Luke Foster is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Centennial High School for AZPreps365.com

The Centennial Coyotes stood strong against the Saguaro Sabercats Friday night, remaining undefeated after beating Saguaro 31-17 in Peoria.

Centennial (6-0), which had caused four shutouts and had allowed 21 points in its previous five contests, held its own against a Saguaro (3-3) offense that had been averaging over 32 points going into Friday’s senior night game.

On the first drive of the game, the defense set the tone with a pick-six by senior Aaden Nguyen.

“We already came out here with a bunch of energy,” Nguyen said. “And with that pick-six, it’s just a big wave that the whole team got.”

The after effects of Nguyen’s interception were contagious, as Centennial responded to Saguaro’s game-tying score with a 48-yard touchdown by Washington State University commit senior Kenny Worthy.

Worthy then followed his electrifying catch with an interception that he took to the end zone for Centennial’s second pick-six of the first quarter.

Despite a few Centennial penalties, the defenders kept calm heads and only allowed Saguaro’s high-powered offense to score 10 points in the first half.

Saguaro brought the game back within one score with a pick-six of its own. However, the Coyotes’ defense was resilient throughout the second half, allowing no points to be scored on it. Possession after possession, the Coyotes’ defensive line made it a nightmare for Saguaro to get anything going on the ground, which it was forced to do when its starting quarterback went down early.

The front seven of Centennial played physical and put a stop to any momentum that the Sabercats tried to build. It drove the nail into the coffin with a sack and a turnover on downs to take over and win the game 31-17.

Energy is something that Centennial’s defense thrives off of, and it could be felt through the three seniors who led the Coyotes to victory.

“I’m a senior this year, so I take pride in leading my team,” Worthy said. “I’m really focused on bringing everyone up … Our motto is, ‘There’s nothing that make us turn on each other,’ so I’m really just upholding that.”

Washington commit Noah Carter disturbed Saguaro’s run game which averaged over 100 yards on the ground over its five contests.

Nguyen flew around the field causing tackles for loss and was involved in almost every defensive stop.

Centennial head coach Richard Taylor said the team’s defense was important to their gameplan.

“Defense is our identity. It’s what probably we’re known for,” Taylor said. “Our whole defensive coaching staff with coach [Andrew] Taylor leading the way, they prepare. We saw every play that they ran this year.”

The Centennial Coyotes and its defense face another challenge as it faces off against the Chandler Wolves (6-0) at Chandler High School on October 6.