Central claims outright conference title with 55-13 win over Farmington

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- There was no boastful celebration Friday night after bringing an end to a 12-year drought as SEMO North Conference champions.

Instead, the Central Tigers acted like they'd been there before.

Senior running back Braion Owens had 21 carries for two touchdowns and a season-high 208 rushing yards, leading the Tigers to a 55-13 rout over the Farmington Knights that gave Central its first outright conference football title since 2002.

"Even when I was little, I followed the team completely. My family playing, none of them ever got a conference championship," Owens said. "I feel like just to get one of those under my belt is a big confidence booster."

The Tigers (6-1, 4-0) outscored their conference opponents by a combined 159-47, but Central coach Nathan Norman knows his team's results didn't come easy.

"Our conference is not chopped liver," Norman said. "There are some very good teams, and we're super proud to be conference champs. Hats off to the seniors and everybody involved with how they have competed this year. They've played and made a commitment and followed through with it.

"It's just a stepping stone for us. It was one of our goals. It just happens to be the first goal of the season, to win the conference. We have some more goals to come, and that's what we've moved on to already, believe it or not. We're going to celebrate this when the season's over. Right now, we've got to get ready to get better for districts."

Central quarterback Peyton Montgomery, left, celebrates with Al Young after Young scored the second touchdown against Farmington during the first quarter Friday, Oct. 3, 2014 in Farmington, Missouri. (Fred Lynch)

Starting junior left guard Casey Vaughn has played for the Tigers since his freshman year. He believes the conference title is a testament to how the team has come together since the beginning of the season.

"I think it's huge. We started out not clicking very well as a group, and we've improved every single game," Vaughn said. "We've become a family, and we trust each other. That showed up today on the field."

Central went three-and-out on the opening possession but got its offense back onto the field after jumping on a loose ball on the Knights' first play from scrimmage.

Two plays later, Owens broke through the line of scrimmage and ran into the end zone from 38 yards out. Brennan Redinger booted the first of his seven extra points to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead with 9:23 left in the first quarter.

Norman believes the team's trust in Owens has continued to grow.

"He's an every-down back. He can do it all. He can get the hard yards. He can get the big play, but he's just a veteran," Norman said. "He's got so much more experience back there than anybody. I've got two other guys that I'm very comfortable with, but he's a third-year running back."

The Knights (3-4, 1-3) went three-and-out on their next possession and gave the ball back to the Tigers, who used a six-play, 62-yard drive to push their lead to 14-0 with 4:51 remaining in the first.

The drive was capped by a 34-yard touchdown run by Al Young, who carried the ball off tackle and made several defenders miss along the way. Young finished with 11 touches for 164 yards from scrimmage, averaging almost 15 yards per touch.

On its next possession, Farmington's offense began to move the ball.

The Knights scored their first touchdown on a perfectly-thrown ball from Brandt Busenbark to Brayden Krause, who beat the Tigers' secondary for the 36-yard score. Krause kicked the extra point, and suddenly the Tigers' lead was trimmed to 14-7 with 2:41 left in the first.

The Cape Central football team celebrates after their victory over Farmington that also clinched the SEMO North conference championship on Friday, Oct. 3, 2014 in Farmington, Missouri. (Fred Lynch)

"It was a great throw," Norman said of the play. "They put it in that one spot that only he could get it, and [Krause] made a great catch. There's not much you can say about it. That was just a great play."

On the ensuing drive, Central began at its own 20 and converted a third-and-21 and a fourth-and-2 before turning the ball over on a fumble in the red zone.

Despite the lopsided victory, Norman wasn't thrilled with the way his team began the game.

"In my opinion, we were very sloppy. I did not think this was our best performance," Norman said. "I think our athletes and our playmakers made plays when they had to, and then as time went on, I think we settled in and played better football. At first, I think we played a little bit of street ball, and we were lucky that we were more athletic than they were."

Two plays later, the Tigers compensated for their gaffe when Jalen Reddin intercepted a Busenbark pass and returned it 22 yards inside the red zone. Senior quarterback Peyton Montgomery scored on a 13-yard run to push Central's lead to 21-7 with 9:40 remaining in the first half.

