Centennial quarterback Titus Hill (14) returns for his junior season with a full year of experience as a starter. (Christine Andert/For West Valley Preps)
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The 6A title is great and that was an incredible season two years ago, but the goal is different now ... it is ‘Open or bust’ for us.”
Luke Franklin, Centennial Senior DE/LB
CENTENNIAL COYOTES
HEAD COACH: Andrew Taylor (2nd year)
2025 RECORD: 9-5, lost in 6A championship
REGION: 6A Desert Valley
KEY RETURNEES: WR/TE Torrin Hill, Jr.; QB Titus Hill, Jr.; DE/LB Luke Franklin, Sr.; OL Ben Lowther, Sr.; OL Karmello Calloway, Jr.; DB Elijah Carothers, Sr.; DB Devin Taylor, Sr.; LB Aidan Torres, Jr.
NEWCOMERS TO WATCH: RB Jaylee Abraham, Jr. (transfer from Tucson Desert View); TE/LB Tyler Overstreet, Sr.
After climbing to the 6A football mountaintop in 2024 then falling just short of a repeat last season, the Centennial Coyotes are making no secret about their aspirations for 2026.
The 8-time state football champions are hungry for even more.
The Coyotes want to return to the Open Division playoffs and for the first time in school history call themselves the “Kings of Arizona” by winning the state’s elite football bracket.
“The 6A title is great and that was an incredible season two years ago, but the goal is different now,” Centennial senior DE/LB Luke Franklin said. “It’s on a different level. We think we are the best team in the state and to prove that you have to win the Open — that’s just how it is — and we feel like it is ‘Open or bust’ for us.”
Centennial Head Coach Andrew Taylor — entering his second year at the helm after taking the reins from his legendary father Richard Taylor, who remains on Andrew’s staff — agreed with his defensive signal caller.
“We talk about it,” Taylor admitted. “The way last season ended just made things seem a little incomplete. It has definitely fueled us during this offseason.”
As he took a short break from watching his team complete summer workouts in the weight room, Taylor reflected on his first season as Centennial’s head coach. He has been coaching and teaching at the school for more than 25 years, the majority of that time as a defensive coordinator for his dad — but last year marked a big change.
“There were most definitely some ‘it’s me’ moments. I realized there were many things that were now my responsibility that were not in my previous role,” Taylor explained. “But overall, it was very positive. My first year as head coach reinforced to me to trust my instincts — it’s given me a sense of confidence in that way.”
The head coach has described his 2025 season leading the Pack as a true “rollercoaster ride.”
“My dad was joking with me saying that I dealt with more in my first year than he did in his last decade,” Taylor said.
After losing his starting quarterback a month prior to the opening game, Taylor tabbed Titus Hill as his on-field offensive general. There were some bumps in the road but Hill, then a sophomore, eventually found his footing and led the Coyotes on another memorable playoff run.
Most notable was the 6A quartefinal against Mesa, where Titus and his twin brother, junior TE/WR Torrin Hill, connected on a late-game, 4th-and-26 miracle pass — later dubbed the “Hill Mary” — leading to an unforgettable 41-39 playoff win.
“That was a special moment,” Taylor recalled. “I’ll never forget it.”
The twins talked about the play that went down as one of the most incredible in Centennial Coyotes football history.
“I wasn’t going to throw it to one receiver who had more than one defender on him,” Titus explained. “So I saw Torrin down there on the right side and I knew we had a chance. I was throwing it up there and hoping for the best.”
Torrin wanted the football thrown his way, despite the overwhelming odds of actually making the catch.
“In the huddle, we talked about getting the ball to me somehow. I want the opportunity to go up and get the football,” Torrin said. “Running down the field I was saying to myself, ‘I have to make a play.’ They had their best athletes out there to defend it but I was able to come up with the football to help my team.”
The season ended with a 6A title game loss to Casteel but now the 2026 Coyotes are laser focused on the one thing missing from their storied football history — capturing the Open Division championship that the Arizona Interscholastic Association established in 2019 to provide a top-tier bracket for the state’s “best of the best” football squads.
“That loss to Casteel is driving us,” Torrin said. “They were the better team that day, but we want to compete and win at the highest level now. Everyone is working hard toward that goal.”
With tons of talent and returners on both sides of the football, the Coyotes are confident that can make a serious run at the Open title.
“This team is bought in,” Franklin noted. “We know what it’s going to take.”
Offense
Junior QB Titus Hill returns with a full year of experience under his belt. After being thrust into the starting role in 2025, Titus is now more seasoned and hungry to get back on the gridiron.
“It was a lot last year coming off of just playing on the freshman team,” he explained. “Stepping up onto varsity, I knew I just had to do my job and just make plays. That experience was good for me and now I have a better grasp of everything.”
Despite learning on the fly, Titus thrived and ended up throwing for more than 2,500 yards in 13 games. He tossed 23 touchdowns against just 3 INTs.
“He had a great season considering he was just a sophomore,” Taylor said. “Titus has really worked hard on his scrambling and athleticism while his presence and command in the huddle has improved with more maturity.”
The quarterback agreed.
“I want to spread the ball around,” Titus said. “People know me as a pocket passer but I’ve been working on my speed and I want to run a lot more this season.”
In the backfield, Centennial has an electric playmaker making his way to the West Valley from down south.
