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Making strides: Titans survive pool play at state tournament
BY Chris O’Dell, codell@starlocalnews.com
You only get one chance at making a first impression and Centennial didn’t disappoint in its first-ever appearance in the state 7-on-7 tournament last week from College Station.
The Titans opened with a pair of victories against Coronado (33-27) and Cy Woods (43-26) before dropping a one-possession thriller to Sherman (27-20) in the final minute.
“For our first time in the state tournament, I was real pleased with the way we played,” said Mark Howard, Centennial head coach.
However, the 2-1 mark against pool play opponents put Centennial into the Championship Bracket the following day and a tough draw awaited the Titans.
“When you get that far, everybody is good,” Howard said.
In Centennial’s case, it was Class 5A Arlington Bowie in the opening round of Day Two and the Titans ultimately dropped a 39-20 contest to end their run in the tournament.
“When you look at the talent of the competition we were playing, it was a good gage for us to see where we’re at,” Howard said.
Bowie went on to beat Montwood (28-14) in the second round and defeated DeSoto (39-32) in the quarterfinals. If not for a four-point loss (32-28) to Plano Senior in the semifinals, a championship berth would have been at hand for Centennial’s first-round opponent.
“I think the biggest thing is the confidence factor,” Howard said. “They did well against some top [Class] 5A teams and felt like they could line up against anybody.”
A key factor in Centennial’s success came courtesy of senior quarterback Lamar Jordan, who showed marked improvement in the passing game.
“Overall [Jordan] had a good outing,” Howard said. “He threw some really good passes and our wide receivers did a good job of catching the ball.”
At this point last year, Jordan was still taking command of the starting job under center and preparing for his first season as leader of the offense. Howard said the year of experience has made a big impact on his quarterback.
“It is a night and day difference from last spring,” he said. “He was still learning lots of things at this point last year.”
The same might be said for Centennial at this time next year if the Titans make it two consecutive state tournament appearances.
“Our goal next year will be to win at least one game in the Championship Bracket,” Howard said.
Meanwhile, the Titans will now turn their attention to the upcoming regular season, as Centennial will kick off its non-district slate Aug. 31 with a road game against Denison.
“This has been by far the best spring we’ve ever had,” Howard said.
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