When put into perspective, Saturday's 52-14 victory doesn't pave the way to the B.C. Subway Bowl AAA championship final.

But for the first game of the season - exhibition or not - the Centennial Centaurs showed signs of being a team to watch in 2012.

Led by the powerhouse running back tandem of Nathan Lund and Justin Buren, the Coquitlam senior squad ran roughshod over the host Ballenas Whalers. The pair combined for four touchdowns and four two-point conversions as the visiting Cents marched to their first win of the 2012 season.

"[Ballenas] is a team we have had trouble with in past exhibition games but we didn't this time," notes coach Ryk Piche. "We came out really hard at the start. I don't know if there's a better one-two punch in the province than Nathan and Justin."

Lund scampered for 156 yards on just five carries, while Buren touched the ball five times and gained 75 yards. Buren also made one pass to Brian Whittet for a TD.

Not to be outdone, Nick Okamoto completed all three pass attempts for 65 yards, including an 18yard touchdown catch by J.P. Kalambay.

Okamoto also ran for 67 yards and a major. On defence, Alex Camilleri collected eight tackles in just one half of play.

Centennial led 39-6 at the half. When it came to the offence, the players really displayed confidence and familiarity in their abilities, said Piche.

"What really impressed me the most was their recognition on offence. They were playing with intelligence, and that's something rare to see this early in the season."

In total, the team gained just shy of 400 yards on offence.

Centennial now heads south to Sammamish, Wash. on Friday when they will take on one of the top teams in the state. Win or lose, the experience should be an eye-opener for his players.

"What I want to see is some sustained drives," said Piche. "Most of our plays (last week) were two, maybe four plays of long yardage. I just called four offensive plays all game because they pretty much worked each time."

The Centaurs first home game is Sept. 21, 7 p.m. when they host Mission at Percy Perry Stadium.