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Smooth sailing: Titans shut down Red Oak for 40-14 victory
BY CHRIS O'DELL, codell@starlocalnews.com
ROYSE CITY -- Things couldn't have gone much smoother for Centennial (12-1) during the early going of Friday night's 40-14 regional semifinals victory against Red Oak (9-4).
The Titans got a quick defensive stop on the Hawks' opening drive before a bad snap on the punt attempt went for a loss of 27 yards, giving the Titans possession at the Red Oak 12-yard line.
Centennial needed just 67 seconds to capitalize on the mistake after junior running back Kamari Burnett punched it in from a yard away for a 7-0 lead at the 8:20 mark of the first quarter.
The quick touchdown became more valuable after both teams struggled offensively soon after, with neither team scoring for the remainder of the opening quarter.
However, a dominant defensive performance from the Titans that featured three consecutive three-and-outs from Red Oak kept the 7-0 lead intact until Burnett was able to score his second touchdown of the night.
The junior running back's second 1-yard score made it a 14-0 Centennial advantage with 6:35 left in the first half.
"Once we got into a rhythm, we started exploiting some things we thought we'd be able to do," Howard said.
Any hope Red Oak had of answering the Burnett touchdown ended when senior quarterback Austin Van Hove had a pass intercepted by senior linebacker Blair Swanner. Swanner returned the Van Hove pass to the Red Oak 45-yard line to give the Titans another shortened field.
Centennial's ground game then continued to punish the Hawks with junior running back Chris Johnson scoring on a 3-yard run for a 20-0 lead.
"[Burnett and Johnson] are two different styles of runners," Howard said. "Chris is a slasher with a little more speed and Kamari is a pounder. There's no jealousy there though. We couldn't ask for a better situation."
The Titans would carry the 20-0 lead into the locker room while the offense was set to receive the ball to begin the second half.
"I didn't expect us to be up 20-0 at the half," Howard said. "But I'm glad we were."
Red Oak used a surprise onside kick to begin the third quarter though and recovered the ball to start a drive at the Centennial 49-yard line.
The Hawks then used a 51-yard drive to get within striking distance, capping the possession on a sneaky 12-yard run from Van Hove that made it a 20-7 game with 9:11 remaining in the third quarter.
"You have to credit them for that onside kick call," Howard said. "It was a good call on the coach's part."
The Hawks looked to add to their momentum after forcing a Centennial punt on the ensuing drive. The Titans held steady on defense though and forced yet another three-and-out for another shortened field after a long return from senior Ranthony Texada.
"When you get this far into the playoffs, it really boils down to who is going to make the fewest mistakes," Howard said.
Starting the drive at Red Oak's 46-yard line, the Titans marched down the field and converted a fourth-and-one attempt before Jordan found the end zone on a 4-yard run. The score gave Centennial a 26-7 lead with just 1:00 remaining in the third quarter.
Jordan ended the night with a game-high 58 yards on 13 carries while completing 19-of-34 passes for another 216 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
"Offensively, we had the mindset to play fast and score as quickly as we could," Howard said.
Finding themselves in a big hole entering the fourth quarter, things soon went from bad to worse for the Hawks.
Van Hove threw the second of three Red Oak interceptions on the team's first drive of the fourth before a fumble ended the Hawks' following drive.
"The kids are starting to gel at the right time," Howard said.
Jordan made Red Oak pay for the second turnover of the quarter by finding junior receiver Kelly Cordova on a 21-yard strike that gave the Titans a 33-7 advantage with 10:10 left in regulation.
The Hawks kept fighting and eventually scored their final touchdown of the game on a 12-yard pass from Van Hove to senior tight end Jeremiah Gaines.
Centennial then used a drive that took 5:33 off the clock and ended in a 1-yard touchdown run from Johnson to put the game away for good. The junior's second score of the night gave Centennial a 40-14 lead and provided the team with its fifth rushing touchdown of the game.
"The pass got us going early on," Howard said. "The run got the offense going later in the game."
Johnson finished with 53 yards on 15 carries while Burnett tallied 54 yards on 16 attempts.
Cordova led all receivers in the game with 10 catches for 106 yards and a touchdown.
While Red Oak's season ends after a 9-4 showing, the Titans will now advance into the regional finals with a Friday contest against Tyler John Tyler.
"It should be a formiddable challenge," Howard said. "I think the kids are up to the challenge."
The two teams will square off at Ennis in a 7:30 p.m. kick off.
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