nine-game schedule and our goals are still in front of us,” first-year coach Pat Ryden said. “We want to make the playoffs and win the conference and win a state championship, and we can still achieve that. … Yeah, we needed this one.”
Ryden said the focus this week was proving doubters wrong when it came to playing against a big dog in Arizona high school football such as Centennial.
“In the paper (not AllSportsTucson.com) it said that we were their weakest opponent to date,” Ryden said. “I think our guys took that personally.”
Ryden noted how Centennial was still in the discussion for the Open Division playoffs despite going into the game 0-3.
“We had a chance and I told our guys, ‘Let’s knock ’em out of the Open. They’re still talking about it, so let’s knock them out of the Open,'” Ryden said.
Centennial received the opening kickoff, but Salpointe’s defense was able to set the tone early by forcing them to punt.
On Salpointe’s opening possession, it slowly but surely continued to progress down the field, eating away at the clock while doing so. After 13 plays, the Lancers were able to reach the end zone on a one-yard run from senior Richard Rivera. The kick from senior Kyah Francone was good, putting Salpointe on top 7-0 with 2:33 remaining in the first quarter.
Francone, an NCAA Division I-caliber placekicker, was one of Salpointe’s standouts making field goals of 50 and 54 yards.
Centennial was quick to strike back after Salpointe’s touchdown, as Kainan Manna fired off a pass good for a 79-yard touchdown to Hajj Brown. The extra-point attempt was good, making it 7-7 with 1:36 remaining in the first quarter.
Salpointe’s following possession brought some trouble for the Lancers, as a fumble was recovered by Centennial to end the first quarter. Centennial was able to answer with a field goal, taking a 10-7 lead with 10:00 remaining before the half.
The Coyotes’ lead would be short-lived, as Salpointe would score on the following possession. Junior Rayce Alvarez was able to connect with senior Morgan Quiri for a 48-yard touchdown. Francone’s kick was up and in, extending the lead to 14-10 with 8:21 still remaining in the second quarter.
A strong outing by the defense forced a quick three-and out for Centennial, and Salpointe took possession with 7:46 remaining in the quarter. The Lancers had to settle for a field goal, but Francone was able to drill it in from 50 yards out. With 3:14 remaining before halftime, Salpointe led 17-10.
On Centennial’s following possession, the Lancers forced the Coyotes to kick a field goal, but the kick was no good. With only 1:21 remaining, the Lancers had to be strategic if they wanted to tack on any more points before heading into the locker room.
Moving the ball all the way down to the 34-yard-line, Francone was able to come out and drill a 54-yard field goal to extend the lead to 20-10 with less than a second left on the clock before the half.
Coming back out of the half, Salpointe was able to score on the first snap of the drive. Senior Nathan Spivey took the ball 54 yards for a touchdown to extend the Lancers’ lead with 11:49 remaining in the third. Francone’s kick was good, making it 27-10.
Following a change in quarterbacks by Centennial later on in the third quarter, the Coyotes were able to chop away at the chains as they progressed forward. Centennial capped off the drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Ethan Beltran to Torrin Hill. The extra point was good, making it 27-17 with 11:13 left in the game.
With under 5:00 remaining, Salpointe fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Centennial. The Coyotes knew they had to move quick, and it’s exactly what they did. With just 1:13 remaining, Beltran was able to connect once again with Hill, this time for an 18-yard touchdown pass. The kick, however, was no good, making it a two-possession game at 27-23.
Centennial tried to onside kick but it was unsuccessful, giving Salpointe possession at its 46-yard line. The Lancers ran two more plays to eat time off the clock before kneeling the ball to close out the game.
“This was huge for us and huge for our program, and we just need to get better every week,” Ryden said. “Our guys did a great job tonight.”
Overall, Alvarez completed seven of his 15 pass attempts for total of 139 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions and a fumble. Alvarez also carried the ball himself for an additional 12 yards on the night. On the ground, Salpointe amassed approximately 205 yards, led by Rivera who had 109 yards on 16 carries.
The Lancers have a bye next week. They will rest and prepare for the back half of the schedule, which includes three trips to Phoenix in their remaining six games. Their next game is Oct. 4 at Phoenix Desert Vista (1-2).
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