Nevada prep football: Centennial holds on to beat Palo Verde

In a battle of two teams fighting for playoff spots, host Centennial outlasted Palo Verde 26-24 in a rain-soaked thriller Friday night.

Palo Verde staged a late comeback but couldn’t complete it, failing on a 2-point conversion that would have tied the game in the final seconds.

Both teams endured difficult conditions as rain forced a 90-minute delay to the start of the game. The showers continued throughout much of the first half before clearing up at halftime.

Centennial head coach DJ Campbell said the weather threw off his team’s rhythm.

“Everything was thrown off with our schedule, but we had to weather the storm — both literally and on the field,” Campbell said. “We started off strong, but then we got complacent. That’s why the game was so close.”

The 10th-ranked Bulldogs (4-3, 1-2 5A Desert League) led 26-10 after three quarters behind senior running back Brogan Church, who rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns. His first came on the Bulldogs’ second possession — a 17-yard run that put Centennial up 13-0.

Church’s second score proved to be the game-winner, a 3-yard run that extended the lead to 26-10 in the third quarter.

Palo Verde (3-5, 1-2) came roaring back in the fourth. A fumble recovery by senior Landon Powell set up the Panthers in the red zone. After sophomore Rio Pascal powered the ball inside Centennial’s 5-yard line, senior Leo Templeton finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown catch from backup quarterback Jake Galutira.

Starting quarterback Kobe Arinwine missed the second half due to injury, but Galutira converted the 2-point attempt to make it 26-18.

After Centennial went three-and-out, Palo drove the field again. With the clock winding down, sophomore Beau Gardineer made a highlight-reel 30-yard catch to move the Panthers to the 10-yard line.

Two plays later, Pascal punched in a 6-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 26-24. On the ensuing 2-point try, Centennial’s defense held strong, stopping Pascal at the line of scrimmage.

The win was crucial for Centennial’s playoff hopes. The Bulldogs should now be safely in the postseason picture in the 5A HRM rankings. As for Palo Verde, the Panthers entered the night on the playoff bubble and likely didn’t do enough to improve their position.

Even with the win, Campbell said his team can’t afford to lose focus down the stretch.

“We can’t start high and go low,” Campbell said. “Going into the playoffs, we’ve got to keep going. We can’t let our foot off the gas.”