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Repeat performance: Titans beat North in playoff rematch
Photo courtesy of Kellie Anfosso / kellie1982.smugmug.com
By Chris O'Dell, codell@starlocalnews.com
MCKINNEY -- Centennial and McKinney North entered Friday night's game at Ron Poe Stadium on two different paths.
The Titans, coming off an undefeated regular season and a 12-1 mark a year ago, opened the 2012 season with two dominant wins over Denison (45-9) and Lake Dallas (42-14).
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs dropped their season opener to Carrollton Newman Smith (21-17) before falling to Prosper (31-10) the next week.
"We didn't want it to be as close as it was, but that's football," said Mark Howard, Centennial head coach.
The Titans used a dominant start to build a 35-0 lead midway through the second quarter.
Senior quarterback Lamar Jordan led the charge, throwing for two touchdowns and running for two more during the first half.
"[Centennial] is really good," said Mike Fecci, North head coach. "They're ranked No. 1 in the area for a reason."
Jordan began the scoring with a 6-yard run at the 5:40 mark of the first quarter, giving the Titans a 7-0 lead after an extra point from senior kicker Austin Shoemake.
It didn't take long for the senior to strike again, adding a 2-yard touchdown run with 2:29 left in the first to give Centennial a 14-0 advantage.
Jordan followed his pair of touchdown runs by going to the air on Centennial's following possession and connecting with senior receiver Cody Bagwell for a 31-yard touchdown.
The Titans would add two more touchdowns after junior Kelly Cordova hit receiver Cameron Peters for a 30-yard score on the first play of the second quarter.
Jordan later found junior Stoney Hawkins for a 1-yard touchdown pass to give the Titans a 35-point lead that looked to be more than enough.
However, the Bulldogs kept fighting and scored a pair of touchdowns in the final three minutes of the half to stay within reach.
North's first score came on an 11-yard pass from junior quarterback Ben Dutze to senior receiver Evan Jones.
The Bulldogs then took advantage of a shortened field after intercepting Jordan at the 38-yard line. Junior running back Trey Smith capitalized one play later with a 38-yard sprint to the end zone to trim the deficit to 35-14 at the half.
"When you get down 35-0, most teams give up," Fecci said. "I think it shows the character of these kids to keep fighting like that."
Although North carried a little momentum into the locker room, the Titans took it all back on their opening possession of the second half. Junior running back Chris Johnson broke free for a 56-yard run to put Centennial into scoring position.
Jordan then added his third touchdown pass of the game and connected with Hawkins on another 1-yard score to put the Titans ahead, 42-14.
"That was huge," Howard said. "We always talk about establishing momentum to start the half and we did that tonight."
The stingy Centennial defense also buckled down in the second half after surrendering a pair of touchdowns late in the second quarter.
The Titans held North scoreless for the entire third quarter and didn't allow the Bulldogs to reach the end zone again until the 4:44 mark of the fourth when Dutze scored on a 1-yard touchdown run.
"I was very proud of how we handled ourselves tonight," Fecci said. "I like where we're going."
Dutze threw for 112 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions after completing half of his 28 pass attempts.
Meanwhile, Jordan racked up 224 yards, three touchdowns and one interception through the air after completing 16-of-29 attempts. The senior also ran for 13 yards and two more scores.
Johnson became the only 100-yard rusher in the game, reaching that total on 11 carries.
"It was a win and we're out of non-district now," Howard said. "We can start focusing on district teams now."
Centennial moves to 3-0 with the victory and the Titans now get a bye week to prepare for their district opener against Little Elm on Sept. 27.
North falls to 0-3 and also gets an off week before opening District 13-4A action against Sherman on Sept. 28.
"I've never felt better at 0-3 than I do right now," Fecci said.
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