Centennial vs. Blaine – offensive standouts

Early on, Thursday night at Centennial High School looked like the Cougars and the Blaine Bengals were going to be involved in a shootout. Both teams scored on their first possessions. Eventually, the defenses got their footing, but one offense in particular – the home Cougars – quickly got back on track. <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/10/centennials-impressive-second-half-keeps-the-cougars-rolling/">They won their fourth straight by the score of 26-14.</a> Here are the offensive performances that stood out. [player_tooltip player_id="105383" first="Daylen" last="Cummings"] <strong>QB Centennial</strong> Cummings ran the offense well. He seemed to make all the right decisions when handing off or keeping the ball and picking up yards on his own. He showed good speed to get around the corner. Cummings is not a big guy, but he was able to bounce off tacklers for positive yards even when his blocking wasn’t perfect. His quick feet were highlighted on a run in which he should have been stopped behind the line of scrimmage, but he made two or three guys miss to pick up positive yards. He wasn’t a threat in the passing game, but he averaged over five yards a carry on a one hundred-yard night on the ground. <strong>Isaiah Ward</strong>, <strong>Marco Villa</strong>, [player_tooltip player_id="49944" first="Logan" last="Palmsteen"], <strong>Ethan Colacicco</strong>, <strong>Cole Erichsrud Centennial offensive line</strong> By rushing for nearly 300 yards, the Cougars’ offensive line slowly wore down the Bengals’ front seven. They consistently helped the running backs grind out first downs. None of them will wow you with their size, but they all come off the ball low and hard – making life miserable for the defensive line. Ward and Villa were especially effective against the Bengals. It seemed like every time the Cougars needed a big run; they would run behind the left side of the line – behind tackle Ward and guard Villa. <strong>AJ Kaul Blaine QB</strong> Because of immediate pressure, Kaul completed a pass off his back foot. The ball traveled twenty yards in the air. He missed some deep throws, but Kaul was very accurate on short throws. Possibly his best pass was a throw down the sidelines on a wheel route. <strong>Jordan Reynolds Blaine WR</strong> Reynolds has good size as an outside receiver. He caught an out route for a first down. Then he caught another short out route. His size and hands made him effective on short routes. A later play was called back because of a penalty, but he made a diving catch on a post pattern that would have picked up twenty yards. [player_tooltip player_id="49885" first="Jacob" last="Emslander"] <strong>Blaine TE</strong> Emslander is a big target to throw to. He caught two short passes early in the game. After the second catch, he broke two tackles. He was a lead blocker on many of the Bengals’ successful runs. <strong>Preston Meyers Blaine RB</strong> On a fourth and short, Meyers’ cut back a run and not only picked up the first down but scored a touchdown. Meyers made some tough run up the middle – including another touchdown. He is not flashy, but he has good footwork and instincts. He is patient and waits for plays to develop. He bounced a run outside to pick up a third and short. He showed he would not just hurt a defense with his feet. He caught a wheel route down the sidelines for 15 yards. <strong>Lance Nielsen Jr Centennial RB/WR</strong> Nielsen threw a great block on the outside to help spring Cummings. Then, he took an end-around handoff from Cummings, got the corner, and cut back into the middle for a 28-yard touchdown run. He would account for two more scores with a five-yard touchdown run around the left side, and then on a sweep, he pulled up and threw a touchdown pass to Luke Clark for a touchdown. <strong>Lance Liu Centennial RB</strong> Liu was one of the main contributors to ware down the Bengals’ defense in the second half. His physical, inside running, helped set up Cummings and the outside running game. He pounded the ball up the middle for a six-yard gain in the first half. In the second half, he made two tough runs up the middle. Then he picked up a first down that set up a touchdown. His between the tackles style ground out yards and clock. Late in the game, he converted on a fourth and two for eight yards. Another physical run set up a fourth and one late in the game. His eight-yard touchdown run late put the game away. <strong>Luke Clark Centennial WR</strong> Clark’s block on the outside sprung Nielsen for a big run. Later, he caught a touchdown thrown by Nielson on a trick play.