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Mighty Titans: Centennial defeats Lake Dallas for first time
BY CHRIS O'DELL, codell@starlocalnews.com
FRISCO -- Entering Thursday night's game at Frisco ISD Memorial Stadium, Centennial had never beaten Lake Dallas.
That changed in 48 minutes with a 42-14 shellacking that saw the Titans tally another three takeaways for their vaunted defense.
"I expected a pretty tight ballgame," said Mark Howard, Centennial head coach. "I figured the team that would make the fewest mistakes would win."
"[Takeaways] are always huge," Howard said. "It takes so much pressure off your offense."
Centennial's only turnover came on the team's opening possession after senior quarterback Lamar Jordan hit an open Camerson Peters for a first down. However, the senior receiver had the ball knocked loose just before hitting the ground and Lake Dallas recovered for its only takeaway of the game.
Lake Dallas couldn't make the Titans pay for the mistake though, going three-and-out on the ensuing possession before senior quarterback Marshall Dominy fumbled the ball away on his team's second possession.
Senior defensive lineman Jackson Clifford recovered the fumble and set Centennial up at the Lake Dallas 37-yard line. Junior running back Chris Johnson then took advantage of the shortened field and ran 19 yards for the game's first touchdown with just 1:51 left in the opening quarter.
Lake Dallas continued to struggle against the Centennial defense in the early going and another three-and-out was the result of the team's following offensive possession.
The Titans then dialed up some trickery on the first play of the second quarter and used a halfback pass from junior Kelly Cordova to find an open Jacob Atchley, allowing the senior receiver to score on a 60-yard play.
"We were hoping that [Jordan] wouldn't have all the running on his shoulders," Howard said. "We needed some other players to step up and they did that tonight."
Jordan finished the game with just 10 yards on the ground after tallying 49 yards and two touchdowns in a season-opening win against Denison last week.
The senior also added 127 yards and one touchdown through the air after completing 9-of-15 pass attempts.
Things went from bad to worse for Lake Dallas after Atchley's 60-yard touchdown reception. Following the ensuing kickoff, senior linebacker Blair Swanner picked off Dominy for a 28-yard interception return for touchdown to give the Titans a 21-0 lead with 11:44 remaining in the half.
Centennial would extend that lead with just under seven minutes remaining in the quarter after a 32-yard field goal from senior kicker Austin Shoemake.
"[Shoemake] is such a weapon," Howard said.
That's when Lake Dallas finally broke through for its first score of the game when the team flipped the script on Centennial and dialed up its own halfback pass.
Junior Josh Jackson sold the play before hitting a wide open Roman Mitchell for a 36-yard touchdown to make it 24-7.
It didn't take long for the Titans to answer, as Jordan hit Atchley just over a minute later for a 19-yard touchdown to give Centennial a 31-7 halftime advantage.
Atchley caught two passes in the game for 79 yards and both receptions going for touchdowns. The senior was one of five Titans with at least two catches in the game.
Lake Dallas would begin the second half with a 75-yard drive that ended in an 11-yard touchdown run from Dominy to trim the deficit to 31-14.
"We came out a little bit soft on that drive," Howard said.
The Dominy score would be the final points Lake Dallas would get in the game, as the Centennial defense pitched a shutout for the final 19 minutes.
"I was proud of our defense for bending a little bit but not breaking," Howard said.
Shoemake made it 2-for-2 on the night after knocking in 22-yard field goal late in the third.
The Titans would complete the game's scoring early in the final quarter when Johnson added his second touchdown run of the game. The junior finished the contest with 103 yards and two scores on 21 carries.
Centennial will look to remain unbeaten Friday night when the Titans travel to Ron Poe Stadium to take on McKinney North in a 7:30 p.m. contest.
The two teams met in the opening round of the playoffs last season with Centennial earning a 45-16 win.
"We don't think about last year," Howard said. "It's got to be this year and this team has to form its own identity."
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