Central Shut Out by #1 St. Thomas More

By Josh Walker

             Defense was the name of the game Friday night with St. Thomas More coming out on top 24-0. The Wildcat defense held its own throughout much of game, but unfortunately the offense never got into a rhythm being held to only 85 total yards. Central got the ball first but fumbled it on their own 37-yard line, giving the Cougars great field position. Central’s defense forced a missed 46-yard field goal after St. Thomas More could not move the ball.  The Wildcat offense was held to just 7 first downs in the game and never made it onto the other side of the 50-yard line.  A few bright spots did emerge in the Wildcats offense. Zach Evans returned for the first time since his injury during the offseason and rushed for 11 yards on 6 carries. Brett Courville completed 12 of his 21 passes for 61 yards with receptions by Hunter Cazes, Devon Gales, Gary Triplet, and Jeremy Anderson.  Central did turn the ball over 3 times (2 fumbles, 1 interception), but St. Thomas More was not able to capitalize on these miscues.

            Central’s defense did hold its own against the potent Cougar offense, holding them to just 10 points over two and a half quarters. The Wildcat defensive line was a big factor in this, consistently putting pressure on the St. Thomas More quarterback and running backs. The defensive backs were also impressive forcing two turnovers. Logan Metcalfe recovered a fumble and ran it back 27 yards to go along with his 5 tackles, and Paul Broussard intercepted a pass. Sean Parker tied Logan Metcalfe for the team lead with 5 tackles in the game. Tony Ragusa had 4, and Dalton Holdman and Jesus Acosta each had 3. The Wildcat defense did give up 309 yards, but many of these yards came late in the game. The defense was on the field for much of the game due to the lack of offensive production, allowing the Cougars to wear them down over time. The two touchdowns late in the game put it out of reach.

            After the game, Coach Dotson said,” This is a good measuring stick for our team. We played hard, and that’s something you can’t coach. We will continue to improve to get to the level we want to be at.” Coach said that there were quite a few positives to be taken from the game including the gutsy performance by his defense. Don’t let the stats fool you. The Wildcats fought hard and kept the game close. St. Thomas More only led 7-0 at the half. Central always finds a way to improve and build on mistakes from the weak before. This is a good, young team. They will be ready for the challenges ahead of them.