Unbeaten Central rolls into district final

Central's boys soccer team scored less than two minutes into the game and held off a pesky Jackson squad to move on to the Class 3, District 1 finals with a 4-1 win Monday night at Jackson.

The teams had hardly taken the field before Central (23-0) striker Heath Orr buried his 29th goal in the back of the net. Orr's goal tied his school single-season goal record and broke the career goal record of 63.

"You look at the people he's passed, people like Jon Mark Thompson and Craig Scheer," Central coach Tom Doyle said. "That speaks well for Heath."

The win pits Central against Poplar Bluff for the district championship at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Poplar Bluff defeated Farmington 4-1 on Monday.

Playing with an early 1-0 lead, the Tigers continued to chip away at the Indians' defense. Aaron Bornstein missed an opportunity in front of the net just minutes after Orr's goal, but midfielder Bryan Ross came up with a goal 12 minutes in to give Central a 2-0 lead.

Ross said he was looking to pass but saw the opening so he took the shot.

"I went down there to cross it," he said.

After falling behind two goals just 12 minutes into the first half, Jackson's offense came to life midway through the half. Jackson's forwards got behind Central's speedy defenders on several occasions, and Central needed a James Russell slide tackle to avoid an Indian breakaway late in the half.

The Indians capitalized on a scoring chance when Derrick Biri slipped by Central's Josh Fee and beat goalie Tony Leuckel on a sharp angle shot. The score remained 2-1 at halftime.

"Having a 2-1 game going into halftime, that really gave us a chance," Jackson coach Zack Walton said.

Jackson (3-17) continued to pressure the Tigers coming out of halftime, but after withstanding Jackson's early assault, the Tigers took control. Grant Hengst gave the Tigers the breathing room they needed when he scored about midway through the half.

Once the Tigers got control of the game, the play became more physical. Both teams were whistled in the second half, with Central picking up three yellow cards.

"I've got three guys sitting on the bench because they have yellow cards," he said. "It gave some other kids a chance to play, but that's not the way I want them to play."

One of Central's reserves, Ryan Ponder, finished the scoring for the Tigers with a low shot from just outside the goalbox.

"Once they got that third goal and the fourth goal, that brought our intensity down," Walton said. "But I was proud of my kids. They played well."

Ross said Central will have to step it up to win the district title Wednesday.

"We definitely have to play better," he said. "But I think we will."