Charleston avenges loss to Centerpoint
CLASS 3A
CHARLESTON 42, CENTERPOINT 0
CHARLESTON — In a rematch from last year’s playoffs, Charleston wanted to flip the script Friday night at Alumni Field. Mission accomplished for the Tigers.
Charleston avenged a season-ending loss from a season ago against Centerpoint with a 42-0 victory in a second-round matchup of the Class 3A state playoffs.
“It feels really good to win this one after how last year ended,” Charleston quarterback Brandon Scott said. “I feel like we really played this game for those seniors last year. We wanted it bad. But we know we aren’t done. This is just another step in where we want to be.”
Scott had the offense rolling for the Tigers as he completed 9 of 12 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown. Scott also rushed 9 times for 103 yards and 2 touchdowns. He made plenty of lengthy plays as well, throwing a touchdown for 56 yards and rushing for a 49-yard score.
“It all started up front,” Scott said. “The line played so well. On the long pass, I had all the time in the world. During the few runs I had, I wasn’t getting touched until the second level. Those guys up front made it all happen.”
If it could go right for Charleston (11-1) early, it did. The Tigers defense and special teams came away with three turnovers that were cashed in for 21 first-half points. Ben Thompson and Reese Merechka had fumble recoveries, while Sebastian Gaona had an interception.
With the help of those takeaways, Charleston was able to jump out to a quick lead. Centerpoint (10-2) fumbled on the third play of the game, and Charleston needed just six plays for an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
After the Tigers’ defense forced a three-and-out punt on Centerpoint’s second drive, one play was needed for a 14-0 edge. Charleston didn’t look back after that building a 35-0 advantage heading into the break.
“Football is such a game of momentum,” Charleston Coach Ricky May said. “It seems like when we start fast, you just take that momentum and never give it back. We’ve had that good fortunate for about four to five weeks starting fast. That’s a big thing because you know you are doing good stuff.”
Charleston’s Brevyn Ketter had 7 carries for 51 yards and 2 touchdowns. Bryton Ketter caught 2 passes for 71 yards including the 56-yard touchdown pass. Merechka hauled in 4 receptions for 45 yards.
“It feels really good when I can just get the ball to these playmakers,” Scott said. “It makes my job way easier. I can just throw short passes that turn into big plays or just hand the ball off. I’ve been playing with these guys for a while and we have a great connection.”
The Tigers finished with 293 yards of offense on just 28 snaps before halftime, averaging 10 yards per play. Charleston’s defense issued just 89 yards on 29 first-half plays, giving up just three yards a play.
“We felt pretty good about that first half,” May said with a smile. “We settled in pretty well and made a ton of plays on both sides of the ball. We played very well together and got the huge turnovers. The offense just clicked, and it’s very impressive when they get rolling.”
Centerpoint was guided on offense by running back Jace Clark, who finished with 58 yards on 12 carries.
Charleston has put together nine consecutive wins this season heading into the next round of the playoffs. The Tigers have also now put to rest the 28-23 loss to Centerpoint a year ago that ended their season in the second round.
“We had the opportunity to get the monkey off our back from last year with this game,” May said. “That loss did sting. I still remember sitting in this room with our seniors after that game. I hated it for them. We made a vow to do everything we could to get this win for them. It worked out great for us. We want to keep that winning trend going now.”