WOODSTOCK – Central did exactly what it wanted to do on Friday night.
The Falcons started their season off with a 28-12 win over Stuarts Draft in non-district action and looked solid on both sides of the ball in the season opener for both teams.
“I think we played pretty darn hard,” Central head football coach Rowdy Hoover said. “I think we did a lot of good things. When we messed up, it showed up big – fumble for a touchdown. Blown a coverage for a large wide-open play. We gave up a few things like that. We have to clean up some stuff. Teams are going to make some plays. We’ve got to minimize the impact plays, the big plays and get better at that – and we will. It’s the first game of the season, you’re going to make mistakes.”
Things did not start off the best for the Falcons as Stuarts Draft took an early lead. The Cougars marched 65 yards on 10 plays – all on the ground. Stuarts Draft’s Zakarre Hymes-Williams capped the drive off with an 11-yard touchdown run to put the Cougars up 6-0 with 6:28 left in the opening quarter.
The Falcons came right back. On second-and-1 from the Central 48, Central junior Chris Brown took the handoff and was able to get to the outside where he saw green grass and went down the left sidelines 52 yards to give the Falcons a 7-6 lead with 5:28 left in the first quarter.
“I just felt it. I was just so excited to run the ball,” Brown said. “I just had good blocks, great blocks down the field. And I just cut up and got out there. When I got outside, I was just racing into the end zone.”
Hoover said being able to respond so quickly was big for his team.
“I think it was great for our confidence with everybody out there on the field,” Hoover said. “I think it was great just being able to know we have that ability to punch back and do those things and not be stalemate.”
Stuarts Draft took the lead in the second quarter on a Central turnover. Stuarts Draft’s Barndon Pritchett recovered a Central fumble at the Falcons 1 and took it in for the score to put the Cougars up 12-7 with 7:33 left in the first half.
Central retook the lead for good late in the opening half. The Falcons went 83 yards on nine plays. The big play of the drive was a 49-yard pass from Central senior quarterback Noah Moss to senior Sean Stead.
Brown capped off the drive with a 14-yard touchdown run to put the Falcons up 13-12 with 2:34 left in the first half.
Central added to the lead on the first drive of the second half. The Falcons went 65 yards on nine plays. Central senior Vince Charity started the drive with a 35-yard run.
Brown once again finished the drive off with a 3-yard run for his third rushing touchdown – a career-high – for a 21-12 lead with 8:12 left in the third quarter. The Falcons were facing a fourth-and-goal on the play.
“It was a good push up front,” Brown said. “And I just found a hole and I fell through. …It feels great (to have three touchdowns). I wanted more but I feel like we started to get a little bit tired.”
Central extended the lead in the fourth quarter on another long pass. Moss connected with Charity for an 82-yard touchdown pass with 6:54 left in the game.
The Falcons had 343 yards of offense in their new Gun-T offense, which is like a hybrid of a wing-T and a spread offense. Moss went 7-for-10 passing for 151 yards. Charity had three receptions for 95 yards. Brown had 20 carries for 130 rushing yards.
“I think they did well,” Hoover said. “I also think they’re making correctable mistakes, and we’ve got to get it corrected and big things will happen.”
Brown said he is also enjoying the new offense.
“I love the new offense,” Brown said. “It’s great. …If every week we just keep getting better. I feel like we’re going to be a great team at the end of the year.”
Central held Stuarts Draft to 283 yards of offense, including only 122 rushing yards on 36 carries.
“I think we got out of place, they had one long run on the back sideline and we were out of place,” Hoover said of his defense. “That was on us. They did a good job of mixing up their formation, and we just got caught in the wrong set. We’ve got to get a little bit better pushing up front, but otherwise, I’m proud of the guys. They fought hard.”
Stuarts Draft had opportunities throughout the game. The Cougars turned the ball over three times, missed a field goal and had 12 penalties for 80 yards. Stuarts Draft quarterback Derrick Moore threw for 161 yards, and running back Baylor Graber ran for 75 yards on 12 carries.
The Cougars (0-1) host Luray next week.
“We shot ourselves in the foot too many times,” Stuarts Draft head football coach Nathan Floyd said. “When you do that against a high-quality team, it’s going to be tough to win. So, we’re going to put these men in position to correct them in practice, and we’ll see if we can overcome those things next Friday.”
The Falcons (1-0) host East Rockingham next week.
Hoover said it’s always good to get a victory in the season opener and they were able to find out a lot about their players.
“I think one of the big things we found out is that we’ve got a few guys that can substitute for us and give us a good play,” Hoover said. “We’re getting a little bit more depth and that’s something we’ve been working on. So I’m proud of that.”