Centerville’s Powerful Ground Game Too Much For Garrison In Second Half
BULLARD -- The Garrison Bulldogs hung with unbeaten and state-ranked Centerville for a half, but could not contain a strong Tigers' running game in the second half.
Centerville rushed for 162 of its 338 yards in a pivotal third quarter, leading the Tigers past Garrison, 34-7, Friday night in their Class 2A Division II Region III area playoff at Panther Stadium.
Jamal High led the way for Centerville (11-0) by running for 145 and two touchdowns yards on 20 carries. Ryan Payne added 104 yards and two scores on 14 carries for the Tigers, who move on to face Hughes Springs (11-0) in a regional semifinal next week.
Centerville’s other score came from quarterback Garrett Chase on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter. Tulley Pickens added 10 carries for 86 yards for Centerville.
Garrison, which ended its season at 8-4, was held to just 137 yards of offense and only 14 in the second half.
The Bulldogs trailed Centerville 14-7 at halftime after Garrison junior quarterback Cameron Rodriguez threw a 13-yard scoring pass to Michael Feaster.
But Centerville dominated the second half, ripping Garrison’s front line for huge chunks of yards.
Rodriguez led Garrison offensively, completing 8 of 16 passes for 57 yards. He added 59 yards on 22 carries.