It was the fifth win in a row for Central, which closed the regular season with a record of 9-1 and took second in District A-6 with an 8-1 league mark.
“It was exciting. This was definitely a good ending to an unbelievable year. It was exactly what we hoped for,” Tiger head coach Wade Couch said of the performance.
Quarterback J. Johnson and running back Travis Cullum both rushed for two touchdowns and more than 100 yards apiece as Central snapped Warner’s two-game winning streak. The Eagles closed their season at 4-6 overall and 3-6 in the district.
Brandon Holt got Central going when he returned the opening kickoff to midfield and then caught a 12-yard pass from Johnson on the first play of the game. Three plays later, Cullum scored on a seven-yard run and the Tigers led 6-0 less than two minutes into the contest.
Cullum added another touchdown two minutes later on a one-yard run to push the lead to 12-0. The score was set up by Bubba Dickens’ 25-yard punt return, a 14-yard pass from Johnson to Holt and a 12-yard completion to Dickens.
Warner’s next possession ended when the Eagles were stopped near midfield on a fake punt attempt. Central needed six plays to march 46 yards and make it 19-0. The key play was a 16-yard reception by Dillon Caughman, who caught a tipped pass at the Warner 19. On the next play, Johnson cut to his left and raced 19 yards to the end zone. Dillon Chuculate kicked the extra point with 3:12 left in the first period.
The Tigers got another score late in the quarter when Brandon Shockey partially blocked a Warner punt. Kyler Ekberg grabbed the ball at the line of scrimmage and sprinted 30 yards down the sideline and Central led 26-0 after Chuculate’s extra point kick.
Blake Rogers and Shockey both recovered fumbles for Central in the second quarter and Shockey’s led to the Tigers’ final points of the game. Central took over at the Warner 23 and scored four players later on a one-yard run by Johnson. Cullum had the big gain of the drive with a 14-yard run and Chuculate booted the extra point to put the Tigers up 33-0 with 2:40 left in the half.
After a scoreless third quarter, the visitors got on the board late in the game to avoid the shutout. Jed Baker’s eight-yard pass was tipped by a Central defender in the end zone and caught by Colton Gragg with 1:10 remaining. Dylan Byrd added the point-after kick for the Eagles.
The Central defense limited Warner to 124 yards of total offense while narrowly missing their fourth shutout of the season. On offense, the Tigers piled up 310 total yards with 252 coming on the ground.
“I knew we would be physical this year because of our dedication in the offseason, but I never expected us to be so physical as we were defensively,” said Couch. “What’s so great about that is that it carried over to our offense.”
One of the more physical players on the defensive side of the ball Thursday night was senior linebacker Dalton Campbell, who had several big hits.
“He’s been getting better every week since the Talihina game,” said Couch. “It’s like he’s really starting to understand his role on the defense. He’s seeing the ball and his vision on the field is getting better every week. He’s progressed so much and is doing a magnificent job.”
The Tiger coach also praised another of his 12 seniors, receiver Ekberg.
“Kyler Ekberg on offense was really physical with his blocks,” said Couch. “He’s another one who has done real well as the year has gone on. And our entire offensive line and defensive line did a magnificent job up front, they really did.”
Johnson was the game’s leading rusher with 134 yards on 15 carries, while Cullum ran the ball 16 times for 105 yards. Curtis Hall added 13 yards on six carries for the Tigers.
Through the air, Johnson was 5-of-7 for 58 yards. Holt caught two passes for 26 yards, while Dickens (12 yards), Hall (four yards) and Caughman (16 yards) had the other catches.
Warner was led offensively by Baker, who was 5-of-9 passing for 26 yards plus another 60 yards rushing on 16 attempts.
Central had already wrapped up a homefield playoff berth and the Tigers will play Stratford in the first round at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
