Centennial relishes turnaround from 0-4 to back in state title game

In mid-September, things weren’t exactly going well for Centennial’s football team.

The Bulldogs were 0-4, and it would have been easy for the team’s seniors just to fall back into a habit of losing. Instead, they took a look in the mirror and decided to fix what was wrong.

“A lot of it was we had a lot of selfishness,” senior receiver Mason Garza said. “Everybody wanted to do the job themselves, everybody wanted to play the game themselves and have all the stats. And we were really trying to figure out what the problem was. We had sit-down meetings by just players without the coaches in the meeting. There were tears getting shed, and we came together.”

It worked. Centennial (6-5) won six of its next seven games to advance to the Class 5A Division III championship game against Galena (9-2) at noon Monday at Bishop Gorman.

The Bulldogs are seeking a second consecutive state championship. They won the 4A crown last fall before moving up to 5A Division III this season. But Centennial was 1-17 during the two seasons before winning state, including a painful 0-9 campaign in 2022.

“From an 0-9 season, to even before that season we only went (1-8), so I mean, we know how to lose, obviously,” joked senior safety Shaje Silva. “But now we know how to win, and we know how to take a loss and move on now.”

Second-year Centennial coach DJ Campbell said it was the team’s second victory that really seemed to turn things around for the Bulldogs. Centennial was 1-5 following a homecoming loss against Canyon Springs.

“The next game was at Clark on a Saturday, and I don’t know what it was, but everything just clicked,” Campbell said. “It was kind of like that ‘aha’ moment. Ever since then, we’ve just been rolling.”

The 28-13 win over the Chargers started a five-game win streak that has the Bulldogs in the state title game for a second consecutive season.

“Getting that win, just getting it off our back, we felt very relieved,” Silva said. “Now that we had a conference win we knew that we had a shot at making it to state still. So head down, full speed, and let’s go.”

Campbell said the team remained surprisingly upbeat during the early struggles.

“What’s crazy is we weren’t down at all,” Campbell said. “The boys still came to practice every day ready to work, still having fun, high spirits.

“I’m just proud of the fact that they just kept fighting and they didn’t give up and go in the tank when we were 0-4. Especially with the senior group who was on those teams that were like (1-17) over those two years. The fight and the will just showed up because they refuse to go back to that.”

Silva said the move up in class also meant the team had to rethink how it prepared, as the tougher teams brought more varied attacks, especially in the passing game.

“We had to learn how to prepare as a higher-level team, which has to do with us being 0-4,” Silva said. “Because we didn’t know how good the level of play we’re playing was. There’s no excuses.”

Campbell said one of the main differences was the team’s ability to run the ball down the stretch. Senior running back Khy Harris has rushed for 1,099 yards and 16 touchdowns this season, and is coming off a 195-yard performance in a 34-7 win over Desert Oasis in the Southern League title game. The Bulldogs only completed four passes in that game.

“The kid is special, and a lot of people are just now seeing that,” Campbell said. “Even with us as coaches, every time he touches the ball we’re kind of gasping, like, ‘Is he going to take it to the house?’ I know other teams are feeling the same way.”

The 0-4 start was a disappointment, but Silva said the important thing is that the team’s biggest goal is still attainable.

“We really wanted to have an undefeated season to prove the entire state wrong, because nobody respects us here,” Silva said. “But we still have that same mindset. We’re going to shock the state again.”

The matchup with Galena won’t be part of Tuesday’s quadrupleheader at Allegiant Stadium, where Centennial played when it won the 4A title in 2023. But Garza said the venue doesn’t really matter.

“Obviously I wish we’re in Allegiant for my senior year, but I mean Gorman’s still nice,” Garza said. “We’ll have a really good time there, and if we come out victorious, it doesn’t matter because I’m with my brothers and the coaches I love.”