Central's offense dominates Hillsboro jamboree

HILLSBORO, Mo. -- Cape Central put on an offensive show Friday night.

The Tigers outscored each of their opponents, senior Peyton Montgomery solidified himself as the team's starting quarterback and the defense came alive late at the Hillsboro High School football jamboree.

Central coach Nathan Norman said the team showed up 40 minutes before their scheduled start, resulting in a sluggish start on defense.

"We got off the bus, changed real quick and got on the field. There was no pep talk. We played," Norman said. "Now that taught them and myself a lesson. Obviously I learned a little bit about my team. They need to get mentally prepared. I'm glad that happened because that's a lesson."

The Tigers, who donned their orange jerseys inside-out without any visible name or number, gave up a 40-yard touchdown run on the second play against Farmington before tightening up and forcing a multiple-play scoring drive.

Despite Central's early ineptitude on defense, the starting offense never sputtered.

The Tigers got their first score of the night on a three-play drive, capped by a 28-yard dash from Montgomery. The 6-foot, 180-pound Chaffee transfer dazzled the crowd all night with his quick feet and also made several impressive throws down field.

"Right now he will be our starting quarterback if everything goes well from here, so I'm not afraid to say it," Norman said.

Central added its second touchdown on a 33-yard wide receiver screen and its third on a 35-yard pass from Montgomery to a wide-open receiver.

The Tigers continued their attack against Carnahan. They scored their first touchdown on a two-play drive that was capped by a 15-yard run and added their second on a pinpoint 30-yard pass from the backup quarterback.

Central fumbled the ball on its next possession. The Tigers finished the game with two fumbles and four penalties.

"You never like penalties, and you never like fumbles," Norman said. "You can coach it, preach it and do everything you want, but sometimes you can't help it. Tonight I felt like we could work on that a little bit better, our ball handling skills. It's the most important thing in football. You've got to protect it. We need to do a better job of that."

The Tigers' defense showed no signs of their previous slow start. Central nabbed its first interception of the game on Carnahan's first possession before Carnahan was able to methodically move down field and get its only score on a goal-line run.

"You've got to prepare your mind and be ready to go, and I don't think we were ready to go. It's a good lesson to learn, but they did turn it on. I'm happy with how they responded," Norman said. "I'm glad that when something bad happened, they didn't drop their heads and give up. They turned it on. They played well and finished well.

"We've got a ton to work on. This was good for us to see. We'll have some good film to study, but overall I was pleased. The number one thing is nobody got hurt."

That same success carried over for the Tigers' defense against Normandy.

Central got its second interception on a tipped ball and added a third on Normandy's next possession.

"They're very athletic kids, and we try to coach them to be athletic," Norman said. "Those kids are doing a good job of listening and being coachable. They need to show up. They need to play well. That's their job, and we expect that from them. They made some good plays tonight."

Montgomery scored perhaps his most impressive play on fourth-and-goal from the 15-yard line. He kept the ball on an option, found the edge and was able to scamper into the end zone.

The Tigers fumbled on their next possession but scored their final touchdown on a pass play from 40 yards out.

Central begins its regular season 6:30 p.m. Friday against host Vashon.