Strong second half lifts Tigers to homecoming district win over Pocola

It took a strong second half, but the Central Tigers remained undefeated overall and perfect in District A-8 play with a 58-30 win over the Pocola Indians to make it a happy homecoming Friday night at Tiger Stadium.

Leading 20-14 at halftime, the Tigers (5-0 overall, 2-0 in district play) outscored the Indians (3-2, 1-1) by a count of 38-16 in the second half.

Central senior quarterback Joseph Lee had a monster game, rushing for 254 yards and three touchdowns and passing for 132 yards and a TD to account for a total of 386 yards of offense and four touchdowns. As a team, the Tigers rushed for more than 400 yards.

“Our offensive line played very well up front,” Central coach Jeremy Thompson said. “We controlled the line of scrimmage. I was proud of us to be able to rush for that many yards.”

Coy Blackburn rushed for 147 yards and three touchdowns, while Kade Tucker had three receptions for 49 yards and a TD. However, Tucker got things started by returning an interception 77 yards for a touchdown in the opening period for Central’s first score.

“That was a big play right off the bat,” Thompson said about Tucker’s pick-6.

With the game still in the balance, Isaac Rogers caught a 23-yard pass on fourth down to keep a Central drive alive that led to the final touchdown and a 28-point lead.

Defensively, Hunter Pack led the way with 10 tackles and a caused fumble, followed by Josh Marino with seven tackles and a blocked punt — which made the Tigers record a blocked punt in four straight games. Lee had five tackles, an INT and a fumble recovery, Aiden Sainer had an interception and two pass break-ups, Connor Green had a pass breakup and Xhaiden Mosby had a caused fumble. In fact, two of Central’s takeaways led to two TDs for the Tigers.

“Our defense has stepped up in all five games this season,” Thompson said. “Our secondary played well.”