By Don Abernathy (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Central High School’s depth and athleticism was on full display Saturday night at Clever, as the Bulldogs exploded for four scoring plays over 40 yards and ran away with a 34-6 victory in the season opener for both teams.
“We know what we can do,” Central coach Shem Johnson said. “We have big-play guys and you saw it tonight, but I wouldn’t categorize us that way.
“We are a solid football team all the way through and we don’t just rely on a couple of guys. That is our strength: Running back by committee.”
Central used four different backs and scored on running plays of 40 and 61 yards, then on an 86-yard kickoff return, before a 69-yard touchdown pass capped the scoring with just over three minutes left in the game.
Bulldogs sophomore Donovan Martin scored on a 40-yard touchdown run on the game’s opening drive, taking the handoff up the middle and breaking tackles along the way for a 7-0 lead just 2:45 into the first quarter.
“We came out ready and we were explosive,” Central senior tailback Devin Adams said. “Our team had a different energy early in the game, but I felt like we were just in the zone today.”
The Bulldogs took a 13-0 lead when Martin connected with senior Jalen Ndongi for an 11-yard touchdown pass with 6:49 left in the first quarter.
It wasn’t long after Central’s second touchdown that injuries for Clever began to add up. The Bluejays lost their starting quarterback and safety to injuries, and their middle linebacker missed a large portion of the first half.
“I think tonight we learned that our kids can handle adversity,” Clever coach Willie Howard said.
“We were down three starters almost immediately. It was a matter of how do we react and how do we respond? I thought the kids did a good job. I feel like they fought to the end and never gave up.”
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Clever stopped Central and forced a punt deep in Bulldogs territory in the waning moments of the first half and took possession at the Central 18-yard line with 12.6 left before halftime.
A defensive pass interference penalty gave Clever the ball at the Central 3-yard line, but junior Xavier Robinson was stopped just short of the goal line as the first-half clock expired.
“In my terminology, we just spun our tires,” Howard said. “We hammered the gas and spun out a whole bunch there at the beginning.
“Then we kind of gained traction, but lost it again coming out after halftime. That’s one of those things we have to improve upon and we will get better at as the season goes on.”
On Central’s first possession of the second half, Adams scored on a 61-yard run off left tackle to give the Bulldogs a 20-0 lead midway through the third quarter.
“I feel like we need to keep our intensity up and play as a team more, and if we do that, then I don’t think teams will be able to stop us,” Adams said.
Clever’s only score came in the fourth quarter when backup quarterback Brayden Baker found Robinson for a 5-yard touchdown pass, cutting the lead to 20-6 with 8:07 left in the game.
On the ensuing kickoff, Ndongi ran it back 84 yards for a 27-6 lead as Central pulled away late.
“I was extremely proud of Brayden Baker for stepping in and playing quarterback,” Howard said.
“The effort that Brennon West and Xavier Robinson gave us at receiver toward the end kept drives going for us, and Quintin Lemmer came in and really sparked our offense.
“I’m proud of all our guys.”
Adams led Central with 119 yards rushing on 17 carries and a touchdown. Martin was 3-for-5 passing with 86 yards and two touchdowns.
Baker was 10-for-20 passing and had a game-high 108 yards and a touchdown through the air, while Lemmer totaled 19 rushes for 73 yards in the loss.
