Can Centennial be the first Arizona high school football team to break through Liberty?

It might take a perfect game, and a healthy Kainan Manna at quarterback for Peoria Centennial to break up Liberty's incredible football season.

So far, nobody in Arizona has come close to keeping up with the Lions, who came into the season lauded as having the toughest schedule in the state. That included that other Centennial team, the powerhouse from Corona, California, that needed a late rally to erase a two-touchdown deficit and overcome Liberty 42-35 in September in one of the greatest high school football games played in the nation this year.

Peoria's Centennial, meanwhile, has rolled through a 9-0 record, staving off a second-half rally after building a four-touchdown lead to win 29-28 at Chandler.

Now comes the biggest game of the year; at Liberty. The game everybody has been looking forward to, even trumping the big game on Arizona Avenue on Friday, when Chandler battles Hamilton.

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Liberty (8-1) and Centennial (9-0) have been in a lot of great games in the past, but this might be the most highly anticipated since the schools met for the Division II state title in 2014, a 26-14 Centennial win.

"They all know that this is an important game," coach Richard Taylor said. "They're a very good team. They're well-coached. All three phases of the game are outstanding. And they can hurt you in so many different ways.

"We have our work cut out for us."

Is Centennial at Liberty a championship game preview?

It's not a championship game, although in December it might be if they happen to meet for the Open Division state championship. This game Friday is for who goes into the Open as the top seed. This week, the AIA has Centennial ranked No. 1, and Liberty No. 2.

MaxPreps has Centennial ranked No. 23 nationally and Liberty No. 25.

"It's just another game, but it doesn't feel that way," Taylor said. "I'm sure it doesn't feel that way for them, because of our rivalry over the years. It will be a big game. But not the last game."

Asked if Liberty looks better than last year, Taylor says, "Yes."

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When asked about Liberty quarterback Navi Bruzon and his targets, led by converted tight end-to-wide receiver Braylon Gardner and converted tackle-to-tight end Ryan Wolfer, Taylor rubs his eyes and goes, "Oh boy."

For Centennial to have a chance, its offense has to be clicking. And for it to click, Manna needs to be out there. He's the Coyotes' starter, but Danny Avila also plays in games. Manna (1,328 yards, 12 TDs, one interception), a 5-foot-9, 150-pound sophomore, rises in big games. But he got injured last week in the Pinnacle win and missed the second half.

Taylor didn't want to specify what the injury is, and is hopeful that Manna can play against Liberty.

"We just have to wait," Taylor said. "Both take the same amount of reps in practice. If Danny is the guy, we'll be OK."

Centennial respects Liberty, but won't back down

Centennial's success runs through wide receiver/defensive end Noah Carter (a Washington commit) and wide receiver/cornerback Kenny Worthy III (Washington State commit). They know how good Liberty is. They see the scores. They hear the noise.

"According to everybody, they're better than everybody by a mile," Carter said. "We're going to see."

There's great pride at Centennial. Centennial has yet to move beyond the first round of the Open since that eight-team playoff, comprising of top teams from the big conferences, started in 2019.

"We want to show everybody what Centennial football is all about," said Carter, who had three touchdown catches and two sacks, forcing a turnover, last week against Pinnacle.

Worthy figured this collision course would be big at the end of the season.

"Everybody knows Liberty," Worthy said. "I don't need to explain to you who they are. We're not looking past anyone. But we're not making anyone bigger than what they are. We're out here working. We know what we got here. We know we can match up with anyone."

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @azc_obert

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Centennial will try to break through Liberty in final game