Centennial wins its first ever state championship - by six inches

The Centennial Cougars looked to be in control of the 6A state title game with five minutes to go in the fourth quarter. They led 28-14, but the Edina Hornets were about to come roaring back. The Hornets cut the lead to 28-21 and then 28-27 with fifteen seconds to play. Instead of kicking the extra point and going into overtime, the Hornets had the momentum and decided to go for the win. They called an end-a-round that looked like it had a chance, but Centennial's Ayden Sadowski stuffed the run inches short of the goal line – securing Centennial's first-ever state football championship.   Before the final thirty seconds of the game, one of the things that stood out was the number of times both teams rolled the dice on fourth down throughout the game. Neither team wasted any time going for it on fourth down. First, Edina's [player_tooltip player_id='924336' first='Sawyer' last='Jezierski'] stuffed two straight runs – the second on fourth down – to give his team the ball at mid-field. Inching toward the red zone, Edina was turned back on fourth and short by Centennial's Ben Clauson.   The Cougars would put together a 13-play drive – 12 called running plays – to score the game's first touchdown. The score would not come without a critical fourth down run by running back [player_tooltip player_id='1145327' first='Maverick' last='Harper'] behind [player_tooltip player_id='1204079' first='Alex' last='Johnson'] and Trenton Campbell. [player_tooltip player_id='704473' first='Marcus' last='Whiting'] would punch in the game's first score from inside the five-yard line.   Centennial's defense would waste little time before it made another huge play. Centennial defensive back Josh Lee got his hands on a ball that ricocheted off a receiver into Lee's hands for the interception. The offense would soon give the Cougars a two-score lead. Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='105383' first='Daylen' last='Cummings'] completed a pair of passes on the move to set up an option run by the senior quarterback behind Cambell and Johnson for a touchdown.   Edina's offense didn't waste any time answering. Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='592125' first='Mason' last='West'] showed his arm off with a deep throw down the sideline, and Sonny Villegas made a great contested catch on the sideline for fifty yards. West then hit [player_tooltip player_id='234833' first='Meyer' last='Swinney'] on a crossing route. Swinney made the catch just short of the goal line despite being hit just as he grabbed the ball. Two plays later, running back [player_tooltip player_id='1145305' first='John' last='Warpinski'] dove into the end zone to cut the lead in half.   Edina was poised to tie the game up after [player_tooltip player_id='1145298' first='Owen' last='Kemper'] undercut a crossing route for an interception. Backed inside their 20-yard line, the Cougars' front seven stepped up. Defensive tackle Melvin Wallace made a tackle for loss. Then, his strong inside pass rush led to a sack by Caden Coppersmith. On third down, Whiting's pressure led to an incomplete pass, and good coverage by Lee on fourth and long turned the ball back over to the Cougars.   Seventy-five yards from the end zone, Centennial put together their best drive of the game. Cummings's strong throw to the outside to [player_tooltip player_id='242424' first='Ty' last='Burgoon'] was stopped just short of the first down. The Cougars gambled - going for it at the 32. Whiting converted behind Campbell and Alex Larkin. After Cummings used his legs for 9 yards, he hit Burgoon for twelve yards on the sidelines. After another first down, Burgoon made a contested catch in double coverage inside the ten. To cap off the drive, Lee caught a back shoulder throw in the end zone with five seconds to go in the half.   Down 21-7 at the half, the Hornets' offense came out of the locker room smoking. William Carlson found the edge on a reverse for twenty yards. Then, on 4th and three, West completed a pass to Villegas on an out route led to a first down. Faced with another 4th and short on the 16, Warpinski got just enough to move the chains. He found more room two plays later for 15 yards to the one. The senior would cap off the 65-yard drive with a short touchdown run.   The defenses would trade fourth down stops on the next two possessions. On fourth and three, Kemper broke up a pass only to have Whiting and [player_tooltip player_id='105389' first='Timmy' last='Ball'] stuff a Hornets' run for a loss on fourth down.   Bradley Brown and Joe Streff caved in the right side of the Hornets' defensive line to spring Cummings on a forty-yard run. It would lead to the Cougars' fourth touchdown of the game.   Down 14 with four minutes to play, the Hornets started their comeback. Facing an early third and ten, the West to Villegas combination kept clicking. Then, West found Swinney on a crossing route for a first down. West's strong throw on a deep out to [player_tooltip player_id='923839' first='Alex' last='White'] allowed White to break a tackle and get inside the ten. West used his legs to finish the drive with an 8-yard touchdown scramble with under four minutes to go in the season.   After failing to pick up one more first down that would have allowed the Cougars to run out the clock, they let the Hornets' offense back on the field. Edina got the ball at the 32 with 44 seconds left and no time-outs. West quickly found Villegas on a crossing route for 20 yards. West then threw to Swinney for 12, and more importantly, Swinney got out of bounds with 26 seconds left at the 43-yard line. Edina caught a massive break after a short run ended in a fifteen-yard late-hit penalty. Then, somehow, Villegas got wide open for 21 yards and a touchdown with 16 seconds left.   The Hornets' comeback fell about six inches short because of the tackle Sadowski made a play that will go down in Centennial High School history - stuffing an inside handoff at the one-inch line – securing the program's first football state title.

The Centennial Cougars looked to be in control of the 6A state title game with five minutes to go in the fourth quarter. They led 28-14, but the Edina Hornets were about to come roaring back. The Hornets cut the lead to 28-21 and then 28-27 with fifteen seconds to play. Instead of kicking the extra point and going into overtime, the Hornets had the momentum and decided to go for the win. They called an end-a-round that looked like it had a chance, but Centennial's Ayden Sadowski stuffed the run inches short of the goal line – securing Centennial's first-ever state football championship.