Logan Brown is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Saguaro High School for AZPreps365.com

Defense became the offense for both teams Friday night. 

In a game in which both defenses combined to score three touchdowns, Saguaro’s injuries at quarterback caught up to the Sabercats in a 31-17 loss to Centennial in Peoria. 

Saguaro (3-3) was without starting quarterback Mason Bray, who paced the sideline in a walking boot. Coach Zak Hill turned to freshman signal-caller Will Mencl, who opened the game with a pick six, before rebounding with a 33-yard touchdown pass. However, that ended the night for Mencl, who left the game with an arm injury.

Out of options under center and trailing 21-7 after the first quarter, Hill turned to junior Elijah Sherbin-Fox for the remainder of the contest. Sherbin-Fox was limited after playing in the junior varsity game this week, but the Sabercats relied on the ground game for offense. Senior running back Jaedon Matthews finished with 95 yards rushing for the night. 

"The game plan we had planned on was pretty much out,” Hill said. “So now we just had to manufacture ways to get our guys the ball. Obviously, we’re going to run the ball a lot more. Just couldn’t do enough.” 

Centennial (6-0) continued to utilize two quarterbacks in its offense, with sophomore Kainan Manna and senior Danny Avila splitting the snaps. 

"Our coach believes in us both,” Avila said. “We have a good two-quarterback system. We both have stronger strengths and weaknesses. [Manna’s] good at throwing the deep ball, I’m more of an athletic playmaker.”

The Coyotes’ offense hit its stride in the second half, dominating the time of possession behind senior running back Tony Greer, who finished the night with 122 yards rushing. Senior receiver and defensive back Kenneth Worthy also shined with three total touchdowns, including a pick six. Worthy credited the team’s game plan for the offense’s success in the second half. 

“Things don’t just happen on Friday for no reason,” Worthy said. “We’re working all week in practice, our coaches put in a good defensive game plan and a good offensive game plan. We were just trying to be more physical than them, out tough them. And, you know, it all starts in practice.” 

Despite the early deficit, Saguaro had life midway through the fourth quarter, thanks to a 90-yard pick six from senior linebacker Trey Morrison to cut the Coyotes’ lead to one score. Hill praised the performance from the defensive unit through an unusual game. 

“We really only had two possessions in the second half,” Hill said. “They [the defense] stepped up. They knew we were down at quarterback, and they knew we weren’t going to be able to score a lot of points. I give them a ton of credit for coming together, playing their butts off and giving it their best shot.” 

On the ensuing possession, the Sabercats held the ball on fourth down at the Coyotes’ 15-yard line, but Sherbin-Fox was sacked, turning the ball back over to Centennial with nearly five minutes to play. 

Worthy sealed the victory for the Coyotes shortly after with his third touchdown of the night, a 48-yard run up the Saguaro sideline. 

After consecutive losses, Saguaro now sits at .500 this season. Hill stressed that the Sabercats can turn their season around with a big win next week. 

"The season’s not over,” Hill said. “We got another challenge next week. We got a rivalry game with Chaparral, and that’s motivation in itself.” 

Saguaro returns home Friday to take on Chaparral. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.