Willow Canyon looks for the big first round upset Friday night as the 12th-ranked Wildcats clash with the fifth-seeded Centennial Coyotes in a Division II playoff matchup in Peoria. The Wildcats come into the contest riding a five-game winning streak after winning 49-23 at Millennium last week to end the regular season. After an 0-and-2 start, Willow Canyon went on to win seven of its next eight games to end the year 7-and-3. The Wildcats’ last loss was a 41-7 home setback to the Coyotes in their fifth game of the year.

Centennial enters the tilt riding a three-game winning streak. The Coyotes used four consecutive first-half turnovers to crush Ironwood 52-0 in last Friday’s regular season finale. The Coyotes are trying to get back to the state title game where they lost to Chaparral last season, 32-17. Centennial is in search of its first title since reeling off three in-a-row from 2007-09. The Coyotes, led by senior Zach Hoffpauir, went 9-and-1 this year with their lone loss in Week 7 at Deer Valley.

The teams also met in 2009-10, but that game was one-sided as well as Centennial cruised to a 42-6 victory. The winner will move on to face the victor of the Deer Valley-Ironwood matchup in round two. Kickoff Friday night is set for 7pm.

Thomas Jenkins