Kate Dobson is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Chaparral High School for AZPreps365.com

Chaparral needed a bounce-back game but was routed by Centennial, 49-3, on Friday. The Firebirds' loss was their second consecutive at home, and extended their skid to three games.

As the Firebirds' offense struggled, they were dealt a bigger setback as sophomore starting quarterback Cam Allen was sidelined from injury for the entire second half after being sacked. He was replaced by senior Danny Goddard. 

The top playmakers for Chaparral (3-4) were Allen, running back Jayce Wilson,  as welll as wide receivers Gavin Mesa, Alex Bull, Hunter Wohland, and Kash Park. 

Chaparral cornerbacks Choyce Prince and Miles Cox made several stops in the first half, and Lucas Johnson was the team's top performer in the second on defense, but the Coyotes were too tough to contain.

Chaparral head coach Doug Nisenson emphasized the importance of the matchup to his team. 

“We just proved we can play bigger teams and stop the runs … just the biggest errors in the worst places, ” Nisenson said. 

The game started rocky for the Firebirds with an early sack by Centennial and a snap recovery by Allen, which made Firebirds lose yardage in their own territory.

Centennial (3-5) had standout performances from RBs Owen Reyonoso and Darrion Bartholomew, QB Ethan Baltran, defensive backs Landien Long and Gavin Gardner. Reyonoso scored a rushing touchdown early in the game, followed by a quick turnaround as both Nikko Boncore-Montoya and Aaron Alvarez managed to add another TD for the Coyotes in the first half. 

Wohland and Bull finished plays for the Firebirds as they snagged great catches  from Allen. Park added to this by catching a pass right before halftime to give the Firebirds a chance to score. Chaparral junior kicker Brayden Barker immediately followed this with a deep kick that put the Firebirds on the board before halftime, 28-3. 

Centennial's Beltran also went down from an injury at the start of the second half. 

The Coyotes' safety Antonio Alvarez made an interception, which gave them another chance to score as RB Levi Johnson finished the game off with the final TD.

Nisenson also touched on the opportunity that remains to qualify for the playoffs, having two road games left to play to try qualifying for the 6A conference state tournament.

“One more win gets us extra football,” he said. 

The Firebirds take on the No. 3-ranked Liberty Lions (7-1) on Nov. 1 at 7 p.m.