On Friday night, the Central High School Wildcats played the Zachary High School Broncos, in Zachary. Central came into the matchup with a 5-2 record, and Zachary entered remaining unbeaten at 6-0. It was a close, back-and-forth game, which saw both offenses put up points and yards, with some key defensive stops mixed in. Ultimately, with the game tied 28-28 with just over a minute left, Zachary was able to score on a 29-yard touchdown run from Kameron Thomas. The subsequent kickoff was muffed by Central, and recovered by Zachary, and the Broncos walked away from this rivalry game with a hard-fought victory.
The scoring started off slow, as neither team scored in the first 11 minutes of the game, before Central running back Damon Blocker was able to run the ball in from 6 yards out and give Central an early lead. Blocker had several long runs in the first half. Zachary took command and fired back quickly, with quarterback Hudson Spangler finding the dual-sport LSU commit, Trey’dez Green, for 87 yards and a touchdown over the middle.
After a Central field goal, Zachary’s Tyson George was able to return the kickoff 85 yards, and Zachary took a 14-10 lead. Central stormed back, as Adyn Wilkinson caught a 10-yard pass from quarterback Jackson Firmin with just around a minute left before halftime. The score at the break was 16-14, Central.
Kameron Thomas opened up the scoring in the second half with a short, 5-yard touchdown run, his first of three in the game.
Firmin was able to find Evan Jones for a short score early in the 4th quarter. This gave Central a 25-21 lead.
Thomas was able to score, once again, for Zachary, and after a Central field goal, the score sat at 28-28. Late in the 4th quarter, after a steady Zachary drive, Thomas was able to break away for a 20-yard rushing touchdown, which would eventually be the game-winning play for the Broncos.
As previously stated, the kickoff was mishandled by the Wildcats, and Zachary was able to run the clock down and escape with a victory and continue their undefeated season. After the game, Zachary Head Coach David Brewerton answered some questions from the media:
Some of the top performers for the Broncos on Friday included quarterback Hudson Spangler, who threw for 148 yards and a touchdown. Kameron Thomas was the star of the show, rushing for 188 yards on just 17 carries, and adding 3 touchdowns, all in the second half. Trey’dez Green finished with 3 receptions for 117 yards, including the 87-yard touchdown.
For Central, Jackson Firmin passed for 187 yards and 2 touchdowns, but Central’s offense ran through Damon Blocker, who ran 156 yards on 17 carries, and a pair of touchdowns.
Zachary remains home next Friday, taking on Liberty Magnet. Central returns home for a matchup with Woodlawn.
