Central Officially Secures Playoff Berth

Originally Published: Nov 7, 2009 12:24 AM CDT

Curt Hill
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

TULSA, Oklahoma – It’s official, Central is in the playoffs. The Braves secured a spot in the postseason with a 33-3 victory over Stilwell.

The Braves thought they secured a playoff berth with an 18-7 win over Coweta last week. But Stilwell’s win over Edison threw a wrench in their plans, and Central found itself essentially needing a win in Week 10. If the Braves had lost to Stilwell and Ada had beaten McAlester, Central would have found itself on the outside looking in.

The Central defense stepped up to the task once again, holding the Indians to a field goal. It is the fourth time this season that the Braves have held an opponent out of the endzone.

Central got on the board early with two first quarter touchdown runs by Demarco Cobbs. Stilwell responded with a Christian Keller field goal right before the end of the period, making the score 13-3 Braves.

The Indians had two opportunities to cut the lead to single digits in the second quarter, but failed on both occasions. After driving into Central territory midway through the second quarter, Keller attempted his second field goal of the night, but fell well short.

Central took over in its own territory, but Stilwell got the ball right back after recovering a bad handoff between Demarco Cobbs and Deion Fipps. The Indians drove inside the Central 10-yard line and went for it on fourth-and-goal. Kaleb Vann connected with Zachary Bean, who appeared to catch the ball on the goal line. The refs ruled that he was inches short, though, and Central took over.

The Braves attempted to add to their lead with a drive before the end of the half. Long runs by Demarco Cobbs and Kevin Rucker Jr. put Central near midfield with time ticking down. The Braves attempt fell short, though, when Rucker Jr. was sacked on the final play of the half.

Central came out firing in the second half and outscored the Indians 20-0. The 30-point win is the biggest victory for Central since a 40-0 win over Will Rogers in Week 3.

The Braves finish the regular season at 8-2 overall and 4-3 in district play. They will play at Bixby in the first round of the playoffs. Stilwell ends its season at 3-7 overall and 3-4 in district play, one spot out of the playoffs.