Cape Central runs for 7 TDs as Tigers thump Kennett 56-0

Torrance Murray took the handoff on Cape Central’s fifth play from scrimmage, brushed off a tackle at the line and looked for the next defender.

But no one was there.

It was like that all night for the Tigers with Murray’s 10-yard run being just the beginning of a dominating rushing performance as Cape Central coasted by Kennett 56-0 in the regular-season finale Friday at Tigers Stadium.

“It seemed like maybe we weren't doing some things, but we scored every time we had the ball,” head coach Kent Gibbs said. “Our offensive line did a good job of opening up holes. There were a couple of times that we didn't really get touched. Special teams were big. We scored, I think, 21 points in 42 seconds basically because of our kickoff team. I like the fact we played aggressive on defense too. Basically, we did what we needed to do.”

Murray had a breakout performance, finishing with nearly 120 rushing yards and two touchdowns on eight carries in place of a resting Keyshawn Boyd.

“Torrance just needs to play to get the experience he needs and to read the cuts that he needs to read,” Gibbs said. “But, he's got ability, and we’ll get him in the weight room and get him stronger. He'll be another good running back for us and he's done a good job filling in there for Keyshawn. And if he has to go next week, he'll be ready to go.”

Cape Central (8-1) took a little longer than anticipated to overwhelm a winless Indians team that was not expected to put up much of a fight against one of the premier programs at the Class 5 level.

Following Murray’s rushing touchdown midway through the first quarter, Kennett (0-9) kept the Tigers' offense off the field with a time-consuming 12-minute drive that ended on a turnover on downs deep in Cape Central territory with seven minutes to go in the second quarter.

“Hats off to Kennett,” Gibbs said. “They got in an offensive set we hadn't seen with the big kids, and they moved the ball on us, and we had a penalty that kind of kept it going. But the bottom line is we kept them out of the end zone.”

And that they did.

Cape Central scored four more touchdowns on the ground to close out the first half. Zai’Aire “Zip” Thomas had the highlight of the night when he took the handoff on an end-around, reversed his field, cut past an outstretched defender and coasted down the far sideline and into the end zone for a 28-yard score to put the Tigers on cruise control on “Pink Out” night.

Thomas, who entered the game with 21 all-purpose touchdowns on the season, added three on the ground Friday.

Senior quarterback Deklin Pittman was a mere 1 of 1 for seven yards passing, but did damage with his wheels by racking up over 100 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

“I think if our offense clicks like they have been recently, we have a great season ahead of us,” Pittman said. “So, if we keep going hard at practice and working hard, we should do big stuff.”

The Indians struggled mightily with containment all night and the Cape Central backs regularly were untouched until reaching the second level of defenders.

On the first play of the second half, Thomas burst through the heart of the Kennett defense for a 49-yard rushing touchdown to make it 43-0.

Cape Central held out Boyd and several other players, whose injuries haven’t been specified. Gibbs noted: “Hopefully with another week, we'll get those kids back and ready for whoever it is that we got.”

The game also provided substantial playing time for backups. Running back Izzy Bridges picked up his first touchdown with a four-yard plunge late in the fourth quarter. Backup quarterback Charles Ogles saw some action under center, while junior Colton Poole ran for 22 yards.

With their eyes set on a magical postseason, Gibbs said his Tigers, who have now won six straight regular-season finales, are in great position to go on a deep playoff run.

“I think we're where we need to be,” he said. “I think we've gotten better. I think our kids will continue to work to get better. We don't really talk a whole lot about who we're going to play. We just talk about ourselves and getting a little bit better. And they've done a really good job that when you got 20-plus seniors, they've been, they know, they understand. And, for the most part, they've taken care of things.”

Cape Central will gear up for the postseason as Gibbs’ squad heads into Class 5 District 1 playoff action next week with an opponent, time and date TBD. Kennett bows out of the season with an 0-9 record and will look to improve in the offseason.