Making history: Central football team advances to first ever state championship game

ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- With the game tied at 7-all in the final minutes of the second quarter, the Central offense was staring at a fourth-and-11 at the St. Charles West 33-yard line.

Without batting an eye, the Tigers did what they'd done all season. They went for it.

Senior quarterback Peyton Montgomery retrieved the snap and heaved the ball toward the end zone, where Al Young leaped above a host of defenders, hauled in the 33-yard touchdown pass and casually tossed the ball back to the referee before exiting the field.

The score gave the Tigers the lead, and they never let go, cruising to a 42-21 victory over the Warriors in a Class 4 semifinal Friday night at St. Charles West High School and propelling Central to its first state championship game in school history.

"Since day one, we've been working for this goal, in the weight room, on the field, during the hot summer. We've just been working," Central senior Jordan Franklin said. "It's real now. We're here."

Clinging to a 14-7 lead at halftime, the Tigers (12-2) found a new burst of energy, forcing four of their five turnovers in the second half.

The Warriors (11-3) fumbled on their first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, and Central took over with a short field.

After an incompletion and five rushes by Braion Owens, the Tigers again were up against a familiar challenge -- a fourth-and-11 -- this time at the St. Charles West 16. Montgomery looked toward the end zone to pass before scrambling to his left and squeezing between defenders for a 16-yard touchdown run. Brennan Redinger, who finished a perfect 6 of 6 on PATs, booted the extra point, and the Tigers pushed their lead to 21-7 with 8:54 to go in the quarter.

"We just couldn't stop Peyton," St. Charles West coach Gary Strauss said. "He just killed us on scrambles."

Montgomery had 11 carries for 100 yards and finished 5 of 11 passing for 114 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Central quarterback Peyton Montgomery works past St. Charles West defensive tackle Brandon Carey during the second quarter in the Class 4 semifinal Friday, Nov. 21, 2014 in St. Charles, Missouri. (Glenn Landberg)

The Tigers gained most of their success behind an offensive line that many believe is the team's most improved unit.

"We've harped on them since the beginning," Central offensive coordinator Tim McGuire said. "We lost five starters from last year. They've taken it and really gelled well as a group, and they've been feeding off each other. They get down there, and they get dirty. They've just been doing what they have to do."

Their efforts were most evident in the Tigers' second-half rushing attack. Owens finished the game with 32 carries and racked up 149 of his 193 rushing yards in the second half alone.

"You can't say enough about our offensive line. We told them it was going to be a physical game," Central coach Nathan Norman said. "The most physical team would win, and St. Charles West did a good job with their defensive game plan. Their kids did a good job of closing down the gaps, but our kids stayed with it. They were physical, and our running backs did a good job of hitting the holes."

Later in the quarter, Young jumped a passing route and returned the interception 18 yards for a touchdown, pushing Central's lead to 28-7, but the Warriors responded on the ensuing kick when Dre Kelly broke free for a 96-yard kickoff return that cut the Tigers' lead to 28-14 with 5:50 remaining in the third quarter.

"I expect nothing less out of these guys. These seniors just refuse to quit," Strauss said. "... Tonight we just never really could get our footing. A lot of it had to do with [Central]."

The Tigers marched deep into scoring territory on their next possession, but Owens coughed up the ball for the first time all season, giving the Warriors possession at their own 5.

Two long runs set up St. Charles West at its own 41, but on first-and-10, DeAndre Banks busted through the offensive line and sacked St. Charles West quarterback Brenden Jett for a 7-yard loss. On fourth-and-4, an incompletion turned the ball over on downs.

"It's huge because your mind thinks they're going to get their plays. They're going to get touchdowns. We've just got to come back harder, but it's defense that's been shutting teams down all year. We made it happen," Banks said.

In the fourth quarter, Owens found redemption for his rare mishap.

Central's ensuing drive took only four plays, and Owens capped it off by running up the middle, bouncing off several defenders and spinning his way into the end zone on a 14-yard run. The touchdown gave the Tigers a commanding 35-14 lead with 10:18 left in the game.

Central fans cheer from the stands during the Class 4 semifinal Friday, Nov. 21, 2014 in St. Charles, Missouri. (Glenn Landberg)

"I'm on them hard when they turn the ball over. There's not a whole lot you can do. You can preach it all you want, as far as protecting the ball, but he bounced back," Norman said about Owens. "He knew we had confidence in him. He knew he was our man. He was going to have to carry the ball, and he did. That shows toughness."

