Centralia taking path to next round after 24-18 OT win vs rival Hallsville

The path was clear for Centralia quarterback Cullen Bennett late in his team’s district game on Friday night.

Centralia vs Hallsville District Football Photo Gallery

Bennett scrambled before finding space and diving into the end zone for the game-winning nine-yard touchdown in overtime of the Panthers’ 24-18 victory against rival Hallsville in the Class 3 District 4 tournament game in Centralia. The victory sets up a state-ranked battle at 7 p.m. next Friday at Moberly (8-2), but Centralia had to first defeat the team that eliminated them in each of the past two seasons.

Every game against nearby Hallsville (4-6) is always significant to Centralia (9-1), but the timing and fashion of the win makes this meeting with the Indians stand out to Bennett even more.

“That’s probably the most memorable game and best memory from football I’ve had yet,” Bennett said.

The Panthers were tied at 6 for a while before Hallsville quickly took an 18-6 lead in the fourth quarter thanks to a few big plays. Centralia running back Jesse Caballero finished with three rushing touchdowns and 111 yards on 15 carries, including a two-yard score and a 43-yard run to tie the game at 18.

The extra point was no good and that eventually meant overtime football at Miller Field. Both teams started from 25 yards out from the end zone, due to the overtime period rules. Bennett completed some passes, finishing with 163 yards spread amongst seven different receivers on 16-for-24 passing, and then found the end zone on a play that took some time to develop.

“We called a halfback screen, and it wasn’t there,” Bennett said. “I told myself to take off, and green grass from there.

Head coach Tyler Forsee said Centralia didn’t need any reminders of what happened against Hallsville in districts the last two years so his team didn’t need any motivation this season. Hallsville came back in the fourth quarter two years ago to edge Centralia 38-36 before shutting the Panthers down 22-8 at home last year.

Centralia stunned Hallsville this time, however, in the fourth quarter after the Panthers’ offense was slowed in the middle quarters of the game. Mattie Robinson’s 36-yard catch set Caballero’s two-yard score and then Centralia’s offensive line and Caballero persisted to tie Hallsville about as quickly as the Indians jumped ahead.

“Our motto is ‘anybody but them,’” Forsee said. “Our motto is also ‘for the program’ and that’s a big one getting over that hump for the program. We just needed a spark. We did a good job of staying patient offensively and not forcing a bunch of things.”

“It was time to return the favor to them,” Bennett said. “They’ve sent us home the past few seasons so it was good for us to get back on them.”

Caballero posted his second game of at least 100 rushing yards and multiple touchdowns against Hallsville this season, and Forsee said he was primarily the spark Centralia needed to put some punch back in the offense. Rex Bryson also stood out to Forsee on both sides of the ball, leading the team with 12 tackles and catching four passes for 48 yards.

“He’s a spark,” Forsee said. “He is a fun kid and loves to compete. That’s something our kids love to do like Rex Bryson, you don’t always see it on the stat sheets, but if you watch him when he has the ball, he’s not all that fast. He’s not all that big, but they don’t make them any tougher. That kid also just loves to compete, and that’s as contagious as a positive attitude.

The Panthers didn’t feel down even after fall behind late and surrendering several plays of at least 20 yards. Colton Nichols was a problem all night in the backfield and at receiver, scoring a rushing touchdown and gaining 40 yards on a catch and run that set up a touchdown. The other Indian touchdown followed a 33-yard reception down the left sideline into the red zone by Zach Jouret.

Despite these plays, Hallsville didn’t have more offensive yards than Centralia, amassing 246 total yards compared to the Panthers’ 321 yards. Centralia had three sacks and six tackles for loss, Ian Tuggle picking up two of each. Emery Mast had to tackles for loss along with nine tackles, which was second only to Bryson’s total.

“They were starting to get a little predictable on what they were doing, having success running away from (Xavier Stinson),” Forsee said. “They put him at tackle and then they’d run away from him to a heavier side. It was hard to communicate that from the sideline to our players. That overtime, we were able to make a little adjustment there in the little time that we had.”

