By Brittany Bowyer
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PEORIA — The tenth-ranked Chaparral Firebirds soared to a 34-7 upset victory over the no. 8 Centennial Coyotes on Monday night in what was a somewhat emotional game between the two teams. There was no lack of chatter between the teams on the field, as tensions were clearly high with the results of the game clearly affecting where they’ll be seeded come the end of the season.

Despite the fact they were late for the game, Chaparral got off to a fast start in the game, leaving Centennial scrambling to try to catch up from the beginning.

“We were late because of traffic, but we still showed up,” Chaparral Head Coach Carlos Anderson said.

“We’ve been having so many slow games, and just starting the game off quick was great,” junior Kendyll Dinh said.

Centennial got the ball to start the game, but they wouldn’t have possession for long. Sophomore Madison Morris was able to pick off the Coyotes, giving Chaparral excellent field position early on. Chaparral was able to get on the board with 5:09 left in the first quarter on a pass from junior Kaelie Weishaar to senior Maggie Connell. The extra point attempt from freshman Courtney Connell was good, making it 7-0 Chaparral early.

After forcing the Coyotes to punt, Chapparral got the ball back towards the end of the first quarter. They’d spend the remainder of the first quarter marching down the field, setting them up for a touchdown on the first play of the second quarter. Weishaar handed it off to Dinh, who took it in for six. The kick from Courtney Connell was again good, giving Chaparral a 14-0 lead with 11:56 remaining in the half.

“She’s an absolute dog,” Coach Anderson said about Dinh. “She’s just an athlete. She gets us going. She’s our motor. She’s our all-star player on the basketball court and the football field. We need players like that.”

Later in the second quarter, Centennial was able to get on the board on a pass from sophomore Audrey Ortiz to junior Sariah Achondo. The kick from junior Eden Gutierrez was good, making it 14-7 with just 2:05 left to play before halftime.

Maximizing their time, the Firebirds were able to go the length of the field, capping off the drive with a touchdown just as time expired. Weishaar was able to find Dinh in the endzone, helping them extend the lead. Courtney Connell’s kick was again good, making the score 21-7 going into the half.

“It was big, because we struggle with away games,” Anderson said about being up at the half. “It’s good because it keeps the girls confiedent going into the second half.”

“It was great, because normally we start off really slow and then come back in the second half,” Dinh said. “We’re just keeping that momentum from the other game we played in last week on Thursday and keep on moving it forward.”

Chaparral got the ball back coming out of halftime and were able to capitalize on the possession. Slicing and dicing her way into the endzone, Weishaar kept the bal to take it in for six. The kick from Courtney Connell was good, extending the lead to 28-7 with 6:26 remaining in the third.

On the following drive for Centennial, more problems would ensue, as senior Stella Hulse had a pick-six to extend the lead. The kick bounced off the crossbar and was no good, making it 34-7 with 4:30 left to play in the third quarter.

Later in the game, Centennial would look as if they were going to score, but a pass from Ortiz was picked off by Dinh once again with 8:31 remaining.

For the remainder of the game, the two would fight for possession, but the damage was already done. Chaparral was able to walk away with a 34-7 victory over Centennial.

For Coach Anderson, he knew this game would be similar to the type of games they’re going to have come the playoffs.

“Centennial is a good football team,” Anderson said. “Plays are only five, six seconds long. I told them to be great for five or six seconds, that’s it.”

For now, both teams will focus on finishing their seasons strong. Chaparral still has games against Mountain Pointe, McClintock and Campo Verde, while Centennial still has to face Copper Canyon, Kellis, ACP and Horizon.

“We’re looking into the playoffs now,” Anderson said. “Obviously we had to forefit some games. We see some teams at the top of the bracket that we beat, and know that we can beat, and [Centennial] is one of those teams that’s ahead of us in the rankings. So we have to come out to send a message to them and also to the region. I think we did a pretty good job of doing that, too.”

Round one of the playoffs begin Nov. 10.

Brittany Bowyer is a Report for America corps member, covering sports for Independent Newsmedia in Arizona. Report for America places talented journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and regions.