Centennial Pulls Off Big Road Win Against Overton

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2022 season couldn't have started any better for the Centennial Cougars as they opened their season Friday night with a 38-28 road victory over the Overton Bobcats.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both teams were excited before the opening snap, ready to start the season but it was the road Cougars who came out more prepared and focused for the job at hand. They immediately set the tone on defense when sophomore athlete <strong>Kani Johnson </strong>intercepted Bobcats senior quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='234958' first='Ryder' last='Hagan'] </strong>on the first offensive snap and series.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After the turnover, Cougars quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='147570' first='Brendan' last='Jones'] </strong>put his team in the end zone in only two plays which then sparked the road towards a big first half on offense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":421320,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/08/BJones-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-421320"/><figcaption>Photo: Amanda Ruffing , CSS</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jones was near flawless on the evening, tossing multiple touchdown passes and showing a cool, calm demeanor behind center. His accuracy in the passing game was key, especially in the 1st half where he and a balanced rushing attack helped put 28 points on the scoreboard before halftime.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While the offense was moving the ball with ease, it was the Centennial defense that stood out the most to me on the night, holding a well balanced Overton offense to zero points in the 1st half and causing an OVC committed quarterback to look pedestrian.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cougars defense put the pressure on Hagan early, intercepting his 1st pass and making him run for cover all night. Hagan wasn't given much time to throw as his offensive line had a hard time keeping guys in front nor did they do a good job at adjusting and giving their quarterback a chance to move the offense.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Heading into halftime, the Cougars held a 28-0 lead and looked poised towards blowing out the home Bobcats but Overton would bounce back in the 2nd half and make things a little bit more interesting.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Being down by 28 points, the Overton coaching staff changed up their offensive plans and started the 2nd half focusing on rushing the ball and showcasing their deep backfield.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bobcats have a pair of senior running backs in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='234963' first='Jevon' last='Edmondson'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='222274' first='Maliek' last='Campbell'] </strong>that started to flex their muscles in the 2nd half and were key catalysts towards getting the home team back in the game. Both Edmondson and Campbell bring a lot of traits to the football field and proved to me that they are both underrated, college built backs that sit way under the radar. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":421317,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/08/Overton-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-421317"/><figcaption>Photo: Amanda Ruffing , CSS</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While Overton was making their march back into the game, the Cougars remained steady, using the clock to their advantage and maintaining the lead throughout the rest of the game.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overton did come within 10 points in the 2nd half but they ran out of time. The Bobcats performed much better in the 2nd half and showed promise but it was the big offensive outburst from Centennial in the 1st half that basically put the game away.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was an impressive opening season win for the Cougars as they have big aspirations this year and proved in game one against a solid team in Overton that they are legit and ready to compete with the best of the best from the 6A ranks.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cougars are well balanced on offense and very active and aggressive on defense. They have a nice mix of veterans and youthful talent that could form into a strong squad this year, challenging multiple powers and earning their way into the playoffs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cougars Have an Underrated Quarterback&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- Probably the most important position within a football team is the quarterback and Centennial is lucky to have a legit signal caller behind center in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='147570' first='Brendan' last='Jones'] </strong>that can make all the throws along with supplying great leadership for not just the offense but the entire team.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last night against Overton, Jones was sensational as he placed the ball wherever he wanted to and did so with conviction. He sprayed the ball around to multiple targets but also would throw it away when nothing was there. The way he handled the pocket, the pressure, the moment, Jones looked poised beyond his years and showed the makeup as a winning quarterback.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jones must continue to get bigger and evolve himself as a quarterback but the mental makeup and talent is there to help push his Cougars to a big season and hopefully a deep playoff run.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Youth Leads the Way for Centennial&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- Yes Jones at quarterback is the leader and the man who runs the show but last night against Overton, it was the Cougars youth who stepped up, made big plays and established themselves as some of the best players on the field from both teams. Hands down and bare none, sophomore <strong>Kani Johnson </strong>was the best player on the field among everybody competing.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cougars two-way talent dominated the game coming up with several big time catches on offense, including one long touchdown catch as well as several key stops on defense. Johnson is more than legit as he looks like one of the top overall prospects from our in-state 2025 class. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":421318,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/08/Kani-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-421318"/><figcaption>Photo: Amanda Ruffing , CSS</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Complimenting Johnson on offense was junior running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='149149' first='Taner' last='Lee']. </strong>The 6'0 ball carrier was a steady performer last night, producing over 130 yards rushing as well as two touchdowns. Lee is a good looking prospect with nice size, balance and vision. He must become more explosive but the talent is there to reach college football.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another youngin to mention here is junior athlete <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='316773' first='Dominic' last='Reed']</strong>. This guy has as much potential as anybody on the Cougars roster as he has the size (6'2 185), length and athleticism to excel on either side of the ball but looked particularly strong at safety last night. Reed is a talented young man with definitely his best football ahead of him.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Reset for Overton After Game One&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- Coming into game one last night, Overton was billed as one of the top teams from their region and that still might be the case but after losing to Centennial and doing so in the fashion that they did, the Bobcats may need to reset a few things before moving forward through the rest of their schedule.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overton has some good pieces like Hagan, Edmondson, Campbell and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='225988' first='Tyson' last='Edwards'] </strong>on defense but those guys must receive some help and after last night's game, the line of scrimmage is where the most help is needed. The Bobcats offensive line had a very hard time with maintaining blocks or keeping defenders from getting after Hagan. They performed better with their run blocking but could not get a handle on the pass rush and that proved to be a big problem the entire night.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Over on defense, the Bobcats D-line didn't perform much better either. While the Cougars had no problem rushing the passer, the Overton defenders did as they could not get off blocks nor show the speed needed to rush Jones off his platform.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was a struggle most of the night for the Overton line of scrimmage that showed needed adjustments going forward if the Bobcats want to have a successful season. There is plenty of time left in the season to get things right but they must work on these problems soon if they want to get back on the winning side of things.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":421319,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/08/RHagan-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-421319"/><figcaption>Photo: Amanda Ruffing , CSS</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->