Centennial football loses 43-0 to Hillsboro on homecoming night

Facing a major deficit, Centennial football showed its grit by stringing together a promising drive.

After a quarter and a half struggling to establish the run, the Eagles uncorked a quick-strike passing attack against visiting Hillsboro that leaned on smart decisions by junior quarterback JD Self. He got the ball out fast, hitting his receivers on short throws that let them turn up field.

Senior tight end Mitch Basinski had three catches for 21 yards, senior receiver Talan Fery had a pair for 13 yards, and sophomore receiver Tim Petriyenko hauled in one for 12 yards.

In the red zone, it looked like the Eagles would be rewarded for that drive. Self tossed it to the corner of the endzone, appearing to connect with Petriyenko, who high-pointed the ball.

While the Eagles celebrated the score, the officials waved it off, saying he had stepped out of bounds. Two missed passes later it was a turnover on downs.

It was just that kind of night for the Eagles.

Centennial (0-4) lost 43-0 on homecoming to Hillsboro (3-1) Friday, Sept. 22.

Hillsboro looked sharp early, scoring on 5 of 7 drives in the first half.

The first offensive snap of the game set the tone with a 60-yard scoring run from senior Preston Echeverria. That was followed by a 1-yard keeper from senior quarterback Calvin Perkins, who then turned around and made it 22-0 with a 41-yard heave to senior James Blackwell. Not to be outdone, junior running back Preston

Palmer showed off his own arm via a trick play that left the Eagles faithful in stunned silence. He took a hand-off, ran two steps, and then hit junior Matt Salzman for the 59-yard touchdown. Finally Perkins added one more — a 54-yard strike to senior Dylan Ott for a 36-0 lead at the break.

The second half felt like a formality, with a running clock draining away the minutes in the blink of an eye. Centennial’s first drive, a 4-and-out, took half the third quarter. Hillsboro’s opening drive ended in a Echeverria wildcat 2-yard touchdown to make it 43-0.

That score would hold, despite one final Eagles drive. Centennial returned to the run, with senior running back Trae Griffin picking up 15 yards and a first down. Later in the drive junior running back Kenny Schroeder got a fourth-down conversion with an 8-yard pickup.

Then sophomore quarterback Aiden Teyema stepped under center, slinging it 8-yards to Fery to make it 4th-and-1. But the Eagles were stuffed at the line, and Hillsboro was able to run out the clock for the win.

Centennial will next play at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, on the road against Forest Grove.