Tigers claw Haskell Haymakers in district opener

HASKELL — The Central Tigers not only remained undefeated in the 2023 season but won their District A-8 opener — both feats accomplished rather emphatically.

The Tigers won their district opener by routing the host Haskell Haymakers 5012 Friday night.

The Tigers (4-0 overall, 1-0 in district play) ran out to a 38-0 lead at halftime, then they had a stalemate in the second half as both the Tigers and the Haymakers (1-3, 0-1) each scored 12 points.

Easton Girty rushed for 70 yards and had a hat trick of three touchdown runs, while Hunter Pack had 150 yards rushing and a TD.

While Joseph Lee had 75 yards rushing, he threw for 129 yards and two touchdowns — a 29-yarder to Cade Tucker and a 26-yarder to Gibby Mitchell. Tucker caught three passes for 60 yards and a TD, while Mitchell had three receptions for 47 yards and a TD.

Defensively, Bo Locust had six tackles, Girty had six tackles and a fumble recovery. Josh Marino had six tackles and a blocked punt and Lee and Aiden Sainer each had an interception.

“We played well Friday night,” Central coach Jeremy Thompson said. “Offensively, we got some things going. We were able to run the football, threw it well and had zero turnovers — which is huge offensively. We’ve played very well defensively. We’ve only allowed 19 points the last 12 quarters. We essentially had four turnovers (takeaways).”