Central's season ends in Class 4 semifinal round

WEBB CITY, Mo. -- Central football coach Nathan Norman told his underclassmen that they know what they have to strive for next after their Class 4 state semifinal.

"I hope they take two things," Norman said. "One, that you never give up on a season, you never give up on anything. You fight until the very end.

"Two, I hope they see what they have to become. I think that's [Webb City] what any high school program in the state should look at. They don't win state championships by luck. They're physical. They're tough. They just don't become that. You have to work at that. That's what hopefully we'll take from this."

The Tigers were defeated 46-0 by three-time defending state champion Webb City on Saturday to finish the season 9-5. The team reached the final four after starting the season with a 1-4 record.

"I think we weren't prepared," senior Mikey Jones said. "I think we could've came out and played way better than we did. Just a lack of focus. We should've came out way better than this."

A pass to Central’s Al Young is incomplete during the first quarter of the Class 4 semifinal against Webb City on Saturday in Webb City, Mo. Central lost 46-0. (Fred Lynch)

The Cardinals scored five touchdowns in the first half and led 36-0 by halftime.

Central's offense struggled from the start. On the first drive, Jones carried the ball twice for a gain of two yards, and then senior quarterback Dennis Vinson threw his first interception of the game on his first pass attempt.

Webb City drove the ball down the field and scored on a 2-yard run by senior running back Trey Parra with six minutes, 23 seconds left in the first quarter. The Cardinals completed a two-point conversion with a pass to Hunter Rhea to make it 8-0.

The Tigers punted with 4:42 left in the quarter on its next possession after a loss of four yards on a run by Mikey Jones and an incomplete pass.

Webb City sophomore Tyson Roderique had a gain of four yards before junior quarterback Devin Pickett broke straight up the middle for a 35-yard touchdown run. The PAT kick by Nathan Gooch made it 15-0 with 3:58 left in the first.

"Nothing was working," Vinson said of the offense. "We had like one good play and two bad plays. We weren't consistent at all. We couldn't get anything going. Everybody got down when we started getting beat. It was all bad from there."

Central's next drive started with a 23-yard kick return by Jones to the 31-yard line. Jones gained four yards on each of the next two plays. Vinson kept the ball for a 3-yard gain and the Tigers' first first down of the game.

Central's Darvile Hopkins consoles teammate T.J. Pearson in the closing moments of its Class 4 semifinal Saturday in Webb City, Mo. (Fred Lynch)

Vinson then attempted a pass to sophomore wide receiver Al Young that was intercepted and returned 65 yards for a touchdown by Kiante Hardin to extend Webb City's lead to 22-0 with 2:18 left in the first quarter.

Webb City moved the ball down the field to start the second quarter with the help of 9 and 17-yard runs by Parra. Tyler Davison scored on a 3-yard run with 7:35 to play in the first half to make it 29-0.

The ensuing kickoff was fielded by Central's Nikylus Thompson, who fumbled and then recovered it at Central's 14-yard line. Jones ran for a gain of eight yards and Vinson for four on the next two plays. Jones ran again, but was stopped by a pack of Cardinals for a loss of three yards.

Vinson attempted a pass, which was incomplete, and then was sacked for an 8-yard loss, forcing the Tigers to punt.

Webb City returned the ball to its own 49. The Cardinals ran the ball five consecutive plays to the 8-yard line before Pickett connected with Cooper Strasser on a touchdown reception to make it 36-0 with 1:42 left to play in the half.

"We just told our kids, 'There's winners and there's losers in life, and the scoreboard doesn't indicate either one,'" Norman said of what he told his players at halftime. "We told them that we're winners, and we're going to fight and compete.

Central’s Mikey Jones is pushed out of bounds by Webb City’s Kyle Baldassarre during the third quarter of a Class 4 semifinal Saturday in Webb City, Mo. (Fred Lynch)

"I was proud of them. They did a good job in the second half competing. Obviously the score didn't turn out the way we'd like it to, but proud of the way they competed."

The second half went by quickly as there was a running clock due to the large lead.

Parra extended Webb City's lead with 7:49 left in the third on a 5-yard touchdown run.

The Cardinals wouldn't score another touchdown, but Gooch kicked a 38-yard field goal with 8:03 left in the game to make it 46-0.

Central's punt on its next drive was blocked by Kolton Espinosa and recovered by the Cardinals at Central's 11-yard line.

Webb City was unable to score on that drive, making it the only time in the game that the Cardinals' offense turned the ball over on downs.

Central had just six first downs in the game. The Tigers punted six times.

Vinson completed three passes on nine attempts in the game with two interceptions. Al Young finished with three catches for 42 yards. Jones had 65 yards on 16 carries.

"The struggle was their defensive line," Norman said. "Their linemen, they were just physically better than us. We couldn't get anything going. You couldn't run the ball, which entailed that you couldn't throw the ball because their D-linemen were in our quarterback's face all day. They're just very physical, very good football team."

Webb City (13-1) will head to its fourth consecutive championship game. The Cardinals will face Helias, which defeated Liberty North 26-14 Saturday, at 1 p.m. Friday at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis in a rematch of last year's Class 4 championship game.

Central 0 0 0 0 -- 0

Webb City 22 14 7 3 -- 46

First quarter

WC -- Trey Parra 2-run, (pass) 6:23

WC -- Devin Pickett 35-run (Gooch kick) 3:58

WC -- Kiante Hardin 65-run (Gooch kick) 2:18

2nd quarter

WC -- Tyler Davison 3-run (Gooch kick) 7:35

WC -- Cooper Strasser 8-yard pass from Pickett (Gooch kick) 1:42

3rd quarter

WC -- Parra 5-run (Gooch kick) 7:49

4th quarter

WC -- Gooch 38-yard field goal 8:03