Central rolls into quarterfinals

IMPERIAL, Mo. -- Too much Monroe Hicks and too much Tiger defense took the wind out of the Windsor Owls Wednesday night.

Cape Girardeau Central also took the surprising Owls out of the Class 4 playoffs with a 36-0 sectional victory.

Hicks rushed for 168 yards -- more than Windsor's entire team offense for the game -- scored three touchdowns and had 63 yards receiving to help Central to the quarterfinals for the third straight year.

Central (10-1), ranked fifth in the state, will be looking for its first quarterfinal victory when third-ranked Eureka (10-1) visits Houck Stadium Monday at 7 p.m. Eureka won its sectional game, 41-8 over St. Clair.

"We're ready this year," Hicks said. "The last two years were heart-breakers for me. I've been using them for motivation and hopefully all the other seniors are too."

"That's the biggest goal this year, to get past that," said Central defensive end John Thies, who recovered the game's only fumble. "We've been there twice."

The Tigers turned to Hicks early and often as they ran their all-state senior at the Owls play after play. Hicks, who's closing in on 1,500 yards rushing on the season, was involved in 21 of Central's 29 offensive plays in the first half, which ended with Central leading 22-0,

It marked the seventh straight game the Tigers did not allow a first-half point. During that span they've outscored opponents 171-0. Central recorded its third shutout of the season.

"We knew what we were up against coming in," Windsor coach Ken Weik said. "We had to play a flawless game just to play with them, and we didn't. They had a little more speed defensively than I thought. They'll be tough for anyone they face."

Windsor (4-7) entered the game with a three-game winning streak after it opened its season 1-6.

The Owls forced Central's only punt on the Tigers' first possession of the game, but Central came back with touchdowns on its next three possessions to grab control.

Hicks opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run with 21 second left in the opening quarter. The Tigers marched 57 yards on 10 plays, with Hicks carrying nine times.

"He's the playmaker," Central quarterback Mitch Craft said. "He's done it all season. We use plenty of him and we get the job done. He gets us settled down. We might be a little shaken at first, but we just give it to Monroe and he gets us all calmed down."

Hicks topped the 100-yard mark midway through the second quarter. Weik said Hicks was the best running back his team faced all year.

"We knew coming in he was going to be tough," Weik said. "I didn't think he'd be as tough after the hit. He's just out-quicked everybody all year on tape. I think tonight was the first time I saw him break as many tackles as he did."

Central upped the lead to 15-0 on its next possession with an 11-play, 90-yard drive. Hicks carried eight times but the final blow was a 43-yard touchdown pass from Craft to Seth Hudson, who ran a fly route down the middle of the field, splitting two defenders. Hudson, who went over 500 yards receiving for the year, finished the half with three catches for 74 yards.

"We had more confidence this year going in," Hudson said. "Last year we had the double overtime in the sectional game and this year it was 36-0. We just want to keep it rolling."

Mark Dunaway pulled in a two-point conversion pass and Central led 15-0 with 5:01 left in the half.

Thies ended Windsor's next series with his fumble recovery at the Owls' 47. On Central's second play, Craft hit Hicks with a swing pass and Hicks sped into the end zone from 27 yards out. Colin Schermann's second of four extra points on the night gave Central a 22-0 lead with 2:34 left in the half.

Windsor put together its best scoring chance on its final possession of the half as it moved into Central territory for the third time in the half. The Owls drove to the Tiger 14 but heaved their last gasp when they turned the ball over on downs.

Windsor, which had 114 yards of offense in the first half, only mounted 22 yards in the second half when it mustered just one first down on three possessions.

Central struck for quick touchdowns at the start of the second half to ice the game, needing a total of six plays. Jeremiah Dukes scored on a 1-yard run before Hicks broke loose for a 55-yard run to close the scoring. Hicks' run, with 6:15 left in the third quarter, proved to be his 20th and final carry of the night.

Central's substitutes held on for the shutout.

"We all wanted the shutout real bad and we got it," Thies said.

The Tigers finished with 396 yards of offense, including 243 yards rushing. Windsor had 136 yards total offense, with all the yardage coming on the ground. Blane Boss led the Owls with 55 yards on 18 carries.

"Eureka will bring a lot to the table," Central coach Lawrence Brookins said. "It won't be easy. I think our kids will rise to the challenge. I think they'll be very competitive."