2 weeks Ago
Central High head coach David Simoneaux, left, chats with a referee before the rivalry football game vs Denham Springs Friday in Central. Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save A sharp offensive night gave Central a 42-16 win Friday at home over nondistrict foe Walker. Wide receiver Kylen Thomas set District 4-5A Central (3-0) up for a touchdown on its second drive of the second half, burying Walker underneath a three-score third-quarter lead.
The Walker offense flashed its explosiveness in the first half, but couldn’t string enough scoring drives together to keep pace. On that key scoring drive, Central quarterback Jackson Firmin, a Nicholls State commitment, connected with Thomas for a catch and run of 74 yards. First, Thomas secured a contested grab in double coverage.
He then raced to the Walker 13-yard line, setting up his own touchdown reception, which he caught in the corner of the end zone two plays later. “We’ve been so inconsistent offensively,” Central coach David Simoneaux Jr. said.
“For us to finally find a multitude of things that worked was really good.” In the first half, Central scored touchdowns on four of its first six drives, but Walker’s defense forced a safety and intercepted a Firmin pass near the goal line at the end of the second quarter. Those plays gave the Walker offense, which punted on five drives in the first half, a shot to climb back into the game in the second half.
Central led by just two scores at halftime, even though its offense was nearly twice as efficient as Walker’s across the first and second quarters. Then, Central punted on its first drive of the third quarter and muffed a punt deep inside its own territory a few plays later. That muff gave Walker an opportunity to cut into its lead.
But Walker (2-1) of District 5-5A missed the chance on its ensuing series. On a third and 2 from, Central senior defensive lineman DK Mays, a Houston commitment, stopped Walker running back Cayden Jones behind the line of scrimmage for a two-yard loss. The Central defense sent pressure on fourth down, forcing Walker quarterback Troy Sylve to fire a pass out of bounds and incomplete.
“Just not nearly enough consistency,” Walker coach Chad Mahaffey said. “We had one really nice drive. Another one was a big play.
We had some opportunities in the red zone, didn’t capitalize on that. To beat good people, you got to capitalize on those things.” After Thomas’ touchdown, Central completed an eight-play scoring drive.
Thomas started it by picking up a first down on a quick screen pass. Sophomore Marvin Joseph capped it by following a block, bouncing outside and running in a 7-yard touchdown, which sealed the win for Central. Unofficially, Firmin completed 13 of 21 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns.
Central’s leading rusher — sophomore Otis Granville — scored two touchdowns, one on 5-yard dash up the middle and another on a 12-yard scamper outside to the front pylon. Firmin and Thomas, two of three players who sat Central’s season opener after they were involved in a car accident, connected five times for 109 yards and a score. The third player injured in the collision, senior running back Manny Williams, sat for a third straight game.
“For them to be playing great football right now is really awesome,” Simoneaux said. “And I think the continuity piece, of really knowing that those guys are back and getting some reps, showed tonight.”.
