Jalen Ortiz did it all as the fifth-ranked Centennial Coyotes cruised to a 30-0 first round playoff win over Willow Canyon Friday night in Peoria. Ortiz scored a pair of second quarter touchdowns and added another in the fourth. He ended with 92 yards rushing.  The Coyotes defense stepped up big all night long, posting a safety, two interceptions and three sacks while holding Willow Canyon under 100 yards of offense for the game. Standout senior safety Zach Hoffpauir was lost, however, in the third quarter to an ankle injury and did not return.
 

It was a big win on a sad night for Centennial, which honored fallen Glendale Police Officer and Centennial alum Brad Jones before the game. Jones, who was killed in the line of duty last week, was a wrestler and a 2004 graduate of Centennial. Donations were collected and T-shirts were being sold to raise money for Jones’ family, who were in attendance.

The Coyotes now travel to Deer Valley this Thursday for a quarterfinal matchup with the fourth-seeded Skyhawks. Deer Valley handed Centennial its only loss of the season in Week 7, 14-7 in Glendale. Both teams entered that contest undefeated. The Skyhawks went on to lose two weeks later 69-68 to Ironwood in the final seconds. It was the only setback of the year for Deer Valley as both teams went 9-and-1 in the regular season. The Skyhawks opened the playoffs with a 43-7 rout of Ironwood. Kickoff Thursday is set for 7pm.

Thomas Jenkins