It seemed like Desert Pines and Centennial were going to overtime when the Bulldogs scored a touchdown with 32 seconds left.
But after Desert Pines was penalized for a missed extra point, Centennial risked the win and attempted the 2-point conversion.
The risk didn’t pay off. Desert Pines harassed Kolton Silbernagel in the backfield and the Jaguars, ranked No. 5 in the Review-Journal’s Class 5A rankings, were able to pull off a 34-33 home victory over No. 9 Centennial on Friday night.
“We found a way,” said Jose Flores, Desert Pines’ new coach. “Our guys gave it their all and the guys up front had to make a difference (on the 2-point conversion), especially No. 55 RJ Brown. It was just a great feeling to see the guys earn what they had and take advantage of that opportunity.”
Desert Pines (1-0) relied on its two running backs. Sophomore Marcus Williams ran for 285 yards and two touchdowns, and senior Isaiah Te’o ran for 95 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.
“They played for each other,” Flores said. “I think this team realized today that we have to play for each other, and that’s the only way to win games at the end of the day, even if you’re talented. Everyone has to be focused and everyone has to follow their role.”
Williams scored the game-winning touchdown for the Jaguars. Late in the third quarter, he scored a 95-yard touchdown that gave the Jaguars a 34-20 lead over Centennial (0-1).
The Bulldogs cut into Desert Pines’ lead early in the fourth quarter. Quarterback James Monaghan IV scored on a 36-yard touchdown to Jayden Thomas to make it 34-27.
With only 29 players in action and most of their key players on both sides, the Jaguars held on and had one final play left after Silbernagel scored from 2 meters out in the final minute.
Williams and Te’o were several key players for Desert Pines who played in both variations.
“They’re great players, they make plays and they put less pressure on us as coaches. We can call anything and they can make a big play,” Flores said of his running backs. “It’s just great to see because those two guys work their asses off. I’m proud of them.”
Freshman Michael Taylor, who has an offer from UNLV, also played both ways, catching a touchdown as a tight end and having a sack on defense as a linebacker.
“We did a great job at practice and managing reps,” Flores said. “We have depth at certain positions at key players like our running backs and linebackers. We had depth and rotated them throughout the night.”
Desert Pines had to play against the clock for nearly five minutes on its opening drive. After six penalties on their first drive, the Jaguars found the end zone on a 21-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Zeyshawn Martin to Taylor. The Jaguars took a 14-0 lead on their next possession later in the quarter when Williams broke free on an 81-yard touchdown run.
The two-point lead didn’t last long as Monaghan set up Thomas for a 61-yard touchdown.
Desert Pines turned to Te’o, and the senior intercepted a bad snap and ran into the end zone for a 63-yard touchdown that put Desert Pines ahead 21-7 late in the first quarter.
The scoring didn’t stop in the first 12 minutes, as senior Khy Harris carried the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 21-13 after a missed extra point.
Te’o scored another point for the Jaguars on an 8-yard run on fourth and four, giving the Jaguars a 27-13 lead with over eight minutes left in the second quarter.
After a great kickoff return by Centennial’s Brogan Church to the Desert Pines 20-yard line, the Bulldogs scored on a 10-yard touchdown run by Harris. Desert Pines went into halftime with a 27-20 lead.
“I told (the offensive and defensive lines) it’s between you two,” Flores said. “And Zeyshawn Martin, our quarterback, has been great and has thrown some great balls. We just have to catch them.”
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