Central's magical season ends with second loss to Sikeston

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Sikeston's speed sucked the life out of Central's magical season.

The Tigers earned a second shot at the Bulldogs, this time in the Class 4 playoffs. But Sikeston's superior quickness proved too deadly for the Tigers.

Central suffered its second loss of the season to the Bulldogs on Monday, this time a 40-0 setback in a sectional playoff game.

"They're just so fast and they can react to just about anything anyone does to them," Central senior lineman Jeremy Lamb said. "They just seemed really fast."

The loss ended Central's season at 10-2, which matched the school record for wins. It was a remarkable turnaround from last season's 0-10 campaign.

Sikeston quarterback Trey Lewis outraces Central defenders as he rushes for a touchdown during the third quarter of the Class 4 sectional game Monday in Sikeston, Mo. (Fred Lynch)

"It's satisfying to actually get some wins for your senior year instead of going 0-10 and 1-9 like we did the first two years," Lamb said. "It's amazing to go from winless to 10-2."

But most of the Tigers, who walked off the field with tear-stained faces, weren't in the mood to reminisce about this season's accomplishments. Monday's defeat stung too much.

"Tonight, there's not going to be any looking back yet," Central senior Zach Boerboom said. "But I'm sure in about a week or two, we'll be able to look back and focus on all the things we accomplished this year."

Central featured a senior-laden starting lineup, and most of the seniors suffered through two losing seasons. The seniors went 1-9 during their sophomore season then 0-10 last year. Tigers coach Rich Payne thanked the seniors for helping turn around the program this season.

"This particular group of young men, especially this senior group, they have been a joy to work with," Payne said. "They have set a precedent now for this program to continue in the future. For that, I am exceptionally indebted to them as a group. It's been a wonderful ride and I can't ask for anything more out of them. We got beat by a better ballclub tonight."

Central quarterback Christian Cavaness runs out of bounds after eluding the grasp of Sikeston defensive tackle Corey Porter during the Class 4 sectional game Monday in Sikeston, Mo. (Fred Lynch)

The first quarter played out well for the Central defense. The Tigers forced Sikeston to punt twice, a stark contrast to the last time the teams played and the Bulldogs scored less than a minute into that contest.

"We felt that if we could get through the first quarter scoreless, that would be to our advantage," Boerboom said. "We did a great job the first quarter. Then the second quarter, we slipped on a couple of assignments and they took advantage of it."

Sikeston running back Darryl Howard broke off a 49-yard touchdown run on the Bulldogs' second play from scrimmage in the second quarter to ignite the Sikeston offense.

"It just gave us that extra boost of confidence we needed," Sikeston quarterback Trey Lewis said about Howard's score. "All the stuff that our coaches been telling us throughout the season, it finally looked like yeah, that was right. We have to come out here and keep finishing."

Everything went downhill from there for Central.

BOTTOM: Sikeston running back Darryl Howard is tackled by Central's Michael Reeder and a teammate during the third quarter. (TOP: Central receiver Andrew Williams watches his team's last hope for points end as a pass lands incomplete near the goal line during the fourth quarter of the Class 4 sectional game in Sikeston, Mo.)

"We executed in the first quarter and played exceptionally hard," Payne said. "They found a few chinks in our armor in the second quarter and then they busted out on us. We just kind of never really recovered from that particular point."

Lewis dominated on offense from there. He ended up with 127 yards and four touchdowns on 13 carries.

"I felt like our defense was actually learning how to block their scheme," Lamb said about the first quarter. "They adapted to what we were doing. ... We'd stop them one way and they'd do something else to counter you."

Sikeston (12-0) scored three touchdowns to grab a 21-0 lead at halftime, the same score at the intermission the last time the two teams met.

Central's biggest problem was that its offense never found consistency. The Tigers pummeled opposing defenses all season, except when they faced Sikeston. The Bulldogs shut out the Tigers twice.

FRED LYNCH ~ flynch@semissourian.com

"The defense played just great," said Lewis, who also plays defensive back. "The defense was great the whole game. We did our assignments, read our keys and we played hard the whole game."

The Tigers averaged 39.8 points in their 10 victories. They averaged 324 yards a game on the ground.

But Central only managed 113 yards on the ground, and leading rusher Keilon Moore was held to 18 yards on four carries.

"It was what they were giving us," Payne said about Moore's limited carries. "They were playing us pretty hard to the weak side and moving their linebackers. We just couldn't get a whole lot going offensively at all."

Central tried adding a wrinkle to its offense when it went to the shotgun in the first quarter. But the first snap in the shotgun flew over quarterback Christian Cavaness' head and he was forced to take a 14-yard loss on the play.

Central quarterback Christian Cavaness throws a pass against Sikeston during the fourth quarter of the Class 4 sectional game Monday in Sikeston, Mo.

"They're getting back there quicker than anything else I've seen this season," Cavaness said. "They were playing really tight coverage. It was really tough."

The Tigers tried to attack through the air, but Sikeston's defense picked off Cavaness twice. He finished 8 of 24 for 71 yards. It was his most attempts in a game this season by far.

"They are so quick and so fast," Cavaness said. "They drop whenever it's a pass play and they bring a lot of pressure. It was the same thing we saw last time. They were just executing really well."

Central's offense managed more yards Monday than in the first meeting, but it still wasn't nearly enough. The Bulldogs outgained the Tigers 377 yards to 184 yards.

"Sikeston's defense is probably the top defense we've played all year," Boerboom said. "Credit to them. They have speed at all the positions. They have enough size on the line to play with anybody."

A Central fan attempts to generate enthusiasm as the third quarter begins at the Class 4 sectional game in Sikeston, Mo.

While Central's season ended, the Bulldogs advanced to the Class 4 state quarterfinals. Sikeston will face Roosevelt, a 23-20 winner over Gateway, on Saturday.

"We've been telling ourself we were the best team in Southeast Missouri, but talking wasn't good enough," Lewis said. "We had to come out and prove it to everybody else. We came out, we executed, we did what we needed to do. We played hard from the first quarter to the fourth quarter, and we finished."

Central 0 0 0 0 -- 0

Sikeston 0 21 6 13 -- 40

Second Quarter

S -- Darryl Howard 49 run (Hunter Williams kick) 11:24

S -- Trey Lewis 28 run (Williams kick), 9:16

S -- Lewis 17 run (Williams kick), 6:13

Third Quarter

S -- Lewis 28 run (kick failed), 7:10

Fourth Quarter

S -- Lewis 15 run (pass failed), 6:43

S -- Janeil Hatchett 55 INT return (Williams kick), 1:00

C S

First downs 10 18

Rushes-yards 30-113 50-361

Passing yards 71 16

Passes 8-24-2 2-5-0

Fumbles-lost 2-1 4-1

Penalties-yards 4-31 6-71

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING -- Central, James Poindexter 15-97, Rodney Reynolds 2-(-1), Christian Cavaness 9-(-1), Keilon Moore 4-18. Sikeston, Darryl Howard 22-149, Trey Lewis 12-127, Ray Clark 4-13, James Watson 8-47, Kyland Gross 3-25.

PASSING -- Central, Christian Cavaness 8-24-71-2. Sikeston, Trey Lewis 2-5-16-0.

RECEIVING -- Central, Zach Boerboom 2-18, Andrew Williams 3-35, James Poindexter 2-(-1), Rodney Reynolds 1-19. Sikeston, Janeil Hatchett 2-16.