CAPE CENTRAL SET TO FACE MOTIVATD BLYTHEVILLE TONIGHT

The Blytheville (Ark.) Chickasaws should be motivated to play Cape Girardeau Central High's football Tigers tonight.

Central humiliated Blytheville each of the last two seasons -- 21-0 in 1996 and 41-6 in 1997.

But the mood of the Chickasaws should be the least of the Tigers' worries when the teams hook up at 7:30 p.m. at Houck Stadium.

"They are loaded," Central coach Jerry Dement said. "They're big, fast, well coached, and they have depth. Man-for-man, they're better than us in a lot of spots."

Dement is not kidding. Indeed, this could be the best Blytheville football team in years. The Chickasaws have started the season 2-0.

It starts with the backfield, inhabited by a pair of Arkansas all-state players: running back Leonard Williams and quarterback Randy Givens.

But it was reserve halfback Tim Casey who did the damage for the Chickasaws in their 42-7 victory at Poplar Bluff last weekend. Filling in for injured starter Jonathan Mays, Casey gained 184 yards on 14 carries. Williams had 134 yards on 11 carries.

Daddrick McNeal is a speedy home run threat at the tailback position. Givens is a bigger threat to run than pass, but Blytheville can substitute junior quarterback Brad Rose to pass.

"Their best pass is a pitch," Dement said. "They run out of the wing-T, and they do a lot of misdirection with a lot of speed. They're very good up front."

Tackle Michael Merriweather (6-foot-1, 220 pounds) highlights an offensive line that is experienced and fairly big (average weight 230 pounds).

The Tigers (1-1) counter with all-conference defensive lineman Matt Strickland (6-2, 225) and a defensive line which matches up well in size with Blytheville.

Central allowed 433 yards on the ground in a 47-39 loss to Columbia Hickman in Week 1, but tightened up in Week 2, permitting only 87 rushing yards in a 35-20 win over New Madrid County Central.

"We felt like we ironed out a lot of the problems we had in the first week," said Dement.

Central has shown an ability to move the ball almost at will. After gaining 303 yards passing and 134 yards rushing against Hickman, the Tigers racked up 253 yards passing and 149 yards rushing against New Madrid.

For the season, quarterback Frank McGinty has completed 41 of 64 passes for 556 yards and five touchdowns with only one interception. Chris Allen has caught 21 passes.

The Chickasaws return 10 of 11 defensive starters, including Merriweather at linebacker, but their weakness appears to be secondary play, which should play to Central's strength. But before it does, the Tigers will attempt to run the ball.

Emmanuel Harris leads Central with 179 yards rushing in two games.

"We're going to try a little bit more clock control against them," Dement said. "Because, if you give them too many chances, you're in trouble."

Last year, Blytheville turned the ball over eight times (including six interceptions) to Central's zero. Without the turnover advantage, who knows what happens?

"We can't expect that again," Dement said. "The last two years, we've played them about as well as we could."