The Wildcat Rumble 2020 – R/L Game Of The Week The Tale of Two Wildcats Central vs Walker
Walker (1-5, 0-3 in District 4-5A) vs Central (5-1, 2-1) 7:00 PM at Walker High School
Central dominated the second half as it rallied for a 35-28 win over Walker, led by the relentless rushing attack from Senior running back Pierce Patterson (leading rusher – 23 Carries 139 Yards 1 TD) and Junior quarterback Jonathan Swift (7/13 94 Yards Passing, 15 Carries 114 Yards 2 TD’s). Central’s offense racked up a total of 295 Rushing and 94 Passing Yards for the game. They also minimized the mistakes by not being penalized but once and that wasn’t until the final 5 minutes of the game.
Jonathan Swift, junior quarterback for Central, was on point with key passes throughout the game to add to the relentless rushing attack to keep Walker off balance defensively most the night.
Walker’s quarterback rotation and long ball passes from junior quarterback Hunter Bethel (13-19 241 1 TD Passing) kept Central’s defense on their toes in the first half. Bethel is a two sport athlete for Walker. He is also the starting centerfielder on Walker’s baseball team.
Walker (1-5, 0-3 in District 4-5A) led 21-17 at halftime but struggled offensively in the second half. Central scored three times in the second half to go ahead of Walker and extended their lead to 28-21. Contributing to the offensive production for Central was the defensive adjustments made by the Central at halftime that led them to holding Walker to only three first down in the second half.
“We had a great first half. I felt like if we could have scored in the third quarter we would have a better chance at the end. That’s a really good defense (speaking of Central’s defense).” stated Head Coach Chad Mahaffey
“Tonight was a game about our offense. Zach Morris had a great game plan. Defensively, Walker had us on our heels in the first half. Thomas is rare air, every time he touches the ball you hold your breath.” stated Central Head Coach Sid Edwards
Top Players for Walker:
Junior Quarterback Hunter Bethel 13 for 19 with 241 Yards passing and 1 TD
Senior WR Brian Thomas had five receptions for 88 yards (including a 11 yd TD, and a desinged reverse play that netted a 24 yard run)
Newcomers to watch for Walker Wildcats:
2023 WR Warren Young – two sport athlete, long lean receiver, with good stride and speed
2023 WR Ja’Cory Thomas (6’3″ 180)
Top Players for Central:
Central’s Defensive and Offensive Linemen
Junior quarterback Jonathan Swift 7/13 94 Yards Passing, 15 Carries 114 Yards 2 TD’s
Senior running back Pierce Patterson 23 Carries 139 Yards 1 TD
Play By Play And Scoring:
Pass intercepted by Central, almost taken for a Pic6 set the first offensive series up at the 30 yard line. #5 Patterson in for the touchdown and Central is on the board first. Extra Pt Good 7-0 5:37 to play in 1st Qtr.
Walker runs the reverse and hands off to Brian Thomas, he is around the corner and off to the end zone for a Walker Wildcat touchdown. 24 Yards and we are tied up at Walker High School 7-7
Junior QB Jonathan Swift with a big time pass over the middle to Rankins and he is up field for a 17 yard gain and a “Wildcat” first down. Central Wildcats….Ball on the 47
Another outstanding pass from Swift to Rankins, Rankins snagging it out of the air and the Central Wildcats are down to the 20. A gain of 30 yards. Central is inside the red zone and knocking on the door as the first quarter ends.
Central inside the 13, hand off to Brown who barrels his way down to the 2 yard line, strong run by Brown, Swift finishes the series with a quarterback keep and takes the ball into the end zone from the 2 – Central Wildcat’s 14-7 (Extra Pt Good) 10:08 Left in the half
Walker’s Bethel to Williams, Williams fighting for YAC. 1st and 10 at the 31. Next play, Bethel to Sophomore WR Warren Young. Young streaks down the sideline. Bethel finishes with a 5 yd TD tying up the game 14 all.
