Warriors put 42-7 hurt on Tigers

St. Charles West pounded out over 300 yards rushing.

By Jeremy Joffray ~ Southeast Missourian

After watching his team get dominated for the second week in a row, a 42-7 drubbing Friday night at Houck Stadium by St. Charles West, Central football coach Lawrence Brookins pointed to two areas of concern.

"The two things on my mind that bothered me the most were tackling, the lack of it, and the pure physical domination up front," Brookins said.

St. Charles West, a team Central had defeated the previous five meetings, ran all over the Tigers to the tune of 313 yards. Jamie Luckett led the way with 188 yards on 17 carries.

"I'm real disappointed up front," Brookins said. "I'll take a good look at myself, because I coach the line. Most games are dictated by what is done in the trenches."

The Warriors (2-0) went three and out on their first drive, but after getting the ball at their own 46-yard line, the running game found its groove. The drive ended in a 1-yard touchdown run by Erik Hart. St. Charles led 7-0 after one quarter.

"This was the main game. This was the game we wanted and we dominated," Luckett said. "Blocking, it was all blocking."

In the second quarter, St. Charles took advantage of a pair of Central turnovers to score a pair of touchdowns. Luckett was the main threat on the Warriors' first drive, breaking several tackles en route to a 42-yard run which put St. Charles on the Tiger 6. Josh Cole finished off the drive with a 1-yard run.

After the Warriors fumbled for the second time in the quarter, Central gave St. Charles the ball right back. Sophomore quarterback Blake Slattery threw an interception to Nathan Hewitt who took it in for a score from about 30 yards out. St. Charles led 20-0 after the interception.

"Your mistakes are going to happen, but then it just seems they happen at the most inopportune time," Brookins said.

Central's lone bright spot came on a late scoring drive in the second quarter. Slattery completed his first pass for 14 yards to open the drive, which was saved by a roughing the passer call. Another big pass from Slattery, a 27-yard pass to Marcus Rice down the sideline, brought Central to the Warrior 6. After three run plays failed, Slattery hit Scott Brueckner for an 8-yard touchdown pass with 24 seconds remaining.

The second half brought more turnovers for the Tigers, as St. Charles pulled away in the third quarter. Luckett finished off the scoring with a 22-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter.

"It felt real good," Luckett said of his first win over Central. "We feel the vibe. We've got it."

Central's struggles were not limited to the defensive side of the ball. The Tigers finished the game with 15 yards rushing and three lost fumbles. Slattery finished 5-for-15 passing with a touchdown and two interceptions.

"I have faith in what my staff's doing," Brookins said. "The kids are being trained in what they need to be trained. It's time for them to step up."