Switch to football proves right choice for Central senior

~ Central's kicker helped the Tigers roll past Poplar Bluff 52-6

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Central senior Andrew Hileman is quick to correct those who refer to him only as the kicker.

"I kind of get mad when people say he's just the kicker because I like when people say I'm a linebacker too," Hileman said. "People say, 'Oh, Andrew is the kicker.' I throw in, 'He's a linebacker too.'"

The kicker ... and linebacker delivered with his foot and arms Friday in Central's 52-6 rout of Poplar Bluff. Hileman was perfect on all seven PATs and added a 38-yard field goal. He recorded a sack and an interception on defense.

"I joined the football team primarily to kick and I felt I might be able to help out," he said about playing linebacker. "I didn't play much at the beginning of the season, but I just been learning the spot and learning everything about it.

"I like playing linebacker. It's a lot of fun. It's just a thrill. It's not as high pressure and you can actually hit people."

The tale of Hileman's football career is a short one. He first played in seventh grade then again in eighth. He gave up football when he entered high school, choosing cross country instead of the gridiron. He ran as a freshman and sophomore before turning to soccer, the sport he'd played since he was 5 years old, during his junior year.

But he said he was ready for another change during his senior year.

"Football didn't have a great season last year, but I felt I could benefit the football team a lot more than I could benefit the soccer team," he said. "I'd go to the football games and I'd want to be out there with the team, so I decided to try it."

Hileman's enjoyed a successful season so far. He's converted 37 of his 40 extra-point attempts and hit his first field goal of the season, a 38-yarder, Friday. And one of his PAT attempts Friday was a 35-yard kick because of a penalty.

"We had opportunities tonight to give him a shot and get some game-time practice in," Central coach Rich Payne said. "I'm confident in that young man. He's a solid football player and he's been a contributor to the ballclub."

Hileman also has helped back up the opposition's offense, booting four kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks.

"We have tons of confidence in him," Central quarterback Christian Cavaness said. "We know he can kick the ball as good as anyone we've played. Him kicking really doesn't worry us at all."

But Hileman's making an impact on defense as well. His interception on the first play of the second quarter led to 38-yard field goal.

"I think he's improved a lot because he's starting to understand schemes a little bit better," Payne said. "That's why I alternate him and Von Martin at the outside linebacker because ... when you change that particular position up, it's makes it a little bit tough to get a good read on what that guy's going to do across from you."

Martin and Hileman rotate into the weak-side linebacker position, which allows Hileman to attack opposing quarterbacks.

"I don't really have a lot of responsibilities except for the occasional pass coverage, so they send me in on a lot of blitzes," he said. "That gives me a lot of opportunities for sacks."

Hileman's sack and interception Friday were part of a dominant defensive performance by the Tigers. They held the Mules to zero yards on 32 offensive plays in the contest. The Mules recorded no gain or lost yards on 14 of their 24 rushes and lost yards on both of their completed passes. The 9 yards lost on passing plays equaled the state record. Poplar Bluff recorded only one first down in the game, and that came on a roughing the passer penalty against the Tigers that negated a Jaeson Reddin interception. The lone first down tied for second best all-time in state history.

"I think our defense flew around, and [Poplar Bluff is] crippled a little bit with their injuries," Payne said.

The Tigers turned their defensive prowess into prime field position. They averaged starting their 10 offensive drives at the Poplar Bluff 38-yard line. Central only ran four of its 47 plays in its own half of the field all night.

"Our defense does a nice job stopping people and coming up with picks or turnovers and putting them in a position where they've got to punt," Payne said. "And we had a couple nice punt returns by Austin [Davis] that set us up. He's a good, smart young man back there because there are times he'll fair catch it. We tell him to fair catch it and puts us in good position and let's play ball from there."

The excellent field position actually hurt the Tigers statistically, finishing with their smallest yardage total this season. That didn't mean the Tigers' offense struggled. It scored its most points in a game this season, and the Tigers never punted.

"I mean anything we ran, we felt good about and thought we could score on it," Cavaness said.

The Tigers set the tone early when Keilon Moore broke off a 37-yard run for a score on their first play from scrimmage. He finished with 99 yards and two scores on five carries. Cavaness threw for a pair of touchdowns -- a 7-yarder to Andrew Williams and a 21-yarder to Deonte Jenkins.

Central enjoyed a running clock throughout the second half. The only team that has avoided a running clock against Central this season is Festus during Week 2.

The road turns much tougher for the Tigers over the next two weeks. They open Class 4 District 1 play Friday at Farmington (6-1) then host Sikeston (7-0) on Oct. 21.

"I feel prepared," Payne said. "I think we've executed. I always tell the kids missed assignments and missed alignments will get you beat more often than mismatches. I think we've done a good job, solid job, of keeping our assignments in check both offensively and defensively to prepare ourself to play the next couple, three ballgames. That district is as tough as any district around."

Central is 7-0 for the first time since 1972, when it started 10-0 before losing in the first round of the playoffs. It's a start that's even surprised the Tigers.

"I knew we'd put a decent team out there and I wanted to be a part of it," Hileman said. "But no one expected 7-0."

Central 21 17 7 7 -- 52

Poplar Bluff 0 0 6 0 -- 6

First Quarter

C -- Keilon Moore 37 run (Andrew Hileman kick), 10:26

C -- Rodney Reynolds 2 run (Hileman kick), 4:10

C -- Andrew Williams 7 pass from Christian Cavaness (Hileman kick), :20

Second Quarter

C -- Hileman 38 FG, 10:54

C -- Moore 15 run (Hileman kick), 8:29

C -- Deonte Jenkins 9 pass from Cavaness (Hileman kick), 5:42

Third Quarter

C -- Eric Evans 6 run (Hileman kick), 4:35

PB -- Denzell Blackmon 88 kickoff return (kick failed), 3:59

Fourth Quarter

C -- Austin Martin 21 pass from Kyle Thompson (Hileman kick), 10:22

C PB

First downs 16 1

Rushes-yards 40-211 24-9

Passing yards 87 -9

Passes 5-7-0 2-8-2

Punts 0 5-24.2

Fumbles-lost 1-0 0-0

Penalties-yards 5-41 9-60

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING -- Central, Keilon Moore 5-99, Deonte Jenkins 4-1, Rodney Reynolds 2-4, James Poindexter 4-19, Michael Reeder 3-18, Christian Cavaness 1-(-5), Garan Evans 2-23, Eric Evans 11-28, Jacob Cambell 2-7, Alex Davis-Carter 2-1, Austin Martin 4-16. Poplar Bluff, Josh Freeman 4-9, Pete Bryant 10-(-7), Denzell Blackmon 1-(-1), Jeff Rowland 3-(-13), Eric Ramos 1-(-2), Kendric McCain 5-23.

PASSING -- Central, Christian Cavaness 4-6-66-0, Kyle Thompson 1-1-21-0. Poplar Bluff, Josh Freeman 1-4-(-2)-2, Jeff Rowland 1-4-(-7)-0.

RECEIVING -- Central, Trey Gardner 1-40, Andrew Williams 2-17, Deonte Jenkins 1-9, Austin Martin 1-21. Poplar Bluff, Pete Bryant 2-(-9).