Central wins its fourth straight district

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- For at least a night, it was all Brandon Twiggs all the time.

Twiggs carried the ball 45 times for 210 yards -- both career highs -- to lead Central to a 49-28 win and hand Poplar Bluff its first loss Thursday in the Class 4, District 1 championship game.

Central (8-2) won its fourth straight district title and will host North County on Wednesday at Houck Stadium in the sectional round. North County (9-1) defeated De Soto 63-6 for the District 2 title Thursday.

"All week the coaches talked about winning our fourth straight district title," Twiggs said, "and that just made us play harder."

The Tigers set the tempo of the game right off the first drive. Central went 68 yards on eight plays to go up 7-0 after Twiggs carried the ball seven times for 55 yards.

After a defensive hold, the Tigers went right back to work to go 51 yards on six plays on their second drive for a quick 14-0 lead.

Craft said the Tigers were focused on getting their ground game on track early.

"We knew to win, we had to run it," he said.

Central's onslaught continued when Craft hit Mikell Abraham on a six-yard pass with no time left in the first quarter for a 21-0 lead. Poplar Bluff (8-1) never had a first down in the quarter.

But with the momentum in Central's favor, the Tigers nearly gave the Mules a chance to get back in the game. Fumbles on consecutive possesions led to two Mule touchdowns that cut the lead to 21-14. The Tigers answered to score with 12 seconds left before half for a 28-14 lead.

"We just talked in the huddle about staying calm," Craft said of the turnovers, "and that defensively they're not doing it, we're doing it to ourselves."

It didn't take long for Central to get its offense rolling in the second half. The Tigers defense held firm on Poplar Bluff's first two possessions, and Craft's legs led Central to a touchdown on Central's second possession of the half.

Craft followed a 27-yard keeper with a three-yard touchdown run to give the Tigers a 35-14 lead.

"Those kids up front played an outstanding job again," Central coach Lawrence Brookins said.

Another Craft touchdown run late in the third quarter put the Tigers up 42-14. The Mules' offense made its final stand after the Craft score.

Poplar Bluff quarterback Mark Gum connected on three straight passes to receiver Andrew Heuiser, the third being a one-yard touchdown to cap an 80-yard drive.

Later, Gum hit Whalen George on a 38-yard strike on the first play of a Poplar Bluff possession to cut the lead to 42-28, but the Mules turned it over on their next drive when lineman Darren Neels stripped the ball from Gum. Twiggs picked up the fumble for a 25-yard touchdown.

Gum, who threw for 1,700 yards before Thursday, had only 169 yards on 13-of-30 passing.

"The defensive backfield really had to work hard," Brookins said. "A lot of the time we only had three pass rushers."

Craft, in his third year as Central's starting quarterback, completed 10-of-13 passes for 157 yards.

Noteworthy

Poplar Bluff, No. 1 in the SEMO Top 10 poll, was trying to complete its first unbeaten season since 1990.

North County, No. 2 in the SEMO Top 10, owes its only loss of the season to Central on Sept. 25 in a game also played at Houck Stadium. Central won 25-18.

Tickets for Wednesday's football game will go on sale today at Central High School and Howard's Sporting Goods for $5. Tickets also are available for Central's boys soccer sectional game Tuesday, also at Houck Stadium.

jjoffray@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 171