Job Finished. Casteel pulls away from Centennial to win first-ever 6A title

Casteel earned the right to call themselves the new 6A champions after exceeding expectations.

After their quarterfinal win over Higley a couple of weeks ago, Casteel '27 QB Tee Smith said "what's there to be happy about? Jobs not finished."

Well now, the job is finished and it was all smiles after the game for Smith and the Colts.

The Colts took down the Centennial Coyotes 42-27 in what was a thrilling 6A championship game. 

Casteel got out to a fast start.

Centennial started the game with the ball; however, a few plays in, they fumbled the ball on a handoff exchange. Junior defensive end Logan Voss recovered it to give Casteel the ball with great field position.

In what only took three plays to find the end zone after getting the fumble recovery, Casteel scored first as Smith scored a 2-yard rushing touchdown. 

On their next possession, it looked like Casteel was going to add to their lead.

They stayed aggressive in the first quarter and went for it on fourth down. It was Smith keeping it himself again to move the chains.

The Colts eventually got into field-goal range. However, the 24-yard field goal was no good. 

Centennial got a positive play on offense after getting the ball, as senior running back Owen Reynoso had a 35-yard run.

However, they were again unable to build off the big play and forced to punt the ball away. 

The Coyotes finally got some momentum on the last play of the first quarter as their defense forced a fumble and recovered it to give their offense great field position. 

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Centennial got on the board and tied the game up. 

Centennial's sophomore quarterback Titus Hill connected with senior wide receiver Sebastian Moreno on a fade route to score a 3-yard touchdown. 

Feeding off their last drive, Centennial was able to snag its first lead of the game.

It was once again their home run-hitting running back Reynoso who made a big play as he had a 25-yard run.

Reynoso was then the one to cap off the drive as he scampered into the end zone a couple of plays later for a 4-yard touchdown. 

The Colts responded quickly with the longest touchdown of the game to that point.

Casteel’s star quarterback, Smith, connected with junior athlete Troy Jauregi for a 56-yard catch and run touchdown to tie the game right back up. 

Before halftime, it looked as though Centennial was going to score again.

The Coyotes went into their bag of tricks on fourth down and faked a punt. Junior Kaden Jones threw to junior linebacker Michael Ware for a first down.

Casteels' defense then came through with senior linebacker Jaxon Hamilton getting a sack to take the game into halftime.

Centennial and Casteel were tied at 14 going into halftime. 

At the beginning of the third quarter, Casteel was gift wrapped great field position after Centennial punted the ball only 17 yards.

The Colts only needed two plays to score after the great field position as Smith once again connected with Jauregui, this time for a 27-yard touchdown. 

Casteel took back the lead. 

Continuing to make unreal plays for Casteel, Jauregui scored again to extend the Colts' lead.

However, this time Jauregui didn’t score on offense; the do-it-all player returned a punt for an 86-yard touchdown to give the Colts all the momentum in the third quarter. 

Being named the offensive MVP and game MVP, and having three total touchdowns, Jauregui is grateful that all the hard work he has been putting in has paid off.

“Job is finished,” Jauregui said. “We knew this would come; we just had to stay level-headed. It feels great now.” 

Needing an injection of life in their team, the Coyotes went back to Reynoso to get them down the field.

One of the most crucial downs for Centennial came on fourth and six when Reynoso broke free for a 39-yard run to set his team up near the goal line.

After having another big play for the Coyotes, Reynoso finished off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown to cut Casteel's lead to just seven points. 

Not letting their foot off the gas, Casteel went deep into their playbook to recoup the points they just gave up. 

The Colts handed the ball off to senior running back Max Kane who then threw it back to Smith for an 11-yard touchdown. 

Smith, who had 413 total yards and 5 total touchdowns, knew he just had to trust the team around him and the Casteel head coach Joe Bushman.

“I just had to trust the team and the coaches,” Smith said. “I love him, he’s like a dad to me (Joe Bushman), he’s the best coach I’ve ever had.” 

After catching the touchdown, Smith now had at least one rushing touchdown, passing touchdown, and receiving touchdown. 

The defense for Casteel then came away with their biggest play of the game. 

Centennial was threatening to score again until Casteel sophomore linebacker Carter Volrich snagged an interception to keep the Coyotes out of the end zone. 

It was then again one of the most dynamic players in Arizona, Smith, having another spectacular play as he broke multiple tackles to score a 68-yard rushing touchdown. 

The touchdown would ultimately seal the game for Casteel and crown them the 2025 6A champions. 

Joe Bushman led the program to new heights in first season as head coach.

“A lot can change in a year,” Bushman said. “I feel like in these close games, if you’re close [with the team] they stick.” 

Casteel will return a lot of production next year, and they hope to not only run it back but also go for something bigger.

“Yeah, run it back,” Smith said when asked if the goal is to run it back. “But we’re going for the open next year.” 

Top Performers

'27 QB Tee Smith (Casteel): 12-17, 237 yards, 2 TDs, 18 rush, 170 yards, 2 TDs

'27 WR Troy Jauregui (Casteel): 5 rec, 129 yards, 2 TDs, 86-yard punt return TD

'26 RB Owen Reynoso (Centennial): 27 rush, 201 yards, 2 TDs

'26 WR Sebastian Moreno (Centennial): 6 rec, 49 yards, 1 TD, 3 KR, 65 yards