PHOENIX – The Central High School football team outlasted visiting Carl Hayden Community High School in their annual meeting Friday night by a score of 40-21. 

With Central leading the game 20-7 going into the fourth quarter, both offenses exploded in a back-and-forth scoring match.

Carl Hayden senior running back Eric Baeza scored on a 15-yard rush to bring the score to 20-14 early in the fourth quarter.

Two plays later, Central struck back with a 23-yard touchdown pass to extend their lead to 26-14 with 10 minutes to play.

After another Central touchdown brought the lead to 19, the ensuing kickoff was brought back 85 yards for a touchdown by Baeza to keep Carl Hayden in a competitive game, 33-21.

Over the course of the fourth quarter the Central offense proved too electric for Carl Hayden and scored one more time on their way to a 40-21 victory.

Both teams came into this game with an 0-2 record on the season, hungry for their first win. The Carl Hayden football team sat together before the game, reflecting on their two-point loss to this Central team last year. 

Coach Randy Gross delivered an impassioned speech to his team, highlighting that even though they only had 26 men on their team, they had to fight hard.

“The effort’s there, the effort has always been there,” Gross said. “It’s just our approach to the game that needs to change.”

Junior quarterback Justis Delgado couldn’t lead Carl Hayden to a score for the first three drives, getting multiple passes knocked down and being stuffed in the run game.

On the defensive side, Carl Hayden was having trouble stopping a powerful Central High School run attack. Delgado also plays cornerback, and thought the defense didn’t play to their potential.

“We were getting to the ball, we just couldn’t wrap up at the point of attack,” Delgado said.

Senior running back Gabriel Fuentes dominated from the first snap for Central. He opened up the scoring of the game with a miraculous 23-yard TD in the first quarter which involved him fumbling the ball, recovering, and weaving his way through the defense for a score. 

Fuentes didn’t slow down from there, finishing the game with a final stat line of 11 carries for 164 yards and three scores. 

For Carl Hayden, Baeza was keeping them in the game with his work on the ground. He scored all three of Carl Hayden’s touchdowns, and had an additional 74 yard run that was called back on a holding penalty. 

Baeza finished the game with 17 carries for 197 yards rushing and two touchdowns, and had his offensive line to thank after the game.

“Without them, I wouldn’t be getting the yards I’m getting or the touchdowns I’m getting,” Baeza said. “The defense kept pinching in, so I just bounced to the outside.”

For Carl Hayden, they now sit at 0-3 and will look to win their first game of the year next week when they play North High School at home. Delgado was hopeful about the rest of their season and thinks there’s no place to go but up for this team.

“We’re gonna improve, we’re gonna give 100 percent in practice and come out with a win next week,” Delgado said after the game.