There was an edge in the voice of the Centennial coach Mike Diggins after the Cougars manhandled Stillwater 30-12 on Friday in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs.

In his postgame speech to his team, Diggins was looking to fire up his players for next week.

“Look at the paper,” he yelled. “It was all about Edina. Edina this, Edina that. Well, we want those guys. We want Edina.”

Centennial (8-1) will host Edina, a 28-12 winner over Burnsville next Friday.

Diggins smiled when asked about those comments after his team had run over and through an undermanned Stillwater team weakened by injuries.

“Oh, that’s just for those guys,” he said, referring to his team.

The Cougars aren’t fancy. Their option running game isn’t designed to fool anyone, but it was the perfect fit for Friday’s wintry weather conditions.

They scored on their first three drives of the game, needing nary a pass to establish a 23-0 first half lead. Quarterback Ryan Koob scored twice and bruising halfback Sam Bonfe added a touchdown.

“We didn’t know if they could stop us,” Diggins said. “The first three drives, we scored and that’s what we talked about.”

Said Koob, “We play old-school, downhill, physical football. We ran the ball right down their throats. We had more than 300 yards. It worked perfectly for us.”

Any thoughts Stillwater entertained of a comeback were crushed quickly when Centennial’s Trei Driskill took the second-half kickoff and ran it back 84 yards for a touchdown and a 30-0 lead.

The Centennial defense, often in the shadow of its rumbling rushing game, was nearly perfect for three quarters, allowing Stillwater just one first down until the game was out of reach. The Ponies (2-7) added two late touchdowns for the final score.

As he was walking off the field, Diggins called out. “Hey, write about Edina again. I gotta have something to tell these guys for next week.”

For anyone wondering why teams that specialize in running the ball tend to have postseason success, consider Centennial.

The Cougars are the opposite of fancy. They run. And they run some more. And in Friday’s cold, icy conditions, the simpler, the better.

Centennial’s option offense ran through Stillwater, picking up yards and running clock, each in large chunks, en route to a relatively easy 30-12  victory in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs.

The Cougars, playing at home. quickly showed why they were ranked No. 4 in the final Class 6A rankings. On their first drive they went 58 yards in nine plays, all on the ground, capped by a 6-yard scoring run around left end by quarterback Ryan Koob.

Centennial (8-1) added to its lead on its next possession in similarly dominant fashion. It went 60 yards in six plays, a drive that started with a 33-yard run up the middle by Koob. It ended with a powerful 1-yard drive into the end zone by Sam Bonfe, who added a two-point conversion for a 15-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Meanwhile, the Centennial defense was holding up its end. Stillwater (2-7), beset by injuries to key players, managed just one first down before halftime. The Ponies' most successful play was a mistake by Centennial, a muffed punt that the was recovered near midfield.

Another Koob run padded the Cougars’ lead to 23-0 at halftime. Bonfe, whose straight-ahead style was perfect for the field conditions, had 104 yards rushing before leaving the game as a result of a hard tackle.

Any hope of a Stillwater comeback in the second half was quickly dashed when Centennial’s Trei Driskill took the opening kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown and a 30-0 lead.

Centennial started substituting freely shortly after that as Stillwater had not mounted a serious threat. The Ponies got late touchdowns from Matt Crowell and Will Harter.