Central Beats Catholic, Hosts St. Amant

CENTRAL — Central had an important, come-from-behind 34-19 victory over traditional rival Catholic High last Friday night at Memorial Stadium.

The Wildcats return home at 7 p.m. this Friday for a game against St. Amant at Wildcat Stadium.

Central coach Doug Dotson said the win over Catholic definitely provided a “shot in the arm” for the Wildcats.  “It’s always good to beat Catholic High,” he said.  “It was a tale of two halves.  We didn’t perform in the first half, but we challenged the team at halftime, and they responded.”

Central was fortunate to end the first half behind Catholic only 12-7.  It could have been much worse.

Probably the most important play of the game was an interception by Central’s Dalton Holdman late in the 2nd half.  Catholic was ahead 12-0 and poised to score again.  That would have put the Wildcats down by three TD’s.  Instead, Holdman’s pick turned the momentum around and Central marched down the field to score right before the half, leaving it 12-7.  Unfortunately, Holdman suffered a season-ending ACL injury later in the game.  He will have surgery on Monday, and Coach Dotson asked that everyone pray for the talented sophomore linebacker.

Zach Evans, who has been recovering from injuries himself, had a good game against Catholic, rushing for 104 yards on 22 carries.

Junior quarterback Brett Courville was steady — as usual.  He completed 10 of 16 passes for 216 yards and three TD’s. These included TD’s of 21 and 57 yards to sophomore Gary Triplet and 67 yards to junior Devon Gales.

Dotson said the team is really beginning to benefit from senior RB Zach Evans’ return.  “He has a lot of ability.  He runs hard and made some great cuts in the game.”

Coach Dotson couldn’t say enough about Triplet.  “Every game he grows.  He’s a real threat.  He sparks the offense.  I’m definitely glad he’s on our side!” he laughed.

In addition to Evans, Triplet, Gales, and Courville, Dotson cited Jake Myer and the offensive line.

“Anytime you rush over 100 yards, the OL is doing a job,” he said.  “They also gave Brett good protection.”

The defense was outstanding, Dotson said.  “Brodie Browning had a party out there!” he said.  Browning, a DE, ran wild against the Bears, at one point picking up a Catholic fumble and running it to the five-yard line.  It was all recorded on Cox’s Game of the Week.

In addition to the loss of Holdman, Lamonte Janeau is nursing a sprain, although it is not expected to keep him out of action Friday.

Central, now 2-2, will host the St. Amant Gators (3-1) Friday night.

“St. Amant is a very good football team,” Dotson said.  “It’s certainly not going to be easy.  Our biggest challenge is the fact that we are such a young team.  Coaches have a saying: You will lose one game for every sophomore you start.  We’ve been starting five on offense.  But they are really coming on.  After the first four games, they are more like veterans.  A lot more maturity and experience than before the jamboree.”

Coach Dotson reminded fans that Friday is Senior Night.  Fans should come early to enjoy the ceremonies before game time.

Coach Dotson said, “We really appreciate the support of the Wildcat fans and this entire community for all they do for this team.”

He said fans should wear Maroon this Friday against St. Amant.