By David Wells
It wasn’t too long ago that Brian Rector’s Centennial squad was 4-2 and in control of its own District 11-AAA destiny.
But nearly a month after the Cougars’ last victory, Centennial is no longer in the hunt for a district title and is instead fighting for its playoff life as it prepares to face Dickson County Friday night.
Centennial is coming off a bye week after back-to-back losses to Ravenwood and Independence. While the Cougars came within four points of defeating the Raptors, the Eagles were able to do what no team had done all season: stop star running back Deon Sanders.
Sanders has been the go-to guy for Centennial all season long, averaging 6.2 yards a carry and rushing for 1,332. Against the Eagles, though, Sanders was ineffective, averaging 4.2 yards a carry.
That’s good for any other running back, not good for Sanders.
Receiver Emmanuel Hall is likely to see a lot of playing time against Dickson County. Outside of Sanders, he has been Centennial’s greatest scoring threat with one rushing touchdown and seven receiving touchdowns.
Unlike its past two games, Centennial will not face much of an opponent in Dickson County, which is 1-8 this year. While running back Otis Gerron has over 1,000 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, the Cougars have given up 30 or more points in five of their last six games.
A win against Dickson County will give the Cougars a much-needed boost heading into its final game of the year, a road trip to 7-1 Franklin High School.
Friday night’s game kicks off at 7 p.m.
