Running back powers Centennial to league title — PHOTOS
Centennial’s Khy Harris was working his way toward the goal line for what would have been his third touchdown of the first half Thursday night when he fumbled into the end zone, giving the ball back to Las Vegas High.
It was about the only thing the senior running back did wrong all night, and he didn’t let it slow him down.
Harris rushed for 178 yards and four TDs on 21 carries, and the Bulldogs earned a 36-28 road win over the Wildcats, No. 9 in the Review-Journal’s Class 5A rankings.
Harris rushed for 123 yards after the fumble.
“That’s just a testament to his character,” Centennial coach DJ Campbell said. “Last year, when I first got here, Khy would have shut down, but he just kept fighting and fighting. That’s just a testament to him to say, ‘Yeah, I messed up, I got you guys. I’m going to put it on my back,’ and he thrived after that.”
Centennial’s win gave the Bulldogs the Class 5A Division III Southern League’s top playoff seed. The Bulldogs (4-5) and Las Vegas (7-3) each finished 4-1 in league, but Centennial got the top seed because of Thursday’s victory.
Both teams have byes to the league semifinals Nov. 8.
“This is a good one, because these boys work really hard and we faced so much adversity to start the season and they just kept fighting,” Campbell said. “And we knew that we wanted to be in this situation, playing for a division championship, and I wouldn’t have it against any other team because that’s always been a very well-coached program.”
Two of the biggest plays of the game came when the Bulldogs dropped back to punt. The first time came with Centennial leading 7-6. Las Vegas’ Mychael Walker tried to make a running fair catch, but the ball went off his hands, and Centennial recovered at the Las Vegas 23. Three plays later Harris scored on a 10-yard run, and the 2-point conversion run made it 15-6.
The Bulldogs took advantage of another miscue on a punt early in the fourth quarter when a Las Vegas player tried to field a bouncing punt. He couldn’t control the ball, and Centennial again recovered.
Harris took advantage two plays later, scoring on a 30-yard run to make it 36-14 with 10:47 to go.
“Game changer right there, man,” said senior middle linebacker Jeremy Evans, who had a sack for the Bulldogs. “Great turnovers right there. Special teams won our game right there.”
Harris added TD runs of 1 and 14 yards for Centennial, which won the Class 4A state title last season before moving up to 5A Division III.
“That boy is special, but I’m more proud of him off the field because he’s so mature off the field and you can see it with him on the field,” Campbell said. “He’s a leader in the locker room and in the classroom. I’m very proud of him and it’s just showing because his hard work is really paying off right now and people are really starting to actually see what we’ve seen in him all along.”
While Harris was starring for Centennial, Las Vegas quarterback Tanner Vibabul was putting on a show for the Wildcats.
Vibabul rushed for 235 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, most coming on scrambles when he couldn’t find an open receiver. He also completed 18 of 30 passes for 204 yards and three touchdowns.
“I haven’t seen somebody like him out here in a long time, and the fact that he’s only a junior, he’s going to have a bright future,” Campbell said. “You’re going to see him playing on Saturdays.”
Walker had 11 catches for 119 yards and two TDs for the Wildcats. He had a spectacular diving catch of a 45-yard pass to set up the team’s first TD and later made a ridiculous catch while lying on his back after he slipped running his route.
Centennial’s Kolten Silbernagel had a 2-yard TD run, and Ashton Hunt completed 12 of 21 passes for 163 yards.
“We don’t care who is in front of us, just earn every win,” Evans said. “It’s hard next. Everybody we play next is hard. Just keep working.”