BOISE, Idaho — The Centennial High School football team is in its final week of preparation, eager to improve on last fall's 1-8 performance in Idaho's top classification.
"You know, there's something special about Friday nights in the fall," head coach Keelan McCaffrey said. "It's just got a different vibe to it."
Friday night, the Patriots finally kick things off in front of their home fans.
"The student section, when they come out here, they'll be noisy," McCaffrey said.
In the program's second year under the leadership of McCaffrey, things are starting to take shape.
"You know, the culture's starting to kind of get set there," McCaffrey said. "Day-to-day it's a little smoother."
It's been a smoother summer for Centennial, but the program prides itself on its roughness.
The expectation is to run things through a physical offensive line in 2024.
"I think to be on the o-line you gotta be physical," senior offensive and defensive lineman Rory Schwenson said. "I think that just means knowing you're gonna dominate the dude on the opposite side of the line."
According to Centennial's playmakers in the backfield, so far, so good.
"Got a little more time in the pocket. Holes are a little bit bigger," senior quarterback Tate Keddington said. "I mean, football's a game of inches, so one inch can make a big difference."
"They're making me some holes, I'm having a great time reading them," senior running back and linebacker Abdi Ali said.
The Patriots have a lot of youth on their roster, but they have heart. McCaffrey said the rising talent will "have to grow up a little faster" this fall.
While they build experience, the Patriots will lean on what they can control – their hustle.
"Effort's a huge thing," McCaffrey said. "We always tell our kids that, 'if you're going 100 miles an hour and make a mistake, we can fix you. But if you're not going 100 miles an hour, we can't. We can't help you.'"
Centennial is ready to keep pushing forward and prove that all of the hard work pays off.
"I think it's kind of the underdog mentality," Schwenson said. "Centennial hasn't been the best the last 10 years, but I think every year we're willing to work … Everyone is really willing to trust the coaches and just trust each other, because we're just trying to work to prove them wrong."
"We're finding little successes and I hope to see some of those successes on Friday night," McCaffrey said.
The Patriots host Owyhee at 7 p.m. Friday in a 6A Southern Idaho Conference battle to open the season. Centennial then travels to face Thunder Ridge on Friday, Sept. 6.
2024 PREP PREVIEWS:
