Melee in Murphy: Frisco Centennial holds off West Mesquite 33-25

MURPHY- Frisco Centennial (10-1) fended off a spirited comeback attempt from West Mesquite (8-3) on Friday at Tom Kimbrough Stadium to pick up a bi-district playoff win and move on to the next round of the playoffs.

The first minutes of the game were a defensive clinic for the Titans as Kevin Smith sacked West Mesquite quarterback Chason Virgil on consecutive plays. Things didn't improve for Virgil as Centennial defensive end Cydney Calvin, a senior defensive end, intercepted him and took it back 50 yards for the first score of the night.

"It kind of set the tone for us that first half, especially getting that first score," Frisco Centennial head coach Mark Howard said. "We kind of struggled there offensively for a while; we were just not in rhythm. We played good enough defense that first half. That first pick by Cydney Calvin, that kind of set the tone for the game."

After blocking a field goal attempt to keep the Titans' lead at six points, it looked as if the Wranglers would answer back immediately, as halfback Raashan Reason rocketed 54 yards to bring West Mesquite to the red zone. The Wranglers would get as far as the 5-yard line before Smith imposed his will on defense again, batting down a Virgil pass to force a 27-yard field goal by senior kicker Miguel Garza.

Centennial's offense would be the first to find the end zone in the second quarter. After a 7-yard punt midway into the quarter, Centennial extended the lead with quarterback Lamar Jordan finding Cody Bagwell on a swing route that went for a 40-yard score.

It was the Titans' only offensive score of the half, something Howard took notice of.

"I really felt like that whole first half we were our own worst enemies," he said. "We had so many little mistakes and penalties that kept us out of good field position. The challenge was at halftime to come out and overcome what we did the first half, for us not to beat ourselves. Our kids came back in the second half and we did that and that's what makes football what it is."

Meanwhile, the Wrangler offense didn't fare much better as Virgil was held to 76 yards passing in the first half.

"I think we got off to a slow start," West Mesquite head coach Mike Overton said. "We didn't block them very well in the first quarter. We had a change this week at center because we had an injury to an offensive lineman. We just didn't get out of the chute very well and it caused a couple of mishaps with the snaps and things. We didn't start very well, that was a little disappointing, but things picked up as the game progressed."

And pick up they did. It looked as if Centennial would take a 13-3 lead into halftime until the Wranglers unveiled their Wildcat set run by defensive back Kameron Miles. The senior converted a critical third-and-short to keep the West Mesquite drive alive, capping it off with a 1-yard run to paydirt that would keep West Mesquite within three going into the locker room.

"That was a huge momentum thing and those are the kinds of things you need to do," Overton said. "Anytime you score right before the end of the half, that's a huge thing. It kind of created a little momentum in the second half."

At the start of the half, the Titans switched to a ground-and-pound approach and Howard handed the offense over to junior halfback Kamari Burnett. Burnett responded with a 44-yard rumble to the end zone and a failed two-point conversion put the Titans up 19-10 to start the third quarter.

An interception on the following West Mesquite drive set the Titans up at the Wranglers' 23-yard line and the defense responded with a stand that put Centennial in a 4th-and-23 situation. After Jordan failed to convert, the Wrangler offense rewarded their defense with a 64-yard scoring drive ending with Reason finding the end zone on a 5-yard run that put his team within two points of Centennial. Reason had 8 attempts for 71 yards and a score.

When Centennial muffed a punt at the start of the final quarter, Miles took full advantage with a 10-yard scoring run to give his team their first lead of the night. Virgil hooked up with wideout Christian Mitchell for the two-point conversion and the Wranglers took a 25-23 lead. Virgil ended the night 16-of-20 for 145 yards and two interceptions.

Jordan then put the Titans on his back, connecting with Stoney Hawkins on a 10-yard touchdown pass and rushing for a 15-yard score in consecutive drives to give his team the 33-25 win. An onside kick recovered by the Titans between the two scores assured that West Mesquite wouldn't have the chance to come back.

Jordan ended his passing night 8-of-19 for 121 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Burnett led all rushers with 11 attempts for 73 yards and a touchdown.

"I'm so proud of our kids," Howard said. "I told them this is probably as big a win as I've ever been associated with because it was huge."

Centennial now plays Kimball at Loos Field at 2 p.m. on Saturday while the Wranglers head home.

"We're happy to have made the playoffs for the seventh year in a row," Overton said. "This is a team we thought could go places and we're a little disappointed that we didn't finish the season and we aren't playing longer."

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