Central, Eureka set for showdown

The Central Tigers have a precise mission tonight at Houck Stadium as they play in their third straight Class 4 quarterfinal.

Deactivate the power of the Eureka Wildcats.

If the Tigers are able to do so, they'll likely win a school-record 11th game and more importantly advance to Saturday's semifinals.

Eureka features some simple wiring but, equipped with three players committed to the University of Missouri, wears a high voltage warning.

The Tigers will counter with their own successful methods.

"There's no slouches left," Central junior quarterback Mitch Craft said. "There's eight teams in the state battling for one thing. And the best are going to survive."

Teams are much alike

In some ways, Central and Eureka are much alike as they enter the 7 p.m. contest at Houck Stadium. Both have glistening 10-1 records and both own seven-game winning streaks after suffering losses in Week 4. Both are coming off lopsided sectional victories. Central, ranked fifth in Class 4, shut out Windsor 35-0 Wednesday while Eureka, ranked third, blasted St. Clair 41-8.

The parallel lines quickly skew.

With a balance of running and passing, Central has carved a neat path into the quarterfinals. With versatile players like Craft and senior running back Monroe Hicks, the Tigers are opportunistic, taking what teams offer. And although the Tigers average 36 points a game, they're not all about offense. They have not allowed a first-half point in their winning streak and the first-string defense has not yielded a point through the first three quarters of those games.

Eureka sticks to basics

Offensively, Eureka is less compromising.

"Power-running game extraordinaire," notes Central coach Lawrence Brookins.

Eureka probes with power, searching for a weak spot, and when the Wildcats find the crack, they will exploit it with the same play over and over.

Or as Brookins puts it, "They're content to methodically march it down and tear your heart out."

Eureka is an experienced group that went 9-1 last season. It has 10 seniors on both sides of the ball and some formidable size. It has a pair of 6-foot-5, 295-pound linemen in offensive tackle M.J. Norman and defensive tackle Marty Raab. Both are headed for Missouri, as is running back Darnell Terrell (6-2, 205).

Terrell has rushed for 874 yards while seniors Brandon Wyms and Boone Brady, a pair of 5-10, 190-pound fullbacks, are over 700 and 600 yards, respectively.

The Wildcats utilize their tools in a limited playbook. Parkway South, a Class 5 school, did the best job of slowing down Eureka, holding the Wildcats to a season-low 145 yards rushing in a 14-7 victory. But the Wildcats, who never scored fewer than 24 points in their other games, have rushed for nearly 400 yards on a couple of other occasions.

"No matter what the talent level is going to be, hopefully we can run our system and run our five or six base plays out of it and go on from there and get better with them each week," Eureka coach Farrell Shelton said. "It's been successful so far and it's been successful in the years past."

While the Wildcats specialize in running, senior quarterback Dustin Hargadine has completed 55 percent of his passes.

Eureka reached the sectional round in 2000, Shelton's first year as head coach, before being eliminated by Washington. The Wildcats played in quarterfinal games in 1990, 1996 and 1997 but lost each time.

Central's quarterfinal frustrations are a little fresher. The Tigers' seniors saw their sophomore and junior years end at that level with losses to Washington, but they're hoping that experience is an advantage.

"They weren't in the quarterfinals the last few years so they don't know what to expect. And we've been here," said Tiger senior Seth Hudson, the team's leading receiver.

Added Hudson, "Obviously, they're the toughest team we've played all year. Their line is good. Basically we just have to stop the run."

Adrian Wren helps anchor both the Tigers' offensive and defensive lines, which will be put to the test. The Tigers will also be counting on their quickness at the line to offset some of Eureka's power.

"If we can make them suffer a little bit on that first down, and not give up more than three or four yards, that will obviously be to our advantage," Brookins said. "If they've got a bunch of seconds and short, that's not a good deal."

Eureka will have its own concerns.

"They're going to bring problems to us," Shelton said. "I don't think we've seen the speed of their team."

Central's offense revolves heavily around Hicks, who embodies the balance and speed of the Tigers with 1,963 yards total offense. He's rushed for 1,456 yards and has 507 yards receiving. He averages almost 180 yards in an offense that has not been held to less than 300 yards all year.

"I'm sure they want to find some ways to take Monroe out of the mix," Brookins said.

But that opens the door for others to step through.

Craft also is a multiple threat. He's completed 63 percent of his passes, thrown for 1,594 yards and rushed for 452.

Hudson leads a group of quick, sure-handed receivers with 36 catches for 548 yards.

"They're just a good looking football team up and down," Shelton said.

It may boil down to which team handles the playoff pressure best as turnovers and penalties could be deciding factors.

"We just have to come out not too tight and have fun," Wren said. "Just play hard."