Peoria Liberty football to play at national power Corona Centennial in 2023 season
Peoria Liberty cracked the Top 25 for the first time last high school football season. Now the Lions are ready to see how they stack up against a national power.
Liberty coach Colin Thomas said his team will travel to take on Corona (California) Centennial, which has been perennial Top 25 program in the nation, on Sept. 22.
The Lions, who lost their only game last season in a 43-42 thriller to Scottsdale Saguaro in the Open Division state semifinals, return Gatorade Arizona High School Football Player of the Year Navi Bruzon. Bruzon was one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the state last season with his pinpoint passes into tight seams and ability to break away from defenders and extend plays with his legs.
"They are a consistent Top 25 program in the country and have finished as high as the top 10 in country over the last few years," Thomas said. "Our goal is to be the best program we can be and are thrilled to have the opportunity to play such a storied program."
The Centennial Huskies finished 9-2 last season, losing to Mission Viejo 31-28 in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs. That loss ended Centennial's streak of reaching the semifinals at 14 years.
Their only other loss was to Santa Ana Mater Dei 43-20 early in the 2022 season.
Centennial did not finish ranked in the Top 25 nationall last season but in 2021, it finished ranked No. 9 in the MaxPreps composite national rankings with its highest final season ranking at No. 3 by CalPreps.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Liberty football to travel to face national power Corona Centennial
