TIGERS RALLY TO VICTORY

Friday night's game was a special one for Cape Girardeau Central High's football team.

Three special teams touchdowns, including kickoff returns of 94 and 90 yards from junior Donnie McClinton, helped Central rally from a 28-7 second-quarter hole, and the Tigers held on for a 35-28 victory over host Oakville.

Central, which routed Oakville 47-20 last season, even its mark at 2-2. Oakville also is 2-2.

With the game tied 28-28 at halftime, Central's Aaron Wolfe blocked an Oakville punt, which Travis Turner recovered in the end zone for a score. With the point after, the touchdown pushed the Tigers ahead 35-28 early in the third quarter -- and for good.

But, in usual Central fashion, not without a scare. Oakville made a late push, moving the ball to Central's 10 with nine seconds left. But Oakville running back LaRon Coleman was dropped in the backfield on the game's final play.

In the second half a resurrected Central defense shut out Oakville, whose offense was withering in the first half. After amassing 177 yards rushing and 131 air yards before the half -- 308 total -- Oakville was curbed to 148 total yards after halftime.

Central "about waited too late to start playing football," said coach Jerry Dement. "But we regrouped."

McClinton zipped the game's opening kickoff 94 yards for a score, but Oakville quickly put its running game in motion on its first possession with runs of 23, 11 and 26 yards, capped off by Dan Alton's 4-yard scoring burst, which tied the game.

After Central quarterback Frank McGinty was picked off, Alton promptly scored again on a 13-yard dash, putting Oakville ahead 14-7 with 8:32 remaining in the first quarter.

Oakville then scored on its third straight possession on Coleman's 4-yard run. Oakville already had heaped 127 yards rushing in the opening quarter, and led 21-7.

Then Oakville made it four successive possessions with a touchdown as tight end Brian Moeckle scampered into the end zone unmolested on a 75-yard play, boosting Oakville's lead to 28-7 a minute into the second quarter.

But McClinton's reprise, the 90-yard return on the ensuing kickoff, quickly cut the deficit in half, 28-14.

"We had great blocking up front, and Donnie just had a super night," Dement said. "Special teams won the ballgame for us."

After Matt Strickland recovered a Coleman fumble, Central at last reaped a conventional touchdown when McGinty found his preferred target, receiver Chris Allen, who spun, juked and eluded for a 38-yard scoring play 5:43 before the half.

Oakville coughed up the ball again on its following possession, and Central's Casey Dwyre landed on it. Starting at its own 14, Central marched down the field until McGinty found Allen, who capped an 11-yard scoring play with a dive into the end zone, tying the score 28-28 at the break.

McGinty completed 12 of 24 passes in the game for 179 yards. Allen caught seven passes for 81 yards and Steven Criddle snatched three for 88 yards. Central had 263 total yards to Oakville's 456.

"It was good to win it," Dement said, "but it was kind of an ugly contest." Dement added that his team's running game never surfaced, and the flying penalty flags against the Tigers "looked like the United Nations."