Central's defense forced two more three-and-outs before halftime, and Montgomery scored on runs of 2 and 22 yards to give the Tigers a comfortable 34-7 lead at the break. Montgomery finished the game with 11 carries for 58 yards but gave most of the credit to the stellar play of his offensive line.

"When our O-line steps up, we step up. Any game that they play good, we play good," Montgomery said. "We had a great week of practice. They blocked really well tonight, and it gives us a lot of confidence because it puts all our threats everywhere. The defense has to respect the passing game and the running game."

Montgomery said the Knights ran a four-man front, which Central's offense has thrived against this season.

"We knew all week that if we just got off the ball, drove our feet and moved our legs then we would have a big advantage," he said.

In the second half, a new star emerged in the Central passing attack. The first reception of senior Andre Statam's career came on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Montgomery with 8:56 left in the third quarter.

Central's Andre Statam celebrates after scoring on a 24-yard pass from Peyton Montgomery against Farmington during the third quarter Friday, Oct. 3, 2014 in Farmington, Missouri. (Fred Lynch)

The first-year player and basketball star has been an anchor for the Tigers at defensive end, but at 6-foot-6, 230 pounds, Statam also has plenty of value at tight end.

"It's just another look that teams have to work on every week," Norman said. "He's a big target with good hands. Why not? ... He gets better every week, and that's part of it, what he can handle mentally. First of all, he's a defensive player. He's got to play defense. It took us a while to put him into the tight end position. We're throwing a little bit at him at a time."

After forcing a turnover on downs, Central put together an impressive 19-play, 92-yard drive to go ahead 48-7. The drive was capped by a 1-yard run by Owens with 10 seconds remaining in the third.

Another three-and-out gave the ball back to the Tigers, who scored their final touchdown on a 1-yard run by Kway'chon Chisom at the 7:40 mark of the fourth quarter.

With the exception of a fourth-quarter drive that came with a 48-point lead, Central's defense gave up two first downs all game.

"Our defense played well," Norman said. "They flew around, played their assignments and closed up the gaps when they needed to. It was a good performance for them."

Montgomery -- who finished 4 of 8 passing for 96 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions -- knows the importance of a conference championship. As a junior last season, Montgomery led Chaffee to a SEMO South Conference title, ending a 34-year drought for the Red Devils.

With another conference title under his belt, Montgomery now has his sights set on a bigger goal.

"It's always good to win championships," he said. "It's awesome. We've worked hard all summer, and it's paid off well.

"We're going to take one game at a time, but we've said since summer this is the team that's going to go to state. We really do believe that, and if a team all has one mindset and one goal, it's hard to beat them."

Central 14 20 14 7 -- 55

Farmington 7 0 0 6 -- 13

First Quarter

C -- Braion Owens 38 run (Brennan Redinger kick), 9:23

C -- Al Young 34 run (Redinger kick), 4:51

F -- Brayden Krause 36 pass from Brandt Busenbark (Krause kick), 2:41

Second Quarter

C -- Peyton Montgomery 13 run (Redinger kick), 9:40

C -- Montgomery 2 run (kick failed), 3:21

C -- Montgomery 22 run (Redinger kick), 0:49

Third Quarter

C -- Andre Statam 24 pass from Montgomery (Redinger kick), 8:56

C -- Owens 1 run (Redinger kick), 0:10

Fourth Quarter

C -- Kway'chon Chisom 1 run (Redinger kick), 7:40

F -- Cody Friedmeyer 1 run, 0:00

C F

First downs 20 6

Rushes-Yards 56-430 36-95

Passing yards 96 52

Passes 4-8-0 3-7-1

Punts-Average 1-27 5-40

Fumbles-Lost 1-1 2-1

Penalties-Yards 6-45 4-16

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING -- Central, Owens 21-208, Young 9-82, Montgomery 11-58, Jalen Reddin 6-34, Chisom 2-16, Khane Booker 2-15, Joshua Jones 2-10, Jordan Franklin 3-7. Farmington, Christian Mitchell 9-59, Busenbark 8-15, Friedmeyer 3-9, William Seibert 3-9, Brayden Bohn 13-3.

PASSING -- Central, Montgomery 4-8-96-0. Farmington, Busenbark 3-7-52-1.

RECEIVING -- Central, Young 2-64, Statam 1-24, Chisom 1-8. Farmington, Krause 1-36, Trevor Keith 2-16.