The Central Tigers probably got their toughest test so far this season, regular season or playoffs, when they faced the Pawnee Black Bears in a Class A second-round playoff game Friday night at Tiger Stadium.
The Tigers were able to keep their historic perfect season intact as well as advance to the Class A state quarterfinals as they outlasted the Black Bears 36-34 in double overtime.
“To be 12-0 and to do what they’ve done, and continue to do, is remarkable,” Central coach Jeremy Thompson said. “A lot of guys stepped up. We had an injury here and there. Guys just stepped up and filled in for them. They did a tremendous job. That’s a true team (Pawnee) right there we beat.”
The Tigers (12-0) will meet the Hooker Bulldogs (10-2) at 7 p.m. Friday in Newcastle. Hooker edged Minco 21-20 in a Battle of Bulldogs in Friday night’s second-round playoff game in Minco.
There was only one time in which the Tigers led, and that was at the most important time — at the end of the game.
After each team scored in the first overtime to send the game into a second OT tied at 28, the Tigers took their first lead of the game on Joseph Lee’s 10-yard touchdown run. Lee then hit Connor Green in the far left edge of the end zone on the twopoint conversion to put Central ahead 36-28.
The Black Bears (93) responded with a 1-yard TD run by quarterback Luke Mitchell, his fourth touchdown run of the night. However, for the third time on the night, the Tigers stopped Mitchell at the 1-yard line on the twopoint conversion, beginning the celebration as the Tigers punched their ticket to the state quarterfinals.
The game;s only score of the first half was Mitchell’s 2-yard touchdown run with 1:27 left before halftime. He also scored the two-point conversion for an 8-0 Pawnee lead at halftime. The drive was set up when Central, which had kept the drive going on a fake punt where Lee hit Cade Tucker on a 21-yard pass play to get to the Pawnee 42 with 8:25 remaining in the first half, got stopped on downs at the PHS 20 with 8:04 left. Then, the Black Bears took up 6:41 of game time to march 80 yards to break the scoreless deadlock.
“We’re a second half team,” Thompson said. “It was just the confidence. I’ve seen them all year.
The Black Bears doubled their lead to 16-0 with 10:15 left in the third quarter when Mitchell scored on a 44yard TD run and scored the two-point conversion.
The Tigers finally got on the scoreboard on their ensuing drive, which was started by Braxin Goodson when Lee got injured on the previous drive, as Lee, who returned on the third play of the drive, connected with Tucker on a 21-yard touchdown pass. However, the twopoint conversion pass play failed, keeping Pawnee ahead 16-6 with 7:29 remaining in the third period.
The Tigers stopped the Black Bears on their next drive and forced a punt. However, Central’s Easton Girty partially blocked the punt, which ended up at the Pawnee 42 with 5:44 remaining in the quarter.
The Tigers used the same scoring combination as before as Lee hit Tucker on a 19-yard TD pass with 4:38 left in the period. Coy Blackburn caught Lee’s two-point conversion pass to cut Central’s deficit to 1614 going into the fourth quarter.
The Black Bears re-gained the lead on a 35-yard touchdown run by Casey Tucker with 8:43 left in the game. However, for the first time on the night, the Tigers stopped the twopoint conversion, keeping Central just a single score behind at 22-14.
The Tigers got the game tied at 22 on Lee’s first TD run of the game, and third accounted-for touchdown, as the senior quarterback took it in from five yards out. Lee then hit Tucker on the two-point conversion pass to knot the game.
After stopping the Black Bears at the Central 34 with eight seconds left on what would have been the gamewinning drive, the Tigers had one last chance to win the game in regulation.
Lee hit Tucker out in the flat, then Tucker lateraled the ball to Josh Marino, who rambled close to 60 yards before being stopped at the Pawnee 10 to end the game, setting up overtime.
Mitchell scored his third TD of the night on a 5-yard run, but the two-point conversion run failed. The Black Bears led 28-22. Thompson said the three twopoint conversion stops were crucial.
“That is the guts, character and heart of this football team. They have played that way all year. They know the situation. They did it in regulation, and they did it in overtime. You can’t coach that. That’s what is in their guts and hearts. It’s how they fight.”
The Tigers tied the game on their first OT possession as Blackburn caught Lee’s TD pass to tie the game at 28-all. Since the Tigers only needed an extra point, they decided to go for the conventional PAT. However, the Black Bears blocked Isaac Rogers’ kick, keeping the game tied, and forced the second overtime.
“We’re a second half team,” Thompson said. “It was just the confidence. I’ve seen them all year. They (Pawnee) are a first-half team, and we’re a second-half team. We came in and fought hard in the first half. We took their best shot (in the first half). We came out in the second half, and we did what we do.”
