Centennial’s second-half defense stifles Desert Oasis

Centennial’s defensive unit showed up when it mattered most Friday night.

The Bulldogs’ defense returned an interception for a touchdown, forced three 3-and-outs, made two fourth down stops, and limited Desert Oasis running back Jocquez Kalili to just 28 yards after halftime to seal a 36-19 home victory.

Kalili had a huge first half for Desert Oasis (3-3, 0-2), rushing for all three of the Diamondbacks’ touchdowns on 138 yards.

“They were getting a good push early in the ball game,” Centennial head coach Leon Evans said. “We told our guys up front that we had to get our pad levels down and get some penetration. [Kalili] is one of those backs, who once he gets his feet going north and south, he is a dangerous back. He’s definitely someone to reckon with.”

With Centennial (3-3, 2-0) leading 22-19 in the fourth quarter and the Diamondbacks driving, Bulldog linebacker David Porter intercepted a Richie Stammetti pass and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown to go up 29-19 with 7:44 remaining.

“I was just doing what coaches told me to do in my coverages,” Porter said. “I played it perfectly and he threw it right to me. I saw it and took advantage of it.”

“We figured out their running game, and we adjusted. We knew what they were doing, and we made the changes to fix it. Once we stopped their run, they couldn’t really do anything,” he said.

Senior running back Lantz Worthington put the game away on a 39-yard touchdown run with 4:35 remaining in the game after the Bulldogs’ defense forced an incomplete pass on fourth down. Worthington finished the night with 129 rushing yards on 12 carries and two touchdowns.

“We’ll take [Worthington] to war with us any day,” Evans said. “With this new style of (spread) offense, he had to get in his rhythym and find out where he fit in the offense. He finally did that and got himself going tonight.”

Midway through the second quarter, Desert Oasis was leading 19-14 after a 13-yard touchdown run by Kalili. After Desert Oasis fumbled at its own 28, Centennial completed their scoring drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Coll Thompson to Brandon Harley, which put the Bulldogs up 22-19 with 50 seconds remaining in the half.

Centennial’s Gene Haley had a kick return 71 yards for a touchdown.

With three games remaining in the regular season, the Bulldogs hope to keep their momentum going and push for a Southwest League playoff spot. Centennial will be looking for its third straight league win against Cimarron-Memorial (5-1, 1-1) on Thursday.

“We need to continue to get better each week,” Evans said. “We told the kids to keep their poise. We had a slow start, losing a few early ball games. We’ve been getting better each week, and I’ve said all along that we could be a team to be reckoned with.”