Tigers rebound with decisive home district win over Mounds

His purple uniform following the game was still fairly pristine, devoid of various dirt and grass stains.

It was indicative of the kind of night Central junior quarterback Braxin Goodson enjoyed Thursday night during the Tigers’ home District AII-3 game against the Mounds Golden Eagles at Tiger Stadium. For sure, he was in complete command.

Goodson accounted for 255 yards of total offense and all five touchdowns — including a career-high four rushing TDs — as Central rebounded from last week’s loss to Talihina with a 35-16 win against Mounds.

“I just found the holes, ran at them and then I turned on the jets,” said Goodson, who rushed for 146 yards to go along with his four TDs.

More importantly, Goodson wasn’t sacked at all, another reason why his uniform stayed fairly spotless. In that Talihina loss, he left the game with a possible concussion, but was cleared to return to the field earlier this week.

“I knew Monday (prior to game night) I was going to play,” Goodson said. “I just had to make sure that I had all the signs I could play, so I went out and played.”

Thus, it was equally imperative that Central’s offensive linemen made sure Goodson stayed upright. They did just that, and also helped clear the way for not only Goodson but other backs as the Tigers (4-3 overall, 3-1 in district play) finished with 267 yards rushing on 45 carries.

“(I’m) super proud of how we played up front,” Central coach Jeremy Thompson said. “Those offensive linemen were getting a push on every single down. Those guys were leading the way right there. They’ve played great throughout the season, and they continue to. They didn’t allow any pressure on the quarterback. (Goodson was) able to sit back there, get our reads and deliver the football. That’s pretty awesome, and I’m proud of how we played.”

The line, mainly consisting of center Ethan McKinney, guards Leland Kelsey and Cole Holcomb and tackles Mekko Ariza and Zachary Comer, was also on Goodson’s mind when discussing his colossal outing.

“I couldn’t do it without my line, and they did really good,” Goodson said. “They’re a big part of it.”

Central’s offensive line asserted its will from the start, beginning with the Tigers’ opening series, as they moved 84 yards in 13 plays while using up 7:21 of the clock.

On the 13th and final play of that drive, Central faced a fourth-and-goal from the Mounds 2-yard line. Lining up in a shotgun formation, Goodson had to field a high snap but saw an open space to his right and waltzed in untouched for his first TD.

Goodson attempted a two-point pass, but it went incomplete, keeping the Tigers up 6-0 with 1:14 left in the opening quarter.

The Golden Eagles (2-5, 0-4) went in front 8-6 five minutes into the second period, but Central quickly responded with a seven-play, 63-yard scoring march to regain the lead.

Goodson put the exclamation point on that series by taking a keeper around the right side from 25 yards out. Dillon Miller added a two-point conversion giving Central a 14-8 lead with 3:25 left in the half.

Central’s defense then forced a three-and-out, starting with a first-down sack courtesy of Holcomb. The Tigers got the ball back following a punt with less than two minutes to go in the first half.

The Tigers only needed barely more than a minute before finding the end zone. This time, it came on the strength of Goodson’s arm.

From midfield, Goodson launched a deep pass over the middle, which landed in the hands of receiver Xhaiden Mosby near the Mounds 30-yard line, and Mosby outraced the secondary to complete the 50-yard touchdown. That extended Central’s lead to 20-8 with 39 seconds to go until the break.

“I had seen the safety go over to the right and I just got it over to (Mosby), and he ran all the way with it,” Goodson said of his TD throw.

The Tigers kept that margin intact on the last play before halftime, holding on downs as pressure from Kelsey and Comer on the defensive line forced an incomplete pass.

Central then fielded the kickoff to start the second half and needed just five plays to punch it in once more. The drive was set up by a 24-yard return from Nathan Vann to the Central 44-yard line.

Three plays after Goodson ran a keeper 39 yards to the Mounds 13-yard line, he took a keeper right up the middle on third down from the 12. Comer came on to kick the PAT. Only 2:18 into the second half, Central’s lead grew to 19 points at 27-8.

The Golden Eagles then put together a sustained drive and reached the Central 20-yard line, but a holding penalty wiped out a touchdown. On fourth-down, Central cornerback Aidan Sainer made an open-field tackle to bring down a receiver well short of the markers.

Mounds did get within 11 points at 27-16 on the third play of the fourth quarter with a touchdown and two-point play, but once again, the Tigers remained on the offensive.

The Tigers proceeded to put things away with an eight-play, 61-yard drive that took exactly four minutes to complete. Central was also aided by back-to-back personal foul penalties against the Golden Eagles, which gave the Tigers a first down near the Mounds 25-yard line.

On a third-and-3 from the Mounds 4-yard line, Goodson once again called his own number and found the end zone for the fourth time. A two-point run from Aiden Smith capped the scoring with 7:19 remaining.

Central forced Mounds to punt on its next possession, and also forced the Golden Eagles to turn it over on downs on their final series with less than two minutes on the clock, which Central was able to run out three plays later.

“(Goodson) really played a great game all the way around.” Thompson said. “He had a big night, (and I was) proud of his performance and what he did. Also, Ryker (Miller), Aiden Smith, Dillon Miller, the guys that are carrying the ball behind them, (I’m) super proud of them. Then our receivers came up with a big play when we needed it.”

Along with Goodson’s huge rushing night, Dillon Miller added 62 yards on 11 carries, while Ryker Miller had 11 carries of his own, going for 44 yards.

Goodson completed 4-of-10 passes for 109 yards. He even punted twice, averaging 32.5 yards per kick and placing both of those inside the Mounds 20-yard line.

Mosby caught two of Goodson’s four passes for 64 yards and his TD, and Vann made a 30-yard catch on third down to give Central a first down at the Mounds 38-yard line during the Tigers’ opening 13-play drive.

Central’s defense held Mounds to 240 total yards, though Golden Eagle running back Avi Tabora had 222 of those yards on 24 carries while scoring both his team’s TDs, including a 71-yard run in the second quarter that put Mounds briefly in front.

“Going in, I had seen what kind of athlete he is, and I felt like he was probably the best back we’ve seen all year by far,” Thompson said. “He runs the ball hard. He’s super quick and athletic and a good player, and containing him was a big job, but I felt like defensively, we stayed at it, and continued to get after him was the key there. We did that, and I felt like late in the third and fourth quarter, we really had control.”

Just as important as the home win, the Tigers got the maximum 15 district points as they attempt to keep pace with Talihina for the A-II-3 lead.

“In district, you want to come out with a ‘W,’ but district points are always (important), and that was definitely on my mind, we’ve got to make sure we get our points when we should get it,” Thompson said. “(It was a) tough loss last week, but a big district win this week. We go on the road next week, and we’ve got to go get a big win at Allen. Then we’re back home in Weeks 9 and 10. Right now, we can’t look ahead. We’ve got to look at Allen next Friday.”

Goodson agreed with his coach. Bouncing back with a home win Thursday night was nice, but the Tigers must do it again for the final three regular-season games while needing help along the way.

“I just liked the crowd and our student section coming out and supporting us,” Goodson said. “We’ve just got to keep pushing. We’ve got to win the rest and try to win that district championship.”

At the same time, Goodson hopes his uniform can stay relatively clean like it was Thursday night. If so, it’s another indication that the Tigers will continue to be in robust condition as the stretch drive to the playoffs gains steam.

The Tigers will visit the Allen Mustangs for a District AII-3 game at 7 p.m. Friday in Allen.