Central Falcons win on Davis' TD

Sat. October 01, 2011 at 1:32 a.m. | By Samantha Jones

TUSCALOOSA | The outcome of Friday night’s homecoming game came down to the wire for the Central Falcons.

Quarterback Vincent Davis scored a touchdown on a 5-yard run with 34 seconds left as the Falcons defeated Brookwood 18-13 in a Class 5A, Region 3 game.

“We’ve been fighting all year for a win like this and we finally got it,” Davis said. “It’s a great feeling.”

Davis completed 8 of 18 passes and rushed for 32 yards. Brookwood quarterback Jake Bush completed 2 of 10 passes, ran for 23 yards and scored a touchdown.

Central coach Dennis Conner said he hopes the first victory of the season marked a turning point for his team.

“We closed it out. I always tell them to finish it out, play four quarters and they did just that,” Conner said. “They really grew up tonight. This was a long time coming. The kids have really worked hard and they played hard this game and never gave up.”

Central started strong, securing a 6-0 lead on the opening drive off a 4-yard touchdown run by Keantae Washington.

Brookwood (2-4, 2-2) was quick to answer as Justin Carter scored on a 60-yard run to tie it with 6:22 left in the first quarter. Carter led the Panthers with 70 rushing yards. Anthony McCostlin gained 54.

“We had an exciting first quarter with some big plays offensively from both teams,” Brookwood coach Ricky Bush said. “It was a hard-fought game in the end though. It was a tough loss for us.”

In the second quarter, Brookwood took a 13-6 lead as Jake Bush scored on a 3-yard run and Nate Craft kicked the extra point.

Central (1-5, 1-3) fired back with a 77-yard drive in three plays. Jemah Guyton scored on a 5-yard run to cut Brookwood’s lead to 13-12.

Guyton had 41 rushing yards. Washington gained 32.

It was a defensive ballgame after halftime as Central held the Panthers to 12 passing yards and 149 rushing. The Falcons’ offense didn’t fare much better as Brookwood’s defense held them to 56 yards passing and 221 rushing.

“Being a senior, I felt like I personally had to step it up,” Central linebacker Nate Carter said. “I knew defense was going to be the key to the game and we had to play to the last minute.”

Central plays at home against Wilcox Central next Friday. Brookwood will travel to face Selma.