Central falls behind early, can’t recover despite two scores in 51-14 loss to Dougherty

For about four minutes near the end of the first half of their season opener against the 3A Dougherty Trojans, the Central Chargers had more momentum than they’d had in about two years.

After going with an option-heavy run game through most of the opening half and falling behind 19-0, the Chargers got a huge play when receiver Dontavious Wright was left wide open. 

Quarterback Wyquavis Gaither rolled to his left and heaved it downfield, where Wright hauled it in for a 57-yard score — the Chargers’ first touchdown since September 20 against Southwest last season.

Central’s ensuing kickoff took a friendly bounce and pinned Dougherty deep in its own territory, and the Chargers converted it into a safety to make it 19-8. The small crowd at Thompson Stadium buzzed a just a bit in the summer heat, sensing the gears moving.

Central could not keep the momentum rolling, however, as the Trojans piled on in the second half and rolled to a 51-14 win over the Chargers in Macon Thursday afternoon.

“It’s not how you want the game to go… but we’re encouraged. Our progress is incremental right now, but we are making progress. Every day I see them get a little better,” Central head coach Jarrett Laws said. “When you’re starting something like 14 of 22 positions is either a freshman or a sophomore, you have to embrace that small progress knowing that it should lead to something good at some point.”

The Chargers looked better than they did against the Trojans in last season’s opener, which they lost 44-0. Gaither, one of the sophomores Laws mentioned, stepped up to lead the team and did a good job handling a tricky run game. The team managed 10 first downs despite the lopsided final score. Carlos Griffin, Jayden Sneed and Stephun Bryant also figured into the run game, though there were some bad snaps that set Central back.

“He’s wise beyond his years. I saw him put us on his back at times, he had the long pass… what 14-year-old do you see doing that? He stays engaged for the whole 48 minutes. Our job is to cultivate that a little more and cater to his strengths,” Laws said. “And we have to get the guys to realize that they’re playing with a special kid. That should elevate their game a little bit.”

The Chargers struggled on defense, as Dougherty had a plethora of physical athletes that outmatched them. The Trojans used both David Burgess and Micah Joyner at quarterback to mix things up. Burgess was more of a runner — he rushed for 27 yards on Dougherty’s first play from scrimmage, a trend that continued for most of the afternoon — while Joyner could sling the ball. Two running backs, Morris Hill and Daishon Malone, also regularly gashed Central on the ground.

The size advantage allowed the Trojans to move quickly on offense. Dougherty scored on seven of its nine drives, notching six touchdowns and one field goal. The Trojans were able to pile on scores in the second half on an exhausted Central defense, especially once the Chargers’ offense started going for fourth downs, which gave Dougherty better field position.

“We’re still learning to play four full quarters of physical football and be engaged. We’re young at a lot of positions, and these guys haven’t gotten into fisticuffs like today,” Laws said. 

Things started off methodical on both sides of the ball, as the Chargers took their first possession into the red zone using option run plays but could not finish the drive with points.

Dougherty then marched its way down the field with a handful of chunk plays on the ground from Burgess and Hill. A Central pass interference call also helped them out before the Trojans cashed in with a 12-yard touchdown run from Moore to make it 7-0.

The Chargers looked less comfortable on their second possession, quickly turning it back over to Dougherty. The Trojans stayed efficient scored on their next two possessions — first on a pass from Joyner to receiver Jeryn Smith, then on a slower drive that ended in a short scoring run from Burgess — but missed extra points to make it 19-0.

Central found some life late in the second quarter. After lots of shifty runs and option plays to start the game, Gaither rolled left and heaved a high-arcing pass downfield where Wright was waiting to haul it in and run the rest of the way to paydirt for a 57-yard touchdown strike.

A lucky bounce on the kickoff then pinned Dougherty on its own 2-yard line, which the Chargers turned into a safety on a muffed snap. Central turned the ball back over on its first play of the ensuing drive, though, and the Trojans scored again and made a two-point conversion to make it 27-8 just before halftime.

Things fell apart from the beginning of the second half, as Trojans return man Zeterria Kegler picked up a teammate’s muffed kickoff and returned it 85 yards for a touchdown to begin the third quarter. Now further behind, Laws elected to go for some fourth downs and attempt an onside kick, which ended up giving Dougherty some short field opportunities. Aside from a long run by Jayden Sneed that set up a Gaither sneak for Central’s second touchdown, the final two quarters were all Trojans in the 51-14 loss.