Tigers extend district reign

Halfway through Saturday's Class 3 District 1 championship between Central and Poplar Bluff, things looked dim for the host Tigers.

The Mules scored first, then overcame a one-goal deficit to a take the lead just before halftime.

But in a span of three minutes, the top-seeded Tigers scored a pair of goals to win their fourth straight district title 4-3.

"I just challenged my players," Central coach Tom Doyle said of his halftime speech. "I said, 'You've been here before, I'd like to see you get two goals in the first 10 minutes.' Well, it took them 10 minutes and 30 seconds -- not like I'm disappointed."

After finishing fourth in the state last year and then losing 14 players to graduation, the Tigers (17-9) advanced to Tuesday's sectional by beating Poplar Bluff (17-8) in the final for the third straight year.

Tyson Whiteside scored all four goals for Central with two assists from Aaron Hutsell.

"The balls in the air were the balls that really caused us problems," Mules coach Mark Papp said. "They got a couple of chances off balls in the air that they ended up burying."

The Mules put Central in a hole with a pair of goals in the final eight minutes of the first half to take a 3-2 lead.

Justin Alford, who broke a scoreless tie in the ninth minute with his 44th goal of the season, started a run at midfield. Craig Lansford sent a long ball to the left side as Alford ran on and took it to the goal line. Alford maneuvered around a pair of defenders and put it on goal. Central keeper Tony Leuckel made the initial save but the ball trickled through right to Brandon Calhoun in front of an empty net to tie the game.

Four minutes later, the Mules took the lead when Micah McDonough pushed up the left side and crossed to Calhoun in the middle. The senior dropped a pass back to Lansford, who launched a rocket that landed just inside the far post.

"That third goal they got right before half really could have been a killer," Doyle said.

The Tigers scored twice within seven minutes in the first half to take the lead, but their two goals in the second half were the difference.

In the 48th minute, Hutsell played a pass up the middle through the Mules defense. As Whiteside ran on, Poplar Bluff keeper Greg Clark came out but the ball kept going as the two clipped each other and Whiteside tied the game. Three minutes later Whiteside scored again, this time off a corner kick that was headed down by Sam Bornstein right to his teammate.

"It's not like they just picked us apart," Papp said. "I felt like we stayed strong in the middle. We were able to clear the ball when it was necessary.

"It was just unfortunate that we didn't clear the ball enough."

The Tigers scored their first goal two minutes after Poplar Bluff took the lead when Whiteside scored off a free kick from 20 yards out past a diving Clark and inside the upper far post. Whiteside gave Central the lead in the 18th minute after another free kick bounced off Poplar Bluff's wall to Hutsell. The senior then set up Whiteside, whose shot was deflected by Clark and off the far post before going in.

Central has now won six straight games heading into Tuesday's sectional. The Tigers have won 13 straight against Poplar Bluff since the Mules won the district final in 2000.