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Inside track: Titans top Frisco in key district showdown
BY Chris O’Dell, codell@starlocalnews.com
FRISCO – Although Frisco entered Friday night's game against Centennial as the top dog in the District 9-4A standings, the Titans had a chance to take the inside track in their quest to repeat as district champs.
Centennial used a balanced attack to grab a crucial 38-24 victory over the Raccoons from FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco.
"One of our goals going into the season was to win the district championship," said Mark Howard, Centennial head coach. "That dream is still very much alive now."
Frisco (5-3, 4-1) had held the Titans to a fourth-down situation earlier in the drive, but a roughing the kicker call on Centennial's punt extended the drive and allowed the Titans to take a 7-0 lead at the 8:06 mark of the first quarter.
The game then became a defensive battle, as both teams struggled to move the ball and either settled for a punt or turned it over on nine consecutive drives.
The most costly turnover came when Frisco junior quarterback Jake Battaglia was intercepted near the end zone by Centennial junior safety Ian Neithercut, with the Raccoons close to knotting the game at 7-7.
Battaglia had previously thrown a pick to senior cornerback Ranthony Texada, who one-handed a pass with just two seconds remaining in the first quarter.
"Any time you turn the ball over, you put yourself at a disadvantage," said Vance Gibson, Frisco head coach.
Centennial finally capitalized on its defensive success by scoring its second touchdown of the night with just 37 seconds left in the opening half.
Senior quarterback Lamar Jordan found senior receiver Cody Bagwell for a 56-yard strike that allowed the Titans to carry a 14-0 advantage into the locker room.
"[Jordan] came through and made some plays when he needed to," Howard said.
Jordan finished the game with 226 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions after completing 16-of-27 attempts. The senior signal caller also added 12 yards and a score on five carries.
"We had a difficult time moving the ball in the first half," Gibson said. "We made some plays in the second half that we weren't able to make in the first half."
With defense being the theme early, things quickly changed for both teams at the start of the third quarter.
Frisco marched 60 yards on its opening drive of the half and junior fullback Matt Nollman scored the first of his three touchdowns in the game on a 4-yard run to trim the Centennial lead to 14-7 with 7:15 remaining in the frame.
The Titans responded with a 30-yard field goal from senior kicker Austin Shoemake to go back ahead by two possessions. However, Frisco junior kicker Grant White followed Shoemake's boot with a 25-yard field goal of his own to make it a 17-10 contest with 1:22 remaining in the third.
That's when Centennial began to pull away and put together consecutive touchdown drives for a three-score lead late in the game.
The Titans went ahead 24-10 after Jordan hit junior receiver Kelly Cordova in the back of the end zone for an 11-yard strike.
"We opened it up a little more and the moved the ball better in the second half," Howard said.
Things then went downhill for Frisco after Neithercut made his second interception of the game on a tipped pass from Battaglia. Centennial took advantage of the turnover and marched 70 yards before Jordan broke free for a 32-yard scamper to give the Titans a 31-10 lead with just 8:29 remaining in the game.
"We kept fighting and kept battling," Howard said.
Staying true to the back-and-forth theme of the second half, Frisco responded with a quick scoring drive that took less than a minute off the clock. The drive ended in another 4-yard run from Nollman to make it a 31-17 contest.
"These are great kids," Gibson said. "They're not ever going to quit playing hard."
However, Johnson broke free for his second rushing touchdown of the game on the following play from scrimmage after Texada took the ensuing kickoff to the Frisco 20-yard line.
Johnson's 20-yard run gave the junior 117 yards on 15 carries in the game and put Centennial ahead 38-17 with 7:10 remaining in regulation.
The Raccoons completed the game's scoring moments later when Battaglia found Nollman for a 25-yard touchdown to put the final score at 38-24.
Nollman ended his night with 66 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, while also catching three passes for 49 yards and another score.
Nollman's reception gave Battaglia 283 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions after the junior completed 14-of-25 attempts.
Centennial now has a shot at taking home a second straight 9-4A title, with The Colony coming to Frisco ISD Memorial Stadium for a Friday matchup.
"As long as we win out, we should be in good shape," Howard said. "We're not looking ahead though."
Frisco will now look to rebound with a Friday contest against Heritage before closing the season against Prosper.
"We're tied for first with two games left to play," Gibson said. "Our goal is always to have a winning season and to make the playoffs."
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