Chandler holds off Centennial in Season-Opening Thriller

The Ty Wisdom era in Chandler has officially begun. 

The Chandler Wolves took home a win in their season opener versus the reigning 6A champions, the Centennial Coyotes. It was a nail-biter of a game, but ultimately Chandler ended up besting Centennial 24-17. 

Both teams had to knock off the rust after a long offseason, although Chandler was able to do so first as they controlled the game for the majority of the first half.

The Wolves struck first after junior quarterback Will Mencl connected with sophomore running back David Douglas for a 37-yard touchdown. The play was originally a simple checkdown play, but Douglas was able to use his agility to find his way into the end zone. 

Most of the first quarter, Chandler had dominated time of possession and was in Centennials' territory for a majority of it; however, penalties hurt them. 

Needing to get something going immediately, the Coyotes put together a long drive down the field early in the second quarter. 

They made it all the way down to the redzone when Centennial gave it to their bruiser junior running back, Derrion Bartholomew, for an 8-yard touchdown to tie the game at seven apiece. 

Both teams struggled the rest of the second quarter to get a consistent momentum going, as both teams each scored only one field goal for the rest of the half. 

For Chandler, sophomore kicker Chase Ochoa nailed a 31-yard field goal. Then, for Centennial, junior kicker Jeremiah "Chango" Harvey hit an impressive 51-yard field goal to tie the game once again heading into halftime. 

Chandler's first-year head coach Ty Wisdom knew his team had the right mindset, but just needed to be a better product on the field. 

“We talked to just about a couple of things (during halftime), it was just continue to execute what we do,” Wisdom said. “We wanted to definitely dictate the tempo also.”

Chandler uses a high-tempo offense, which helps them dictate how fast or slow they can go as a team and keep the opposing defense guessing. This would prove to be a factor in why they won against Centennial. 

Like most of the game, both teams had stalled drives due to simple mistakes or just penalties. The turning point of the game came with less than one minute left in the third quarter. 

The Wolves' defense made another crucial stop, which forced Centennial to punt. During the punt, senior defensive end for Chandler, Craig Noble, blocked it, which set up Chandler at the goal line. 

Not wasting a golden opportunity, Mencl found junior athlete Jai Jones for a 6-yard touchdown to once again give Chandler back the lead. 

Even though the game was close the entire time, Mencl had faith in himself and his teammates that they would always find a way to get ahead, knowing this game wouldn’t be easy. 

“This is a gritty team that's always gonna fight no matter the score,” Mencl said. “We were prepared for this.”

Towards the end of the fourth quarter, Centennial faced a do-or-die drive. They trailed by seven points with five minutes to go in the fourth quarter. On 4th and 5, on their own 48, what was one of the best called plays of the game, Centennial scored a 52-yard touchdown. Sophomore quarterback Titus Hill got the ball to senior wide receiver Carter Reidy.

The game was once again all tied up with 2:33 left to go. 

With all the pressure on Chandler to score, they seemingly went down the field. Mencl kept finding ways to move the chains, whether it was with his arm or his legs. 

Wanting to start the season on a high note, Mencl stood tall in the pocket and delivered a pass over the middle to junior wide receiver Maxwell Sprott for a 30-yard touchdown and a victory. 

Sprott made sure he was going to give his team everything he had in him to win the game.

“I was a little out of gas, but I know I had to come through for my team,” Sprott said. “Our coaches called a white play, and we made it happen.”

Even after starting 1-0, Wisdom knows his team has the potential to be a lot better than what they showcased against Centennial, and the sky is the limit for their season.

“There are so many things we could have done better,” Wisdom said. “Good teams win ugly games, so we’ll take it.”