The fourth-ranked Centennial Coyotes are into the quarterfinals of the Division II playoffs after beating 13th-seeded Tucson Sahuaro 49-7 on Friday night. The Cougars (7-4) got off to a terrific start, stunning the home crowd by taking an early 7-0 lead, but the Coyotes (10-1) responded quickly.

After forcing a punt on Centennial's opening drive, Sahuaro went deep on its first play from scrimmage as quarterback Laramie Brown found Cole Sterns on a 69-yard completion down to the Coyotes one-yard line. Alexander Howe would punch it in to give the Cougars a 7-0 lead and the momentum.

Centennial then went three-and-out on its next series, making most wonder if the upset was possible. However, on Sahuaro's first play, Centennial senior safety Kyle Mack intercepted Brown at the Cougars' 15 yard line. The Coyotes woke up after that.

Tre'von Grant guided Centennial on an 85-yard drive that Dedrick Young finished off with a 13-yard touchdown run with 1:46 to go in the first quarter. A missed two-point conversion following a fumbled snap would make it 7-6 Sahuaro.

Bre Dallas' blocked punt on Sahuaro's next possession would setup Centennial with a 1st and 10 from the Cougar 48. Jake Tarrant gave the Coyotes the lead with his one-yard TD run and Grant found Shawn Poindexter for the two-point conversion to make it 14-7 Centennial.

A quick three-and-out would give Centennial the ball at its own 40. On the very first play, Grant found Oche Myers and the junior scampered 60 yards for a score to make it 21-7 midway through the second quarter.

Sahuaro had a tough time moving the ball the rest of the night. A controversial pass interference call in the end zone in the final minute of the half set up a first and goal from the one for Centennial. Young would find the end zone once again, giving the Coyotes a 28-7 lead at halftime.

Centennial's Tyler Simpson recovered the kickoff after the break after a short boot toward midfield. Centennial would score on each of its first three possessions of the second half, including a 41-yard TD catch by Myers that set a school record. The score gave Grant 27 TD passes on the year, breaking the previous mark of 26 set by Scott Burgett in 2006.

Grant ended 5-of-11 for 138 yards and two TDs, while Jalen Ortiz led the ground game with 18 carries for 116 yards. The UCLA commit also had an interception on Sahuaro's opening drive of the second half. Young and Tarrant both ended with two rushing TDs, while Matt Rodriguez added 51 yards on seven touches. Centennial rushed for 261 yards and five touchdowns as a team and had 14 different players with at least one carry.

Another school record will be on the line when the Coyotes host 12th-seeded Millennium in the quarterfinals this Friday. Centennial has scored 610 points this season, 35 points shy of the school mark set in 2006. The Coyotes blanked Millennium 55-0 in Week Two of the the regular season. Millennium upset fifth-ranked Cesar Chavez 28-20 in the opening round.

Brown finished just 3-of-12 for 83 yards and two interceptions for Sahuaro, which has lost in the opening round of the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. Howe was held to 32 yards on nine carries. The Cougars managed just 119 yards of total offense.

Thomas Jenkins