The Cienega Bobcats haven’t been in this position since Pat Nugent first took over as head coach in 2015.
For the first time in four years, even before current Arizona Wildcats wide receiver became a standout prospect as Cienega’s quarterback, the Bobcats dropped their second straight game of the season after posting 87 yards of total offense, and fell to Peoria Centennial 38-14 Friday night in Vail.
“We were right there in the game defensively, but we had no clue offensively what was going on,” said Cienega head coach Pat Nugent. “We couldn’t get anything. … We didn’t have any momentum offensively.”
Friday was also the third time in two seasons the Bobcats fell to the two-time defending Class 5A state champions.
Cienega was widely considered an underdog heading into a contest against an opponent who outscored the Bobcats 90-7 in the previous two games, but Cienega hung tough in the first quarter.
On the first play from scrimmage, Centennial wide receiver and UA commit Dyelan Miller fumbled a screen pass and the Bobcats recovered near midfield. After Centennial forced a three-and-out, Miller redeemed himself in the following drive with a 44-yard touchdown snag to put the Coyotes up 7-0.
The future Wildcat finished the first half with three catches for 65 yards. A few minutes later after another three-and-out by Cienega, Centennial jumped out to a 14-0 lead following Elijah Brooks’ 63-yard punt return for a touchdown.
Cienega received a spark just before the end of the first quarter when two-way starter Isaiah Webb stripped the ball from a Coyote and scored on a 45-yard return. But those seven points would be the only form of scoring for the Bobcats until the final two minutes of the game.
“We couldn’t get momentum going. We had a couple good plays and a couple bright spots, but overall, we couldn’t assert the run game, we couldn’t pass the ball. It was just really tough for us on the offensive side of the ball,” Webb said.
Cienega quarterback Daniel Montana exited the game in the first half with a head injury after getting sacked for the fifth time, and junior Ryan Swoger filled in for the remainder of the game and finished the night with 48 yards.
Cienega didn’t have a response for Centennial’s punches and the Coyotes scored 24 straight points before the Bobcats scored their first offensive touchdown of the night.
The Bobcats fell to 1-2 on the season and will face Rincon/University on the road next Friday.
