Central football team beats rival Jackson in pivotal conference matchup

The Central Tigers racked up 319 rushing yards and defeated the Jackson Indians 31-21 in a SEMO North Conference football game Friday night at Tiger Stadium.

Jackson (5-1) turned the ball over three times in the first half and trailed Central (5-1) 10-7 at the break.

Senior running back Braion Owens, who finished the game with 21 carries for 147 yards, scored on a 50-yard touchdown run to put the Tigers ahead 17-14 in the third quarter. Central never trailed beyond that point as junior wide receiver Al Young hauled in a 33-yard pass play in the final minute of the quarter to push the Tigers' lead to 24-14.

Central's student section cheers during the third quarter of the game against Jackson Friday, Sept. 26, 2014 at Cape Central. (GLENN LANDBERG)

Senior quarterback Dante Vandeven led Jackson's offense with 72 rushing yards and two scores on 13 carries.

In the first quarter, Montgomery scored the first touchdown of the game on fourth-and-11 at the Central 22-yard line. The Tigers faked a punt, and Montgomery broke down the sideline for a 78-yard run as Central lead 10-0 with 3:03 left in the quarter.

Both teams entered the game ranked in their respective classes as the Tigers were ranked No. 10 in Class 4 and the Indians were ranked No. 2 in Class 5.