By Max Goodwin
Center (11-0) sealed its district championship with a long pass down the sideline from senior quarterback Joseph Vick to senior wide receiver Armand Russell who escaped a defender for a touchdown over Nevada (9-2).
In a battle of ground and pound, the deep pass caught everybody unexpected. It also gave Center a 35-7 lead and seemed to solidify that the Yellowjackets were district champions and headed to the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2017.
Nevada would score one more touchdown, making the 35-13 win the closest game Center has played all season. The Yellowjackets have been untouchable in eleven straight wins.
Senior DeAndre Pruett assured that Center had an early lead as he ran for a 75-yard touchdown on the first possession of the game.
Junior running back Jacorey Love ran for two touchdowns. On an important drive late in the first half quarterback Joseph Vick scrambled for two important first down gains before running in a touchdown himself on the drive to give Center a 21-0 lead at half.
Nevada was in a heavy-run set throughout the game with no receivers out wide. The lack of a passing attack made it difficult for Nevada to mount any kind of comeback. The Center defense bent several times but managed not to break on each occasion. Nevada never came closer than 21-7 after the first quarter.
Center now has a matchup at defending Class 4 state champion Smithville for the state quartefinals looming next Saturday.
The only game that Smithville has lost in the last two years was against Kearney earlier this year. In the district championship, Smithville found itself with an opportunity to avenge that one-point loss to Kearney, which they did in a 49-13 thrashing.