Rosemount, a top seed in the Class 6A state tournament, trailed Centennial by three points with about five minutes left in the game Friday. Less than two minutes and 90 yards later, the Irish took an 18-13 lead that held up as the final score.
On the game-winning scoring drive, senior quarterback Cody Hogan connected on a 50-yard pass with wide receiver Sam Nelson.
"Initially, I underthrew him a little bit," Hogan said. "He made a great play on the ball. He came back to it."
That got Hogan's adrenaline pumping, he said, and he covered the last 40 yards himself over five plays, capped with a 1-yard scoring run with 3:15 on the clock. The two-point conversion was good. The Irish (9-1), playing before a home crowd, recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff to seal it.
"We were all pumped up," Hogan said. "We were ready to take on the challenge and go get the touchdown."
Before that, it was Centennial (5-5), a No. 4 seed, playing up to the challenge of a possible upset. After Rosemount kicked a field goal to take a 10-7 lead at halftime, the Cougars opened the second half with a scoring drive of just over six minutes, ending with Keshaun Story's 2-yard run.
Rosemount is riding a four-game victory streak. Its only loss was against Farmington 28-17 on Oct. 7.
HEATHER RULE
