Central pounds Riverview Gardens in regular-season finale

One week removed from suffering a road shutout, the Central Tigers were eager to return home and prove that last week's blunder was just that -- a blunder.

The Tigers scored five first-half touchdowns and forced a running clock in the second half on their way to dismantling the Riverview Gardens Rams 48-8 in the regular-season finale Friday night at Tiger Stadium.

Central (7-2) experienced a rude awakening last week on the road. The Tigers struggled to match up on both sides of the ball against the size of Class 5 Chaminade, which routed Central 40-0 on a cold and rainy night in St. Louis.

"We were so mad about that loss," said junior Al Young, who bounced back Friday with 10 touches for 235 yards and four touchdowns. "At practice, we worked hard to shake that loss off. We came out tonight and just played power football."

The Tigers were thrilled to forget about the muddy field at Chaminade and return to the artificial turf of Tiger Stadium, where they'll face De Soto to begin the Class 4 District 1 tournament.

With 44.88 points, Central barely held off Hillsboro (44.53) to lock up the No. 1 seed for the district tournament and gain home-field advantage. Festus overtook Hillsboro as the No. 2 seed by virtue of the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Central's Braion Owens (21) sacks Riverview Gardens quarterback Justin Fowler during the second quarter Friday at Central High School. (Trent Singer)

"It's very important simply because we play at home. We play on turf, and that's a key to our success," Central coach Nathan Norman said. "It's no secret. We're a better football team on turf. We're athletic, we're fast and we make good cuts. I'm not shying away from that one bit."

Riverview Gardens (0-9) turned the ball over on downs on its opening possession, and Young carried the ball three times for 59 yards to give the Tigers their first score of the game on a 10-yard run with 8:51 remaining in the first quarter.

The Rams fumbled on their next possession, and Central tacked on another touchdown thanks to six consecutive carries from Braion Owens, who dashed in from 16 yards out to give the Tigers a 14-0 advantage with 2:56 left in the quarter. The senior running back finished with 11 carries for 110 yards.

"I was nervous because they're better and more athletic than you'd think," Norman said of Riverview Gardens. "I was worried about how we were going to respond, but I'm proud of how we responded. We came out and started fast. That's what I asked of them."

On the ensuing possession, the Rams botched the snap on a punt attempt and set Central up with a short field. On fourth-and-goal, senior quarterback Peyton Montgomery connected with Young on a 5-yard touchdown pass to give the Tigers a 21-0 lead with 10:07 remaining in the first half.

Central quarterback Peyton Montgomery scrambles during the second quarter against Riverview Gardens on Friday at Central High School. (Trent Singer)

"This is really one of the only games that I can say from the start we came out and just pounded and pounded it," said Montgomery, who finished 2 of 2 passing for 55 yards and two scores. "I told them to just keep fighting and we'd wear them out in the beginning."

Central defensive back Josh Morse recorded an interception, setting the Tigers up at their own 8. It only took two plays for Central to find the end zone for the fourth time as Young, who averaged 23.5 yards per touch on the game, shed several defenders and found open space on his way to an 82-yard touchdown run at the 4:39 mark of the second quarter.

"We knew we wanted to at least win by 13 to get that No. 1 seed, and when you get shut out, you've got to come back, especially going into district play," Montgomery said. "You've always got to look at the positives, so we knew we had to come out strong."

The Tigers quickly got the ball back on offense thanks to a fumble recovery by senior linebacker Jordan Franklin. Montgomery ran in from 1 yard out, and Owens tacked on the two-point conversion run to give Central a 35-0 lead at the break and force a running clock for the remainder of the game.

The Tigers scored on the opening possession of the second half on a 7-yard run by senior Jalen Reddin to push their lead to 42-0 with 6:55 left in the third quarter.

Young's 55-yard punt return for a touchdown was called back for a blocking penalty on the next possession, but on the next play from scrimmage, Young hauled in a screen pass from Montgomery and broke down the sideline for a 50-yard touchdown reception with 2:18 remaining in the quarter to give the Tigers a commanding 48-0 lead.

The Rams broke a seven-game scoring drought on the final possession of the second half when Cornell Robinson ran in a 1-yard touchdown run and Isaiah Lane added the two-point conversion in the final seconds of the game.

Although this year marks his first season with the Tigers after transferring from Chaffee, Montgomery said his fellow senior teammates, who were honored before the game for Senior Night, have welcomed him with open arms.

"It's a great group of seniors. They accepted me and really gave me a lot of support when I came in," he said. "There was no jealousy or anything like that. They're just an awesome group of guys. We've all had each other's backs and gotten a lot closer throughout the season. ... I can't say enough about them."

The Tigers will now look to the postseason, where any pitfall similar to last week would bring an end to their season.

"You've got to move on every week. You win, you move on. Now the motivation gets easier for me. You win, you're in. You lose, you turn in your gear," Norman said. "I'm excited about the playoffs. I tell them you've got to be good in school, you've got to take care of your bodies and you've got to be smart because it takes quality weeks of practice leading up to each playoff game. I think our kids will respond well, and that's the way we approach it."

Young remembers last year's run, when Central advanced to the Class 4 semifinal but ran into a freight train in a 46-0 loss to Webb City. He understands what it takes to make a return.

"It takes hard work and focus," Young said. "Every day last year we focused. We came out to practice focused, no joking, no laughing. We treated every practice like it was a game."

Riverview Gardens 0 0 0 8 -- 8

Central 14 21 13 0 -- 48

First Quarter

C -- Al Young 10 run (Brennan Redinger kick), 8:51

C -- Braion Owens 16 run (Redinger kick), 2:56

Second Quarter

C -- Young 5 pass from Peyton Montgomery (Redinger kick), 10:07

C -- Young 82 run (kick failed), 4:39

C -- Montgomery 1 run (Braion Owens run), 3:26

Third Quarter

C -- Jalen Reddin 7 run (Redinger kick), 6:55

C -- Young 50 pass from Montgomery (kick failed), 2:18

Fourth Quarter

RG -- Cornell Robinson 1 run (Isaiah Lane run), 0:17

RG C

First downs 10 9

Rushes-Yards 47-161 34-327

Passing yards 19 55

Passes 3-7-1 2-2-0

Punts-Average 1-31 0-0

Fumbles-Lost 3-1 0-0

Penalties-Yards 8-57 7-60

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING -- Riverview Gardens, Justin Fowler 21-97, Davion Duncan 17-63, Robinson 7-9, Yasir McGirt 1-1, Lane 1-(-9). Central, Young 8-180, Owens 11-110, Reddin 8-31, Montgomery 3-4, Khane Booker 4-2.

PASSING -- Riverview Gardens, Fowler 3-7-19-1. Central, Montgomery 2-2-50-0.

RECEIVING -- Riverview Gardens, McGirt 2-12, Joseph Sanderson 1-7. Central, Young 2-55.