Centennial High School’s upset over the nation’s top-ranked team didn’t just happen by chance. Head coach Matt Logan and his staff have built a program where players are ready for the unpredictable. The Huskies’ success comes from a relentless commitment to situational football—preparing for the rare, the overlooked, and the pressure-packed moments that decide championships.
“Any game that’s close is going to come down to a two-minute or a four-minute drill,” Logan said. “So we make sure our kids live those situations every week.”
Situational Football: Beyond the Playbook
At Centennial, end-of-game scenarios never get left to chance. Each week, the Huskies drill two-minute and four-minute situations that so often decide close games. Logan pushes it further, putting his players through rare situations that most teams never rehearse—taking an intentional safety, defending a desperate, laterally filled play, or securing an onside kick.
“We kind of like to tie it in with anything that goes on that week in football,” Logan said. “If we see a team flipping the ball across the field at the end, we’ll make sure our kids know how to defend it and how to run it.”
By hammering these moments into practice, Logan keeps his team ready for chaos when it inevitably arrives.
Making Practice Feel Like Game Day
Practicing situations isn’t enough—it has to feel real. Centennial uses its scoreboard and refs to replicate game pressure, down to the smallest details. The clock runs, the chains move, and coaches spot the ball just as officials would on Friday night.
“You’ve got to have those pieces in place to make it as realistic as possible,” Logan said. “The spotting of the ball, getting it set, what starts the chains, all those little things matter. You can’t sit around for five minutes waiting for another ball. You lose what you’re trying to teach.”
By controlling the practice environment, Logan ensures players feel the urgency they’ll face under the lights.
Teaching Awareness in a Highlight Generation
Today’s athletes take in football differently. Instead of watching four full quarters, they scroll through RedZone clips and viral highlights. That habit leaves gaps in situational awareness.
“I don’t think they watch full games like we used to,” Logan said. “They’re not so much into the game where they understand situations quite like we were. We would watch a game and then go outside and emulate it in the park or the yard. I think that’s been lost a little bit.”
To close that gap, Centennial builds situational football into its teaching. Players don’t just memorize plays—they learn the context, the strategy, and the reasons behind each decision.
Tempo Teams Preparing to Slow Down
Centennial’s offense runs on tempo, but the four-minute drill demands the opposite: patience, control, and smart clock management. To meet that challenge, Logan retrains players to set aside habits built on speed.
“We’re up-tempo anyway, so that’s a far contrast to what we normally do,” Logan said. “In those situations, we might want to leave the ball on the ground, let the referee take more time, or snap it with three seconds left. It’s all the little things that add up.”
Linemen practice deliberate movement. The quarterback watches the back judge’s countdown. Every player knows that in a four-minute drill, slowing down becomes the weapon.
The Edge That Wins Games
Centennial’s rise to the nation’s top ten isn’t just about talent. It’s about preparation for the moments that most teams ignore. Logan and his staff drill every detail, turning chaos into routine and teaching their players how to win when it matters most.
“There’s so much to the game—it’s all about attention to detail,” Logan said.
And at Centennial, that detail is the difference between hoping to win and being ready for it.
Related:
Mid-Camp Evaluation and Adjustments of Personnel and Scheme
Teach Tapes with Steve Hauser (Week 7): Training Penalties out of Your Players
More on Coach Matt Logan
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