Friday the 15th-ranked Eagles will host the 18th-ranked Tigard Tigers in a Class 6A football first-round matchup.

The regular season wrapped up on Friday with a 28-6 victory at Gresham led by a strong performance from quarterback Trevor Thornton. The Eagles head into the playoffs with a record of 6-3.  Last week they were ranked tenth before the Gresham win, but the strength of schedule dropped them to fifteenth.

This is the first time in four years that Centennial has hosted a playoff game.

Assistant Head Coach BJ Basinski believes this will be a tightly contested game. “It will be a very good game; exciting for a home playoff game.” He believes a key to the game is speed against strength, “We have a speed advantage.  Tigard is a big physical team that likes to run the ball. We have to have good defense.”

Basinski has firm beliefs in the game, “The game should come down to who executes better on offense, defense, and special teams.”  In order to be successful they need to “Take care of the ball, avoid turnovers, and convert points on long drives.”  He was quick to note Tigard’s pedigree, as they played in the state championship last year.  Additionally, all five of their losses are to high-quality, ranked teams.  Basinski also complimented their running back and offensive line.

A win Friday would put Centennial at either second-ranked Sherwood or at home against a much-lower ranked North Salem team.  Basinski was hopeful that Centennial would be ranked in the top eight in hopes they would be able to host two playoff games if they won out, but strength of schedule knocked them down the ranking ladder.