Centralia batted away a couple of passes in the overtime period after immediately walling off Hallsville’s run for a loss. After the final ball was knocked to the ground, the Panthers embraced each other after the signature win for the program. Players hugged each other, coaches hugged other coaches and coaches hugged players.

Forsee wrapped his arms around his quarterback Bennett after the victory, showing the affection he has for all of his players this season. In his 17 years of coaching, Forsee said he hasn’t had a better group than this year’s Panthers and hopes to continue walking down the path for this season.

“This is the best group of players I have ever coached, and I don’t mean football players, I mean just human beings,” Forsee said. “They are so enjoyable to be around. I’ve had a lot of good teams, I’ve had a lot of good players, and I’ve had a lot of good people, but as a whole, this group is phenomenal. I don’t have to motivate them. I can just go out and coach. I don’t have to talk them about being a better person, doing the right things or being a good teammate. I have a bunch of unselfish kids that goof around, have fun, work hard and get it done. I’m happy for them because I get spend another week for them.”

Centralia boys win program first district cross country title, girls qualify pair for state

Last season, the Centralia girls made school history by winning the first state cross country trophy.

District Cross Country Photo Gallery

This year, the Centralia boys have been winning meet after meet, culminating in the school’s first ever district cross country title on Saturday in the Class 3 District 3 meet at South Callaway in Mokane. The program has seen a district plaque before like when the Lady Panthers took second last season but hadn’t seen a district title, which will send the Panthers’ full team to the Class 3 state meet this year that starts at 9 a.m. Saturday.

Rohan Holiman led the way as he has done this season, finishing fifth with a time of 17:09, Carter Moss followed in eighth with a 17:26, Dryst Bostick in ninth with a 17:27, and Eli Hill in 18th with a 18:02 to round out the team’s all district medalists as the top 30 out of the 136 runners in the boys 5,000 meters received honors. On the girls side, Kenedee Moss and Shelby Lewis are each going back to state after finishing 14th and 27th, respectively, with times of 20:54 and 21:30.

“Looking at the district, I was pretty worried,” head coach Jason Watermann said. “I was thinking, ‘Gosh, I want to make sure our team gets through.’ But we’ve done that and I want to make sure and try to get a team plaque.”

Centralia held off Priory with 78 points compared to the runner-up’s 92 points. Watermann said the boys had to adjust after losing top runner JR Lesher following his move to the state of California with his family. Several Panthers have done plenty to improve on their previous best district finish of third last season that sent their full team for the first time in program history.

“We built on from last year losing one of our runners, but the whole team stepped up for that one loss and really did a good job all year,” Watermann said.

The six-race slate covering Classes 1, 2 and 3 schools began in the morning with the Class 3 boys race, which had to be restarted, Watermann said, because of a tight turn in the first 100 meters of South Callaway’s course that “narrowed real quick.” Centralia’s team had a good start but had to refocus and put added effort into another start.

Watermann said the Panthers did well with that and also the uneven course that snaked around the South Callaway R-II School District campus. He said he believes the repeating hills affected everybody, including favorite and eventual winner Ben Chance, of Bowling Green, since Watermann remembers him running faster times.

“Rolling hills throughout and tight turns so you have to be pretty aggressive running this course,” Watermann said. “You’re not going to have a smooth run. It’s going to be a lot of start-and-go.”

For the girls, Chezney Baker and Rylee Palmer finished 52nd and 54th out of 118 runners, but Watermann felt they gave a good effort. It isn’t a surprise Moss and Lewis led the Lady Panthers this year after finishing in the top 30 at state last year. Moss, in particular, had caught Watermann’s attention.

“The last three or four races, (Moss) has run like a beast,” Watermann said. 

The goal at state to have Centralia have a boy and girl medal at the same state meet because Watermann remembers it only happening once before.