PEORIA- On a night celebrating the senior class of Centennial High School, a sophomore led the way. The Coyotes defeated the Pioneers of Pinnacle High School 31-21 on Centennial's annual senior night game.

The injury to starting quarterback Joshua Gasca forced Centennial to turn to a backup, sophomore Austin Glimpse, to lead behind center. Glimpse's entry lit a flame under the Coyote offense that resulted in 21 unanswered points in the second half to beat Pinnacle.

For the Pioneers, this was their second consecutive loss and they had no answer for an aggressive pass attack during the second half.

“That was their backup quarterback and we felt comfortable they weren’t gonna throw the ball, but they came out and hit a couple of huge deep plays,” said Pinnacle head coach Dana Zupke. “I don’t think we did a good job in deep coverages and they took advantage of our soft spots to come up with some big plays.”

The biggest play of the night was a 40-yard catch and epic juke move by senior Rashon Adams to give Centennial a three-point advantage midway through the third quarter.

For Adams, it capped off a stellar night that included a three-touchdown performance and a game-ending interception on Pinnacle’s final possession. 

On the opposite sideline, the Pioneers couldn’t find an offense grove after extending their lead to eleven late in the second quarter.

“We’re young on the offensive side of the ball and it’s difficult to stay consistent and make a play on every drive,” said coach Zupke. “We had success moving the ball and then we would do something to stall out.  It’s one of those things where these experiences will put us in a better position to start making those plays.”

The final five drives resulted in a turnover or punt for the Pioneers but a strong first half proved that the talent is there on offense.  

Quarterback Devon Dampier was able to connect on several tough throws throughout a night that was highlighted by a 28-yard touchdown to wide receiver Dorian Singer, who has multiple Division I offers, including Iowa State. 

However, numerous penalties including an illegal forward pass that eventually led to a turnover on downs and a collection of late pass interference calls gave Centennial all they needed to secure the victory.

The Pioneers are looking to change the narrative next week against Brophy after being unable to close when the game was on the line.

“The biggest thing is that we have to learn how to finish,” said coach Zupke. “This is the second game where I don’t think we did a very good job finishing the game. We have to figure out how to finish because that’s what it really comes down to.”