No. 14 Seed Centennial Completes a Cinderella Run to the 6A Title
Mountain America Stadium, Tempe — December 7, 2024
Few championship runs in Arizona high school football history have looked like Centennial's 2024 season. The Coyotes entered the 6A playoffs as the No. 14 seed after losing seven of their ten regular-season games — hardly the résumé of a state champion. Six weeks later, Centennial was hoisting the trophy, having upset its way through the bracket to a 31-21 win over Mountain View in the 6A state championship on December 7, 2024, at Mountain America Stadium.
The run defied nearly every form chart in Arizona prep football. Centennial had to knock off higher-seeded opponent after higher-seeded opponent just to reach the final, and by the time the Coyotes lined up against Mountain View for the title, they were playing with nothing to lose and everything to gain. That freedom showed up in the way Centennial played — loose, aggressive, and unwilling to let seeding define what they believed about themselves.
Mountain View, appearing in the championship game after a strong season of its own, kept things competitive throughout, but couldn't find the answer to a Centennial team that had already proven all season it thrived when written off.
The championship stands as one of the more remarkable title runs in recent Arizona 6A history — a reminder that in a 6A bracket loaded with talent, seeding only tells part of the story once the games actually kick off.