HIGH SCHOOL: TIGERS WIN 4A SECTIONAL

HILLSBORO, Mo. -- Who let the offense out.

Cape Girardeau Central's heralded defense lost its shutout streak, but the Tiger offense erupted for 336 passing yards as the Tigers defeated host Hillsboro 33-17 in a Class 4A sectional game Wednesday night.

The Tigers (7-4) now move into the 4A quarterfinals where they will again be on the road to face Washington Monday night. Washington, the state's sixth-ranked team, beat Eureka 39-27 Wednesday.

T.J. Erlacker completed 21 of 29 passes for those 336 yards with no interceptions in what was his best game of the year.

Central trailed 10-0 in the first half and 17-13 at one point but scored the final 20 points of the game.

Zac Fidler had seven catches for 145 yards and Andrew Eaton had four catches for 115 yards.

"T.J. just had a heck of a game and our line did an awesome job," said Eaton. "They were 12 yards off and we took advantage of it."

Erlacker also had 53 yards on six carries as he was one of three Central rushers with at least 50 yards.

Central took command of the game in the final seconds of the first half. Hillsboro had just scored on a 10-yard pass from Matt Hicks to Bob Hankins to make it 17-13 with just 38 seconds left on the clock.

The Tigers got the kickoff and went 65 yards in 34 seconds, capped by a 22-yard touchdown strike from Erlacker to Fidler that put Central ahead 19-17 at halftime.

From then on, it was all Central.

Hillsboro broke Central's four-game shutout streak with 9:16 to go in the first quarter when Mike Wilthong kicked a 33-yard field goal.

After Central's Brian Emmendorfer missed a 26-yard field goal, Hillsboro took advantage and went up 10-0 on a 64-yard touchdown pass from Hicks to John Daniels with 3:04 left in the first quarter.

"I was more than a little worried," said Central coach Lawrence Brookins. "I mean, we're on foreign soil and down 10-0. I'm going to be honest with you, I was nervous, but it wasn't as if I felt like we couldn't put some things together."

At the 6:18 mark of the second quarter, Erlacker hit Fidler from 35 yards out to cut the deficit to 10-7 as Emmendorfer booted the extra point.

Central took its first lead of the game on a 10-yard run by O.J. Turner with 3:44 left in the opening half. Emmendorfer's PAT was blocked, leaving the Tigers with a 13-10 lead.

Hillsboro came back with its TD late in the first half, but Central responded with its touchdown in the final seconds that put the Tigers up 19-17. Even though Emmendorfer's PAT was wide, the Tigers entered the locker room with plenty of momentum.

In the second half, it was all Central. On the Tigers' third play from scrimmage, Erlacker hit Eaton with a pass over the middle that Eaton turned upfield for a 53-yard touchdown. With Emmendorfer's PAT, Central led 26-17.

"They were just simple slants," said Eaton, who had two long receptions in the game.

Central capped off the scoring on a 2-yard run by Turner with 5:36 left in the third quarter. Emmendorfer's PAT made it 33-17.

The final score could have even been more lopsided, but Emmendorfer missed field-goal attempts from 26 and 37 yards.

"We knew we could move the ball," said Erlacker, who was not sacked on the night. "At first, I wasn't connecting. My boys caught the ball and made the plays and made some nice runs after the catch, and my line did a great job. Anybody can throw it when you have all that time."

Central finished the night with 503 yards of total offense, 167 coming on the ground. The Tigers' leading rusher was Jamelle Austin with 60 yards on 15 carries.

Hillsboro (5-6) wound up with 345 yards of offense, 181 through the air and 164 on the ground.