Big Defensive Stance by Walker: Central goes for it on 4th down and Swift keeps and barrels his way through the line. Walker defense holds and forces the turnover on down.
First play from scrimmage for Walker – Bethel to Brian Thomas – 55 Yards plus 10 YAC – First down Walker at the 15.
Big Defensive Play by Central: Walker at the 15 fumbles and Central with the recovery. Patterson with the rip for the Wildcats (Central)
Swift to Hillard and big 1st down to the 22. Swift hand off to Pierce Patterson and down hill running all the way to pick up 23 yards for a Central Wildcat first down. Walker defense forces Central to punt on downs.
Bethel’s pass to 2023 WR Ja’Cory Thomas (6’3″ 180) for a big play. Walker down to the 49. Another big time pass by Bethel to 2023 WR Ja’Cory Thomas – this one for 31 yards and Walker is looking to score before the end of the half. Bethel to Brian Thomas in the back corner of the end zone as he is in mid air and the officials have a brief conference and say Touchdown.
At The Half: Central 14 Walker 21
Central gets the ball to start the second half. Patterson continues to run hard and eat up yards adding 15 more yards to his total with just straight down hill running. He was Central’s workhorse and was just finding the open lanes and moving the ball down the field
Junior QB Jonathan Swift calls his own number and he rolls and twist to get into the end zone for a Central Wildcat Touchdown. Tie ball game at 21 8:01 left in 3rd QTR
Another outstanding defensive series for Central as their defense turned it up a notch: 3rd and 7 for Walker, Bethel rolls out and throws downfield but Central gets a hand on it and breaks up the pass. Central forces Walker to punt on 4th down.
Central takes the ball from the 4, Hillard on the jet sweep moves the ball over the 50 and into Walker territory to the 42, Patterson on the next play eats up 8 more yards.
Walker Defense continues to fight: After the Wildcats (Central) get down inside the red zone, Walker Defense makes a huge stand and breaks up Central’s pass in the endzone on 4th down. Walker Wildcats take over on downs.
Central defense again stands tall against Walker’s offense for forces the punt. Armstead to receive punt, gets the ball down inside Walker’s 40.
Swift gets the snap off right as the horn sounds to end the 3rd quarter. Walker’s defense is caught off guard and appears to freeze. Patterson takes the ball down 19 yards and into the end zone. Central goes up 28-21 on Walker to end the 3rd quarter.
Central defense holds and forces Walker to punt. 9:02 left in the game and Central leads 28-21
Swift off the right side and thru a massive hole and he is rumbling downfield for a 40 yd gain before he is run out of bounds by the Walker defender.
Very impressive running by senior running back Pierce Patterson all night. He runs downhill, follows his blockers well, and good field vision to find the running lanes. Another 1st down for Central. The OL for Central are blocking their tails off to create open run lanes and also provide good pass protection for Swift.
3rd and 3 Patterson takes handoff, breaks a tackle to get the ball to the 3. Next play, handoff #34 Brown, he counter steps, cuts over right side into the end zone Central extends their lead 35-21. with 5:25 Left In The Game
Walker tries to get something going on offense late and gets the ball down to the one yard line. Handoff to the Freshman RB #44 C J McClendon and he is in for a Walker touchdown. Walker cuts in to Centrals lead 35-28 3:12 Left in the game.
Walker goes for the onside kick but Central gets the ball at the 49 as the ball rolls out of bounds.
Swift off left side and he gets 8 yds on first down, 2nd and short. Central using the play clock. Patterson takes the handoff and gets the first down. 2:10 left in the game. Swift takes the direct snap and gets 5 more yds.
Timeout Walker with 1:43 left in the game. Central has the ball on 4th down 35, 50 seconds left in the game, looking to go for it. Swift takes the direct snap and barrels down to the 25 1st down Central and they will get the victory 35-28
