Hicks guides Tigers in lopsided district opener

SIKESTON, Mo. -- There's only one Monroe Hicks.

It's just that with his style of play, there seems to be an abundance of No. 28s.

Hicks was at his multi-dimensional best Friday night at Sikeston High School when Cape Girardeau Central opened defense of its Class 4, District 1 crown with a 30-13 victory.

The Tigers' all-state defensive back rushed for 180 yards, scored three touchdowns and intercepted two passes.

"He impressed me," Central fullback and linebacker Jeremiah Dukes said. "And I've played with him all season."

Referee flags were the only way to deny Hicks, who unofficially reached 1,000 yards rushing for the season. He lost a couple of big gains to penalties and had a 67-yard touchdown punt return erased due to a penalty near the end of the run.

He added 55 yards on four catches.

"It was another one of his games," Tigers quarterback Mitch Craft said. "We expect nothing less. He was on his game."

The win improved Central to 7-1, their best mark since 1987.

With two remaining district games at home against Perryville and Poplar Bluff, the Tigers cleared what may have been their biggest hurdle, handing Sikeston (5-2) just its second loss.

"I was worried about this one," Central coach Lawrence Brookins said. "It's a big game. It sets the tone for the rest of district and into the playoffs."

The Tigers are shooting for their third straight district crown.

"I think they're in pretty good shape," Sikeston coach Charlie Vickery said. "But you've got to play them all."

Central rolled up more than 200 yards of offense in the first half while holding Sikeston to just two first downs but didn't break a scoreless deadlock until midway through the second quarter.

After two of its first three possessions ended in interceptions, Central finally scored after linebacker Mikell Abraham recovered a Sikeston fumble at the Tiger 41. Seven plays later Hicks scored on a 5-yard run and Colin Schermann added the extra point for a 7-0 lead with 5:02 left in the half.

Hicks then gave the ball right back to the Tigers when he lunged in front of Sikeston receiver Ryne Vickery along the sideline to give Central possession at the Bulldog 30.

"The interception was awesome," Brookins said. "It was a college- type play. He's a special athlete."

Hicks demonstrated that on the next three plays, covering the 30 yards in three rushes for a 14-0 lead.

He burst up the middle from 17 yards out for the touchdown with 2:52 left.

"You have to give them credit," Vickery said. "They capitalized on the mistakes we made. That's the sign of a good team."

Central forced Sikeston to punt and marched into field goal range for Schermann, who booted a 46-yard field goal as time expired for a 17-0 lead.

Schermann, 3-for-3 on the night, added kicks of 42 and 24 yards in the second half. He now has four field goals over 40 yards for the season.

"We had the momentum going into the second half and that's what helped us the rest of the game," Hicks said.

Hicks pulled in an 18-yard touchdown pass at the 4:09 mark of the third quarter to extend the lead to 24-0.

Schermann closed the Tigers' scoring with a pair of field goals in the fourth quarter. Sikeston finally broke through on an 11-yard Blake DeWitt touchdown run with 7:32 left in the game. Lawrence Davis added a 23-yard touchdown reception from Drew Lawrence.

The Tigers rushed for 210 yards and finished with 288 yards overall. Sikeston finished with 200 yards total offense with over half coming in the fourth quarter.

"We don't really know how good we can be," Hicks said. "We put up 30 points and we still had a lot of mental mistakes."

jbreer@semissourian.com

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