Central football team faces toughest test of season

Central's rushing attack relies on a healthy dose of speed to gain valuable yards.

Tigers quarterback Christian Cavaness expects that advantage to be erased in tonight's Class 4 District 1 showdown with Sikeston. Both teams enter at 8-0 and state ranked.

"They are quick, so anything outside they can get to better than teams we've played in the past," Cavaness said. "Up the middle they've got pretty big kids who can stop whatever's coming up the middle."

The Tigers average 340 yards rushing per game, led by Keilon Moore's 870 yards on 82 carries, an average of 10.6 yards per attempt. But Central coach Rich Payne expects yards on the ground to be tough to gain against the Bulldogs' quick defense.

"Defensively, I think what scares me the most is we might be able to get a run, but our ability to get 7, 8, 9 or 10 yards a carry remains to be seen and the ability to bust out," Payne said. "You might bust out, but they have kids over there who are probably just as fast as our kids. So instead of it being a touchdown if we do bust out, it may be a 10- or 15-yard gain."

Cape Central running back Keilon Moore runs the ball towards the end zone Friday, October 15, 2010 as the Farmington Knights host the Tigers. (Laura Simon)

Moore carried 23 times in the Tigers' 40-28 win over Farmington, and that was eight more carries than he had in any other game. The main reason is because Central features four players with at least 200 yards rushing and seven players have received at least 20 carries this season.

"They've got a strong running game, much like us in the fact that they spread the wealth," Sikeston coach Kent Gibbs said. "It's an interesting matchup. I think one of the keys for us is being able to overcome some adversity and being able to overcome that first wave that I know we're going to get and to settle into a rhythm on offense."

The Tigers will try to keep Sikeston from finding its offensive rhythm. The Bulldogs average 345 yards rushing per game, led by Darryl Howard's 944 yards and 11 scores on 95 attempts.

Sikeston also isn't afraid to throw the ball. Quarterback Trey Lewis is a threat with his arm and his legs. He's thrown for 994 yards and nine touchdowns while adding 754 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground.

"I know Farmington's quarterback got pretty good yards on us just running around in the pocket, just making plays for himself," Cavaness said. "I know Sikeston's quarterback Trey can do that pretty well too, if not better, because he might be just a little bit quicker. I think if we spy him, we can shut him down, which will help us greatly in this game."

Central senior Keilon Moore leads the team with 870 yards and 13 touchdowns rushing. (Laura Simon)

Central hopes to sustain long drives and keep the ball away from Lewis and Sikeston's offense, which averages 47.9 points per game.

"I think our offense has the ability to minimize their mistakes and put together those kinds of drives," Payne said. "Those are the marks of a team that is disciplined No. 1 and also pretty conditioned. I think the group is pretty well conditioned, and our philosophy has always been if we can get 3 or 4 or 5 yards a carry, OK, let's 3 or 4 or 5 yards a carry and it's a first down and move the chains and let's do it again."

Gibbs anticipates he'll need his defensive line to pressure the Tigers and stop those time-consuming drives.

"Any time you look at a big ballgame, you've got to look at what your offensive and defensive lines do, and certainly they've led the way for them," Gibbs said. "They're strong and most of them are three-year starters anyway. They're strong up front. Again, it's a challenge, but we think we're pretty good up front."

Sikeston is no stranger to big games. The Bulldogs reached the Class 4 state semifinals where they lost to Helias 37-8 last season.

This is new territory for the Tigers, who enter 8-0 for the first time since 1972. Central is coming off an 0-10 season and went 1-9 in 2008. The players are enjoying the ride and expect a packed house for tonight's game.

"I thought the Jackson game was big and loud," Cavaness said. "And then this past week, the Farmington game, on the field, you can hear everything. It's just so loud and there are so many people there. But I think this week's game will be the biggest game that we've played in a long time. There's so much hype about it."

Chris Pobst of the Sikeston Standard Democrat contributed to this report.