Rebels put physical pounding on Windsor

By MATT KING
Daily Journal Sports Writer

PARK HILLS — The Central football team scored 33 unanswered points on three touchdown runs by standout rusher Tony Martin and two more from fullback Tyler Friend, and cruised to a 43-22 home victory over Windsor on Friday night.

The Rebels (2-1) consistently controlled the line of scrimmage behind the physical dominance of their linemen, as Martin racked up 136 yards on 17 carries, and Friend ran nine times for 65 yards.

Senior quarterback C.J. Bland finished 9-of-15 passing for 135 yards, completing four throws to Martin. Central also enjoyed superior field position by forcing four turnovers on defense, while Ryan Calvird booted three punts of 40-plus yards.

Central quickly grabbed the lead on a nine-play opening possession, as Martin followed a 33-yard reception with a short scoring run. Martin returned an interception deep into Owls territory, and capitalized with an 11-yard run that continued the Rebels’ excellent start.

Friend exploded through a gaping hole for a 49-yard gain late in the opening quarter, then plunged across the goal line on the ensuing play to make it 20-0. That score held until halftime as two Windsor drives stalled with a Calvird fumble recovery and a Tanner Skaggs interception.

A special teams mistake by the Owls allowed Rebels senior Steven Wells to recover a short kickoff to begin the second half. Friend barreled ahead for a 3-yard touchdown five plays later.

Martin put the contest out of reach with a 3-yard scoring run of his own, making it 33-0 with 5:30 left in the third quarter.

Windsor ended the shutout bid with an 8-yard run from Tyler Hearst after Central fumbled inside its own 15. Hearst added a second touchdown from six yards out during the final minute of action, and capped the scoring with a two-point conversion run.

Quarterback Robert Ilijasevic was forced to throw often with his team trailing throughout the contest. He attempted 44 passes overall, connecting nine times each with receivers Shaun Gendron and Tim Waltenberger.

Ilijasevic found Kyle Cotter in stride down the left sideline for an 80-yard strike with 7:44 remaining, bringing the Owls to within 33-14.

Taylor Gray answered for Central with a 31-yard field goal, and Brian Jones added a 25-yard touchdown scamper with 1:25 left.

Sophomore linebacker Jaron Bridges made seven tackles to match Martin for the Central team high. Brandon Campbell had an interception and Zach Stochl made three tackles for loss to lead the Windsor defense.

The Rebels will begin conference action next week at Perryville.

Windsor   0   0   7  15 - 22 

Central  20   0  13  10 - 43

First Quarter:

CEN (6-0) - Martin 1-yd run (Kick missed), 8:19

CEN (13-0) - Martin 11-yd run (Gray kick), 3:41

CEN (20-0) - Friend 1-yd run (Gray kick), 0:49

Second Quarter:

No Scoring

Third Quarter:

CEN (27-0) - Friend 3-yd run (Gray kick), 9:40

CEN (33-0) - Martin 3-yd run (Kick missed), 5:30

WIND (33-7) - Hearst 8-yd run (Ilijasevic Kick), 3:07

Fourth Quarter:

WIND (33-14) - Cotter 80-yard pass from Ilijasevic (Ilijasevic kick), 7:44

CEN (36-14) - Gray 31-yd FG, 2:35

CEN (43-14) - Jones 25-yd run (Gray kick), 1:25

WIND (43-22) - Hearst 6-yd run (Hearst 2-point run), 0:30