Central football team crushes New Madrid County Central in season opener

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- Christian Cavaness wasted no time settling into a rhythm with the Central offense.

The senior quarterback accounted for four first-half touchdowns in the Tigers' 41-6 thumping of New Madrid County Central in the season opener.

"Passing the ball, it's the favorite thing to do as a quarterback," Cavaness said. "After last year not throwing as many times as I would have liked, it's definitely nice to be able to come out here and air it out every time that they call it. To complete it as many times as we did was great."

Cavaness used his arm and legs to find the end zone. He scored twice on QB keepers and twice he hooked up with receivers before the intermission. He capped the Tigers' opening drive, which lasted 14 plays, by riding the coattails of his offensive line for a 2-yard QB keeper.

Cavaness found the end zone again when he started running to the right then cut back to the left and raced in from 23 yards out early in the second quarter.

Central's Chris Martin runs away from New Madrid County Central defender Corey Guest during Friday's game in New Madrid, Mo. (CHRIS POBST ~ Sikeston Standard Democrat)

The senior tossed a swing pass to the right, which Tae Jenkins hauled in and took the end zone for the 21-0 lead later in the second.

Cavaness' magic showed most on the final play of the first half. He lofted a ball down the left side, which was underthrown and NMCC defender Courtland Shannon was able to get a hand on it. But Shannon only tipped it, and Central receiver Garan Evans caught the pass and took it into the end zone with no time left before halftime.

"Oh yeah, we practice that one all the time," Cavaness said jokingly. "I left it a little bit under, but Garan is a very good receiver and he just caught it off the tip, which was very big for us."

Cavaness threw for 148 yards before halftime.

"He was making plays because we were giving him a 10-yard cushion," NMCC coach Arlen Pixley said. "It's mental mistakes."

Central's Jacob Campbell looks for a hole against New Madrid County Central during Friday's game in New Madrid, Mo. (CHRIS POBST ~ Sikeston Standard Democrat)

Cavaness completed 11 of his 17 attempts in the first half, and seven of those completions went for more than 10 yards.

"Their corners were so far back off the ball that we could just throw that little quick hitch or just screen right there," Cavaness said. "They really weren't rushing anyone off the edge, and if they were, our linemen did a very good job picking them up."

Evans ended up as the Tigers' leading receiver. He caught four passes for 54 yards in the game.

"We throw a lot in practice," Evans said about his chemistry with Cavaness. "Pitch and catch. It just worked in the game."

Central ran the ball 22 times in the first half but only gained 100 yards. That helped convince first-year Central coach Nathan Norman to stick with the pass.

"We've got a veteran quarterback and that always helps," Norman said. "We've got two quality wide receivers and our line did a nice job. Plus they were keying on our run game. They knew we were going to run the ball. That always helps to have a little variety. It just opened up the passing game for us."

Pixley said the Tigers' aerial attack did not catch his team off guard.

"We figured they're going to try to balance it up," Pixley said. "You get to the point where you're down in the playoffs against some of the teams they have to play, you've got to be able to throw it, loosen some people up. They're not as big and physical as they were a year ago, so you've got to throw it a little bit more. It's stuff we've been working on. It's not anything we haven't looked on."

Central's defense clamped down on the Eagles in the first half. NMCC ran 17 plays but only gained 34 yards.

"They did a good job of flying to the ball and attacking," Norman said about his defense. "That always helps."

Central's defense set the tone on the Eagles' opening drive when Jacob Campbell took down NMCC quarterback Jimmy Ash for a 16-yard loss and forced a fumble on the play. The Tigers recovered to extinguish the drive.

"I came up and we was in our pass coverage and I wrapped him up," Campbell said. "I was trying to keep him up so my gang could come in and hit him. They took too long so I took him down and the fumble came out."

NMCC moved the ball more effectively in the second half, including its lone touchdown drive. The Eagles finished with 143 yards of offense in the game.

The Tigers players admitted they played with extra motivation in an attempt to get Norman his first victory as their coach.

"We all love coach Norman," Cavaness said. "He's one of our favorites. It's always good to get your coach's first win. Nobody can ever take that from him."

Norman, who played at the University of Arkansas after his high school career at Jackson, showed little excitement over his first win.

"I'm happy for our kids," he said. "I'm happy for our coaching staff. They did a nice job preparing these kids. Any time you can beat a team like New Madrid, it's a good feeling."

The Tigers will play their first game in their new stadium in Week 2 when they host Festus, a 34-9 loser to Farmington.

Central 7 20 7 7 -- 41

NMCC 0 0 6 0 -- 6

First Quarter

C -- Christian Cavaness 2 run (Calvin Lovig kick), 4:58

Second Quarter

C -- Cavaness 23 run (Lovig kick), 10:53

C -- Tae Jenkins 20 pass from Cavaness (Lovig kick), 9:01

C -- Garan Evans 27 pass from Cavaness (kick failed), 0:00

Third Quarter

C -- Eric Evans 3 run (Lovig kick), 7:25

N -- Gabe Smith 28 pass from Corey Guest (pass failed), 2:44

Fourth Quarter

C -- Mikey Jones 5 run (Lovig kick), 1:36

C NMCC

First downs 18 10

Rushes-yards 41-207 29-82

Passing yards 171 61

Passes 12-18-0 6-14-0

Punts 1-36 5-106

Fumbles-lost 2-2 3-3

Penalties-yards 8-58 7-62

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING -- Central, Chris Martin 3-21, Jacob Campbell 5-15, Mark Ray 5-12, Alex Davis-Carter 8-37, Christian Cavaness 5-47, Eric Evans 4-6, Mikey Jones 10-64, Devon Johnson 1-5. NMCC, Jashawn McDaniel 11-48, Willie Jimerson 2-1, Jimmy Ash 5-(-11), Lamonte Nelson 3-(-4), Harvey Brown 1-1, Corey Guest 6-22, Stanley Smith 2-18, Shermon Taylor 1-4, T.J. Clark 1-3.

PASSING -- Central, Christian Cavaness 12-18-171-0. NMCC, Jimmy Ash 5-9-33-0, Corey Guest 1-5-28-0.

RECEIVING -- Central, Jacob Campbell 2-35, Jacob Boerboom 2-38, Eric Evans 1-14, Tae Jenkins 2-28, Garan Evans 4-54, Mark Ray 1-2. NMCC, Willie Jimerson 1-8, Gabe Smith 4-57, Jashawn McDaniel 1-(-4).