It was a battle of the big cats Friday night at Joe T. Herndon Stadium, but the hosting Central High School Tigers came up five short, falling to the Wayne County Wildcats 18-13.
Both teams moved the ball offensively in the first quarter, but neither managed to get in the end zone, leaving the scoreboard blank going into the second.
The Wildcats made their first mark in the second quarter after Central fumbled the ball away at Wayne County’s 40-yard line. Wildcat quarterback Cade Crews snuck in for the touchdown with 1:30 left in the first half. The Tigers stopped the two-point conversion, but they were down 6-0 at halftime.
Central evened it up early in the third quarter with a 57-yard scoring run by Caleb Haskins, but the PAT kick was no good, locking the score at 6-6.
Wayne County retook the lead later in the third when Damian Dickey blocked and recovered a Tiger punt attempt for a touchdown. The conversion failed, but the Wildcats were up 12-6 going into the final frame.
The Tigers turned the tables again in the fourth, driving across the field and capping it off with a quarterback sneak by Thomas Crews. Malik Mathes missed the initial extra point kick, but he was given a second chance due to a penalty on Wayne County. This time he put it between the posts, and the Tigers were up by one, 13-12.
But that lead did not hold as the Wildcats drove the field and scored on a 10-yard carry by Hunter Staggs. The conversion attempt failed, but the Tigers were facing a five-point deficit late in the game.
With one more chance and little time to turn it around, the Tigers drove forward to midfield but were finally stopped on a failed hook-and-ladder attempt on a fourth down. The Wildcats then killed the clock and claimed the win by taking a knee.
Now 2-3 for the season and 1-2 in regional competition, the Tigers travel to Perry County for a region bout Friday night starting at 7 p.m.