St. Charles West never surrendered as Drew Lauer capped off the ensuing 51-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run, cutting Central's lead to 35-21 with 8:28 to go in the game.

On the next possession, Montgomery converted a fourth down by bluffing on a punt and pushing up the middle for a 5-yard run. The play all but sealed the Tigers' victory as Owens concluded the drive three plays later with a 40-yard touchdown run to give Central a 42-21 advantage with 4:27 left in the game.

"Coach told us if we wanted it, we had to go get it," Central defensive end LaMarcus Johnson said. "... He's just been telling us for 14 weeks now, we've got to go get it. Stay humble, stay hungry. We just came out strong in the second half, by the grace of God."

The Tigers began the game with a hopeful drive but turned the ball over on a bad snap at the Warriors' 24.

Central's defense forced a three-and-out, and Young gave the offense good field position with a 28-yard punt return to the St. Charles West 46. The Tigers' seven-play scoring drive was kept alive by a 23-yard screen pass to Young on fourth down before Owens ended the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run at the 4:25 mark of the quarter.

Central's Al Young carries in the first quarter of the Class 4 semifinal against St. Charles West Friday, Nov. 21, 2014 in St. Charles, Missouri. (Glenn Landberg)

Young finished with two receptions for 56 yards, while senior Josh Jones added 33 rushing yards on eight carries.

St. Charles West tied the game at 7-7 with a 12-play, 66-yard drive that was concluded by a 5-yard touchdown run by Blake Rugraff with 10:48 remaining in the first half.

Rugraff finished with seven carries for 54 yards, while Kelly led the Warriors with 57 yards on six carries. Central was able to limit St. Charles West's team-leading rusher in Lauer, who finished with 13 carries for 51 yards.

"They were physical up front, which is tough. We weren't able to get much push," Strauss said. "We started getting some success going wide, but at some point, we've got to get stuff up the middle. I think they had a good game plan. They crammed the line of scrimmage and dared us to throw it."

The loss ended an 11-game winning streak for the Warriors, whose last defeat came against Central in a 41-21 decision on Aug. 29 at Tiger Stadium.

The Tigers advanced to the Class 4 championship game, which will take place at 11 a.m. next Saturday at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. They'll take on four-time defending state champion Webb City, which defeated Kearney 38-7 in Saturday's semifinal.

"I tell them every week, 'Let's try to get better at Cape Central football.' We've got to get better at the little things, play with great effort and play with a great attitude. If we do that, give our all and give our best, we'll see what happens," Norman said. "I told them after the game that we were going to play for the state championship, but we're also going to win it. That's how we're going to approach it."

Central 7 7 14 14 -- 42

St. Charles West 0 7 7 7 -- 21

First Quarter

C -- Braion Owens 2 run (Brennan Redinger kick), 4:25

Second Quarter

SCW -- Blake Rugraff 5 run (Logan Gonce kick), 10:48

C -- Al Young 33 pass from Peyton Montgomery (Redinger kick), 1:58

Third Quarter

C -- Montgomery 16 run (Redinger kick), 8:54

C -- Young 18 interception return (Redinger kick), 6:02

SCW -- Dre Kelly 96 kickoff return (Gonce kick), 5:50

Fourth Quarter

C -- Owens 14 run (Redinger kick), 10:18

SCW -- Drew Lauer 3 run (Gonce kick), 8:28

C -- Owens 40 run (Redinger kick), 4:27

C SCW

First downs 18 8

Rushes-yards 58-334 33-155

Passing yards 63 47

Passes 3-9-1 4-10-2

Punts-average 0-0 2-39

Fumbles-lost 3-2 4-3

Penalties-yards 4-35 6-43

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING -- Central, Owens 32-193, Montgomery 11-100, Josh Jones 8-33, Al Young 6-10, Team 1-(-2); St. Charles West, Kelly 6-57, Rugraff 7-54, Lauer 13-51, Manny DeArmas 2-7, Brenden Jett 5-(-14).

PASSING -- Central, Montgomery 5-11-114-1; St. Charles West, 4-10-47-2.

RECEIVING -- Central, Young 2-56, Jalen Reddin 1-39, Kway'chon Chisom 1-12, Andre Statam 1-7; St. Charles West, Lauer 1-23, Rugraff 2-13, Drew Holtgrieve 1-11.