Underdog no more. Centennial stepped into the 5A state championship game with something to prove—and left with a trophy.

Backed by a lineup loaded with college-caliber talent, including Utah Valley commit Cohen Baack, the Coyotes took control early and never let go, defeating Canyon View 6-3 on Tuesday in a gritty, well-rounded performance.

Centennial wasted no time setting the tone in the top of the first inning. David Daniels got the scoring started with a productive groundout, followed by a clutch RBI double down the right field line from JT Price. Isaac Flores capped off the inning with an RBI single to left, giving the Coyotes a quick 3-0 lead.

Baack extended the lead in the third with a sacrifice fly, making it 4-0 and giving the Coyotes breathing room before he turned things over on the mound. Baack will be an extremely valuable player at the next level.

Baack got the start and battled through four innings, allowing three hits and two runs while striking out two. Price came in out after DH’ing and was untouchable, giving up just one hit and one run in 2.2 innings, striking out six without issuing a walk to earn the win.

The Coyotes’ offense was alive, racking up 11 hits on the night. Liu Rodriguez Jr., Bobby Villa III, William Strand, Flores, and Price all collected two hits apiece, with Flores leading the way with two RBIs. Daniels anchored the defense with eight chances in the field, as Centennial played clean, error-free baseball and even turned a double play to help protect the lead.

Canyon View made a push late but couldn’t close the gap. Mattox Murray, Carter Radwanski, Max King, and Rolando Valles each tallied a hit, while Radwanski and Brock Berlan drove in runs for the Jaguars. On the mound, Landon Hood went 6.1 innings and struck out five, but Centennial’s early outburst proved too much to overcome.

For Centennial, the win was the result of a hard-fought season and more proof that rankings don’t tell the whole story and that this group of high-level talent had more than enough to finish on top