Shocker at St. Paul’s: Central Upsets #1 to Continue Miracle Run

Submitted by Josh Walker

It was never a question of if but when the Wildcats would put together a complete game effort. Well, that game came Friday night when Central beat the number one team in the state, 35-28. The Wildcats got the ball first and drove it 80 yards before scoring on a 2-yard Zack Evans run. Central’s defense stopped the Wolves on a fourth down play at the Wildcat 33-yard line to get the ball back. Then, the Wildcats tried a double reverse pass that looked to be well short of the receiver, but it was tipped and caught by Gary Triplet for a 67-yard touchdown to put Central up 14-0. In the second quarter, the Wildcats faced a 4^th and 11 punt situation from their own 26-yard line. The ball was snapped to Jake Myer who ran it 25-yards and gave Central another first down. Two plays later, Courville connected with Triplet for a 26-yard touchdown. Right before the half, St. Paul’s scored on a 30-yard pass from Duncan to cut the Wildcat lead to 21-7. Then, with 15 seconds left in the half, Courville hit Triplet for the third time: this time a 38-yard touchdown that put the Wildcats up 27-7 at the half.

In the second half, it was all St. Paul’s. They scored 21 unanswered points to take a 28-27 lead with 6:45 left in the game. The Wildcats knew they had one good drive left in them though. Courville completed a 34-yard pass to Chaz King to put the Wildcats on the Wolves’ 44-yard line. He then hit Triplet for a 13-yard play to get inside the thirty-yard line with just under five minutes to go. Three plays later, Central had a 4^th and 8 at the 27-yard line when Courville completed a clutch pass to Myer to move the chains again. The Wildcats took the lead back from St. Paul’s with just over a minute to go on an Evans 3-yard touchdown run. Courville then hit Myer for a two-point conversion pass to make the score 35-28. The Wolves were moving the ball on their final drive before a Triplet interception sealed the game.

The Wildcat offense had its best performance of the season, putting up 450 total yards (110 rushing, 340 passing). Brett Courville was 18 for 27 with 340 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 49 yards. Zack Evans had 43 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Gary Triplet led the Wildcats with 157 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Devon Gales had 111, and Chaz King had 34.

The defense also had a great game, only giving up 362 yards. They stopped the Wolves’ offense for most of the night and forced three huge turnovers. Logan Metcalfe and Thomas Eddlemon each came up with a fumble, and Gary Triplet came up with an interception. Metcalfe also led the Wildcats with 8 and ½ tackles. Zack Hetrick had 6, and Thomas Eddlemon had 5.

After the game, Coach Dotson said, “We are men on a mission. Our goal was to come in, beat number one, and then take over their spot. We can play with anyone in the state. I want us to be happy but not satisfied.” It was a game for the ages, and the Wildcats’ dreams are still alive. Lucky for the Wildcat fans, this team is peaking at the right time.