Centennial Stuns Nationally Ranked Chandler in a 29-28 Thriller
Arizona — October 2023
Centennial delivered nationally ranked Chandler its first loss of the 2023 season, holding on for a 29-28 win in one of the most talked-about regular-season games in the state that year.
Centennial came out of the gate on fire, jumping out to a 26-0 lead and putting Chandler in an early hole few teams recover from. But Chandler, ranked among the nation's top programs at the time, showed exactly why — clawing back into the game across the second half. The Wolves pulled to within a point late when quarterback Blake Heffron kept the ball himself for a short touchdown run and then found Jaxon Branch for the two-point conversion, cutting the deficit to 29-28 with 2:44 left on the clock.
It wasn't enough. Centennial's defense made the stop it needed down the stretch, closing out the upset and handing Chandler its first defeat of the season in what had, up to that point, been a near-flawless campaign for the Wolves.
The result was a statement for Centennial, proof the program belonged in the conversation with the state's very best even against a team ranked among the nation's elite. It was also an early sign of the toughness that would carry Centennial deep into that season's playoffs — a program that had already shown it could match points with anyone in Arizona.