close
close

How Centennial has become perhaps the best HS football team in Arizona

play

There's a power shift in Arizona high school football from one side of the valley to the other, a buzz that's come from the East Valley to Peoria.

Two schools loaded with talent in this West Valley community – both from the same school district – could be slated for another showdown in the Open Division championship next December.

Last season, Liberty dominated the competition and captured its first Open state title, a year after Chandler Basha held the East Valley's string of Open titles.

But as great as Liberty is, Centennial, which lost to Liberty in the title game last season, may not only have caught up in a wild offseason of its own transfers, but the transfers that are expected to make it a top team again Lions overtaken.

Top prospect ranking: Top 100: The Republic's best high school football prospects in 2026

While Liberty adds safety Zeth Thues, who transfers from 6A champion Scottsdale Saguaro (2021 Open champion), to what is now Arizona's best defense, Centennial has added several top transfers, most notably wide receiver/defensive back Nikko Boncore (of Glendale Cactus) and Shamar Berryhill (of 3A champion Tucson Sabino).

Both quickly bonded with their new teammates and found out how competitive it is on the 6A team, which prides itself on spending time in the weight room to prepare for football season.

“They welcomed me with open arms,” said Berryhill, whose little brother Romeo joined him and could start as a sophomore on the varsity side next season. “Just a lot of energy to get ready for the upcoming season with spring ball and get to work.”

Berryhill checks a lot of boxes as the Coyotes move on from All-State cornerback/receiver Kenny Worthy III and All-State edge rusher/receiver Noah Carter, both of whom will play college ball next fall (Worthy at Washington States, Carter). in Alabama).

Berryhill caught 75 passes for 1,392 yards and 20 touchdowns last year at Sabino. The jump from 3A to 6A is quite big. But Berryhill, who comes from a strong football family, is up to the challenge and taking his game to a new level.

“It’s bigger in every way,” Berryhill said. “The weight room, on the field, the chemistry, the playbook, it’s different. I'm in the learning phase. But when we get there, we know it will be good news.”

Boncore is recovering and chemistry with the new team is developing

Boncore was an all-state receiver the last two years at Cactus, where he combined for 24 TD catches. He rushed for more than 1,200 yards in both his sophomore and junior seasons. And that was when he started as a cornerback.

He's recovering from a hip injury suffered while long jumping during the track and field season, but he still has plenty of time before he plays in his first game at Centennial. Due to the transfer move, he will sit out the five games and will be available for action until the middle of the season. However, he will be back for 7-on-7 games in June. He already feels that the chemistry between the Centennial players is right this spring.

He worked with returning quarterback Kainan Manna in youth football, so they have a good connection.

With so many players at Centennial trying to earn college football scholarships, Boncore said the competition in the program is intense.

“We added a few key players here, including myself,” Boncore said. “Everyone just wants to do their part. The main goal is to get to the Open and win state. The way we see it is that we have to build chemistry. We have lost key figures. But we're building that chemistry and we can't wait for the season.

Coach Richard Taylor can't downplay this team. He has won state championships in the past without a top Division I player. Now he had several last year in addition to Worthy and Carter. Running back Derrion Bartholomew, a top 2027 prospect with offers from Arizona State and Colorado State, has been compared to former Centennial star Zidane Thomas, “only bigger,” Taylor said.

“These guys like each other,” Taylor said. “They work very hard. They listen. The expectations for them are high.”

Taylor calls Berryhill and Boncore “good guys” who were “immediately accepted by the team.”

“They weren’t trying to tell people how good they were,” Taylor said. “You just showed them.”

Taylor is still trying to get to know all the transfers.

Strong in the trenches and on defense overall

Jesus Diaz III, 6-4, 285, transferred from Cactus to Centennial over the winter. He will make a good offensive line even stronger. The Coyotes brought in a few starters, but there were enough returners who got playing time to be ready for next season.

There is already a strong core from last year's team, which lost to Liberty twice, including the Open final.

Middle linebacker/kicker Aaron Alvarez, quarterback Kainan Manna and nose guard Taurean Hall are all back and are considered the backbone of this team. Hall, 6-1, 265, had 12 sacks last season. Hall believes the defense will be strong. He named Julian Brown and Gavin Gardner as playmakers.

“We have a lot of athletes,” Hall said. “We are already very close. And we’ve only just begun.”

Manna calls this a new ride.

“It was fun,” he said. “We started with a small setback from last year. We have new people learning their profession everywhere. There was a lot of determination to get it right.”

Taylor doesn't expect the upcoming season to be an Open title or a failure. But he knows there is talent, even if the two stars who largely carried the Coyotes last season are no longer there.

“We talked to the seniors and they said, 'Coach, we may not have the stars we had last year, so we need to make up for it with good guys that work really hard,'” Taylor said. “It’s doable.”

To suggest ideas for human interest stories and other news stories, reach Obert at [email protected] or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @azc_obert

Tags:

You may also like...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *