TEMPE, Ariz. -- It was clear in the first half of Saturday's Division II state championship game that No. 4 Peoria Centennial had the upper hand on No. 3 Oro Valley Ironwood Ridge. The Coyotes were faster, stronger and more explosive.
Ironwood Ridge coach Matt Johnson even seemed a little defeated at halftime despite a 7-3 lead, worried his run game had not gotten going against a tough Centennial defense.
"We're going to try a few adjustments," Johnson told FOX Sports Arizona. "I can't make Centennial smaller, and I can't make them slower."
Overmatched as the Nighthawks might have been, they stuck to staunch defense and opportunism to come away with a resounding 27-3 win at Sun Devil Stadium, giving the school its first state title in its first championship appearance.
"We got a lot of breaks, and my kids just executed," Johnson said. "Obviously, I'm surprised that it wasn't closer."
Centennial opened the game strong, driving to the red zone on its first two drives, but got just three points out of it after going 1 for 2 on field-goal tries. From there, the Coyotes got even more careless, giving the Nighthawks opportunities they gladly seized.
The Centennial defense got a stop early in the second quarter, forcing Ironwood Ridge to punt. Centennial's return man, however, muffed the punt, which Ironwood Ridge recovered at Centennial's 25-yard line. Three plays later, Ironwood Ridge quarterback Tyler Williams hit John Klass for a 24-yard touchdown.
"Without a doubt, I have some special kids that know how to find an opportunity," Johnson said. "This year, it's our year. I can't read into the future, but with these seniors, they deserve it, and they know how to find an opportunity."
Centennial might have taken a lead into halftime had receiver Shawn Poindester stepped out of bounds as the clock ticked toward halftime. Instead, Centennial had to take a timeout with four seconds left and settled for a 33-yard field-goal try, which sailed wide left.
With a slim lead, Ironwood Ridge headed to the locker room uncomfortable. It had been outgained 186 yards to 61, run half as many plays as Centennial on offense and held the ball for just three minutes and 45 seconds.
"I was a little worried (at halftime) because they're a great team," Williams said. "Any play could go 80 or 90 yards for a touchdown, you know, but our defense played lights out."
Ironwood Ridge defensive coordinator Ryan Maish attributed his defense's second-half dominance to the group's intelligence and ability to adjust, as Centennial had shown it could move the ball easily despite its mistakes. Still, Centennial never got its quick-strike spread offense rolling and gained just 19 total yards in the second half.
"The adjustments that we make on the fly, they pick up amazingly," Maish said. "It's almost intuitive, where they'll come to you."
The second half also brought more opportunities for Ironwood Ridge, as Centennial only got sloppier. The Coyotes cost themselves 70 penalty yards in the second half, including 21 on four penalties on one fourth-quarter drive.
Ironwood Ridge extended its lead on its first drive of the second half on a touchdown from running back Anthony Braunreiter. The senior finished with 80 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries after gaining just 13 yards in the first half.
"Coaches just told us, 'Keep pounding and we'll break one,'" Braunreiter said. "The holes started to open up a little more, and we started to wear them out with our no-huddle (offense)."
It was the Ironwood Ridge defense that forced Centennial's biggest mistake of the game. After another penalty backed the Coyotes up to their own 23-yard line late in the third quarter, Centennial quarterback Tre'von Grant threw a short pass under pressure, giving Ironwood Ridge linebacker Scott Simmons an easy interception and 11-yard touchdown return.
The interception put Ironwood Ridge ahead 20-3, essentially icing the game, though Maish said he still couldn't relax.
"Not with Centennial," Maish said. "It wasn't until the last zero came on that clock that I even thought about breathing."
Centennial's mental mistakes and miscues, which included two lost fumbles, came as somewhat of a surprise to Ironwood Ridge. But even if the Nighthawks did catch more than a few breaks, as Johnson contended repeatedly, it was their knack for taking advantage of those that made them champions.
"We've been to the (semifinals) -- this was our third time – and we finally got to the championship game this year," Williams said. "We felt we had to capitalize, and we felt like it was our moment. It was our time."
