Central wide receiver Blake Rogers lines up for a play earlier this season. The Tigers can move a step closer to clinching a home field playoff game when they host Quinton on Friday night. (Mike Erwin•TIMES)
Kickoff at Tiger Field is slated for 7:30 p.m.
Central is 6-1 for the season and 5-1 (second) in the league after the Tigers handled Pocola 42-7 last week.
Quinton is 4-3 and 4-2 and tied with Savanna for fourth in the district. The Savages defeated Warner 26-0 last week, and on Oct. 30 they visit Savanna.
“Up front they are big,” Central head coach Wade Couch said. “They are the biggest team we’ve faced this year thus far. They are enormous up front, and if they get on you, you’re blocked. We’ll have our work cut our for us.”
Some of Quinton’s top offensive players are senior linemen Jake Murray (6-foot-2, 260 pounds) and Cameron Dismuke (6-2, 280), quarterback Tyler Sills (5-8, 160), receivers A.J. Magufee (5-10, 165) and Dallas Followill and running backs Joe Spears (5-10, 160) and Garrick Rey.
“They love to run iso, and looks kind of like our power game,” said Couch. “They’ll run it in at the guard or out at the tight end, and they do a really good job with it. They like to find something that works and they stick with it. If it doesn’t work, they’ll line up in shotgun and use misdirection plays.
“Their style of offense is very familiar to us because it’s real similar to what we do. When they pass, they’ll run flood patterns and fade patterns, and they run their quarterback a little more than I thought they did.
“On defense we have to get off blocks. We can’t let them double-team us down the field. We can’t let that happen. Because of some injuries, we’re not as deep. We have more players going both ways so we have to be mentally and physically tough.
“We also have to tackle well and be sharp on our assignments, and our secondary can’t get lulled to sleep.”
Defensive leaders for the Savages are linebackers Kamron Deaton (5-11, 175), Tony Noel (5-11, 165) and Rey, sophomore end Jordan Murray (6-3, 240), linemen J.D. Fast (6-4, 275) and Dismuke and defensive back Dakota Davis (5-6, 145).
Couch said the Savages ran a 4-4 defense last season but are now running a 3-4.
“The 3-4 is a better fit for them,” remarked Couch. “They went to that defense this summer, and a friend of mine at Coalgate who scrimmaged them said it had helped them. It frees their linebackers up, so we have to be really sharp on our blocks.
“We think we may have the opportunity on offense to throw the ball, but we have to protect the quarterback.”
Quinton is battling for a District A-6 playoff spot, and Couch believes the Savages will be ready to play when they visit Tiger Field on Friday night.
“They lost to Gore on a last-second field goal, and they lost to Talihina, so they’re a pretty solid ballclub,” said Couch. “If they can get a win this week and win one of the last two, they’ll have a good shot at a playoff spot.”