Junior RB Jaylee Abraham comes to the Coyotes by way of Tucson Desert View. The running back was explosive as a sophomore, rushing for more than 1,700 yards and 33 TDs. He caught six more touchdowns and ended with more than 2,300 all-purpose yards as a 10th grader.
“The pedigree Jaylee brings with him is very impressive — he wanted to play at the highest level,” Taylor said. “He’s also a tremendous receiver out of the backfield. We are excited to see what he can do when he gets the chance.”
As of late July, the Coyotes were still waiting to hear whether Abraham would play the entire season or have to sit for the first five games.
Providing more punch in the backfield are a pair of returning seniors, Derrion Bartholomew and Damonte Drake.
“All three will leave their mark,” said Taylor.
Torrin Hill has contributed for Centennial since he was a freshman on varsity two years ago and looks to take even more strides leading the 2026 wide receiver corps.
“I’m excited to get this season going,” Torrin noted. “Personally I would like to hit 1,000 yards receiving and prove I’m the top player in Arizona.”
Joining Torrin catching passes will be senior Tyler Overstreet along with juniors Qwyntyn Hadley and Jason Lee. Overstreet, an Idaho commit, returns after missing last season due to injury.
The “Big Beauties” on a strong, talented offensive line include senior tackle Ben Lowther, junior tackle Karmello Calloway, senior guard Robert Bailey and senior center Nate Worley. The right guard position was still up for grabs.
Senior Kaden Jones returns as the punter while senior Jeremiah “Chango” Harvey is the Coyotes’ kicker.
“We’ve got a lot of playmakers on offense. We should put some points on the board,” Taylor said.
Defense
The unquestioned leader of the Centennial defense is Franklin, who Taylor said is “probably the most mentally locked-in player we have ever had.”
The linebacker/defensive end hybrid can be seen flying all over the field, notching double-digit sacks in each of the last two seasons.
“There are other teams that may have more stars than us, but no one will outwork us,” Franklin said. “It all comes down to Friday night and everyone being on the same page.
“Our defense has a lot of high-IQ football players,” he added. “If you have 11 players on the field all calling out what the offense is going to do, that really changes the game. We’ve got depth amd the defense is going to be ready to get after it.”
Taylor has full trust in his senior defender.
“He’s a leader,” the head coach said of Franklin. “He’s not super vocal all the time but when he talks, people listen.”
Joining Franklin on the defensive line are senior Eli Taylor — returning from injury in 2025 — and juniors Javy Chacon and Manu Pati.
Linebackers in the 4-2-5 alignment include senior JoJo Gonzalez and junior Aidan Torres.
The Coyotes have a stacked secondary with senior/NAU commit Elijah Carothers and senior Devin Taylor at safety, senior Nate Olmos at the nickel spot along with senior Amarious Griffen and junior Josiah Carothers on the corners.
“We have a lot of experience in that defensive backfield,” Taylor noted. “With that many seniors out there, we expect them to be able to do a lot — and I’m excited to see what this defense can do.”
2026 schedule
The Coyotes’ 2026 schedule is among the toughest in the state.
Huge non-district showdowns loom against ALA-Queen Creek, Mesa, Mesa Mountain View, Casteel and Chandler along with a trip to California to play Servite — only the second out-of-state trip ever for the Coyotes (Nevada in 2009). Four of the six non-region games are against teams Centennial saw in the 2025 playoffs.
“We wanted this schedule, it’s a lot of teams we wanted to see again,” Franklin said.
Familiar foes in region play are O’Connor, Boulder Creek, Mountain Ridge and crosstown rival Liberty,
“It’s a very challenging schedule and we took the extra step of scheduling Servite,” Taylor said. “It’s something the top programs do so we are definitely looking forward to going to California.”
The head coach feels like if the Coyotes qualify for the 2026 Open Division, they will have earned it.
“And I feel like we will be very dangerous,” Taylor said. “There’s always pressure there but we feel like we have the team that can handle it. We have a ton of great history, but it’s time to lock in and focus on what is going on right now.”
Franklin is confident Centennial can fill out its trophy case with the lone remaining piece.
“It’s time for us to take that next step to the top of the Open,” he said.
Centennial safety Elijah Carothers drills a Mesa Mountain View player during the 2024 6A Conference title game. Carothers returns for his senior season in 2026. (JDigos Photography/For West Valley Preps)
Matt Loeschman has had two separate stints at Independent Newsmedia. He began as a reporter covering Peoria and later Surprise from 2000-2009. In 2017, he returned to Arizona and INI as the news editor of the Daily News-Sun (now the Phoenix Independent). He previously covered the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League for more than a decade.
Community: During high school football season since 2017, he contributes live postgame radio reports to the AzPreps 365 Friday Night Football Wrapup Show. He supports organizations such as Phoenix Children’s, Boys and Girls Clubs of the Valley and the American Cancer Society.
Education: The University of Texas at Austin majoring in Journalism-News and Public Affairs.
Random Fact: He can sing and he has been fortunate to meet many famous people during his journalism career including First Lady Hillary Clinton, King of Country Music George Strait and Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey. Attended all 4 home games of the 2001 World Series.
Hobbies: Watching and playing a wide variety of sports, including golf, tennis, pickleball and softball. Playing PlayStation 5, working out, shopping and reading.
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