5A Northwest Region rivals take center stage Friday night at Peoria High School, as the Lions from Liberty take on Centennial in a state semifinal -- a Week 8 rematch with a shot at the football championship on the line.

Liberty (11-1, 4-0) comes into Friday night having already defeated the Coyotes just three weeks ago, 21-19. The Lions erased a 13-0 halftime deficit in the contest, scoring two touchdowns in the final three minutes, pulling ahead with under a minute remaining when quarterback Ryan Bendle tossed his second touchdown pass of the night, finding Alec Moonier from five yards out to seal the Lions victory.

Liberty found its spark in the second half when defensive end Braxten Croteau intercepted Centennial quarterback Ruben Beltran, returning it 36 yards for the score. Croteau was a part of a Lions defense which allowed just six second-half points to the Coyotes, while forcing Centennial into four punts and two turnovers on the night, keeping the Lions in the game.

Defensive dominance has been the theme of the season for Liberty, which comes into Friday night’s game allowing just 10.9 points and 261.8 yards per game to opponents this season.

The defensive effort is led by a number of playmakers, highlighted by leading tackler safety Ryan Puskas who has collected 73 on the year. Puskas, along with linebacker Colby Rooker, have aided the Lions in the turnover department as well, combining for seven interceptions and contributing to a defense that has forced 16 interceptions and 29 turnovers overall this season.

The Lions' secondary success has been assisted by a dominating pass rush which boasts two of the top five pass rushers in 5A in linemen Croteau and John Clark, who have accumulated nine and 10 sacks, respectively. Croteau and Clark have been complimented by the efforts of linebacker Qadeer Mumin (7.5 sacks), Cole Luster (4 sacks) and Dylan Cutting (4 sacks), aiding the Lions pass rush to 45 QB takedowns this season.

The offensive side of the ball for Liberty has run through Bendle. The senior has put together a strong season for the Lions, completing 67 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,617 yards and 27 touchdowns against just three interceptions. Bendle has shown value with his legs as well, leading the team with 735 rush yards and six additional touchdowns on the ground.

Bendle benefits from the play of his two main targets in receivers Dylen Bieber and Jace Johnson. The seniors have combined for 1,045 yards and 14 touchdowns, and have helped the Lions average 392.5 yards and 44.3 yards per game this season.

The Liberty offense has profited this year from good starting field position as well, thanks in large part to kickoff return man Greg Tremble. Tremble has averaged 46.2 yards per return this season, good for second in the state and first in 5A.

The offensive attack for Liberty will have its hands full Friday night as Centennial (11-1, 3-1) brings a defense into Friday allowing just 188.1 yards and 7.2 points per game, while shutting out opponents six times this season.

Perhaps the most notable shutout came against, at the time, the No. 3-ranked team in the country, St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) in Week 5. The Coyotes defense was dominant, allowing just 109 yards to one of the top teams in the country, as Centennial knocked off the Raiders 12-0.

The stifling attack for Centennial is led by sophomore safety Jaydin Young, who leads the team with 80 tackles. Young has also contributed four interceptions on the year. Coupled with the efforts of senior cornerback Dominique Hampton, whose five interceptions are tied for third in 5A, the Coyotes have forced opposing offenses into 24 turnovers on the year.

Centennial has also displayed the ability to rush the passer behind defensive ends Jacob Franklin, Connor Knudsen and Trent Washington, who have combined for 11 sacks this season. The Coyotes have collected 15 sacks in 11 games.

Offensively, the Coyotes rely on the contributions of running back Zidane Thomas. Thomas has been dominant for Centennial this season, rushing over 148 yards per game, including eight games with 100-plus yards and a 334-yard performance against Pinnacle in Week 3. The senior comes into Friday’s matchup eighth in rushing yards in 5A with 1,483 while also collecting 18 touchdowns.

In the Coyotes' Week 9 game against Liberty, Thomas had a big night, rushing for 239 yards and a touchdown while accounting for over two-thirds of the Centennial offense. Thomas is complimented by running back Alex Escobar, who has accumulated 367 yards on the ground and an additional 337 yards receiving out of the backfield, scoring 10 touchdowns for the Coyotes.

Friday night’s semifinal contest is not unfamiliar territory for Centennial, who will look to return to the state championship game for the fourth consecutive year and try to capture its third title in that span, after being edged by Williams Field 14-6 last season for the 5A crown.

Liberty, meanwhile, who was one of the casualties on the Coyotes' run to the 2016 state championship game, will look to avenge the 24-10 opening-round defeat and advance to their first championship game since 2014.

Friday’s game kicks at 7 p.m. and can be streamed live at https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/aia/06a07f7b78 and heard on the Fanatic (1580 AM,  99.3 and 95.9 FM).