2A Team of the Week: Centerville Tigers

If you had just looked at the paper, there was only one way the Crawford-Centerville game was going to go last Friday night. Dave Campbell’s Texas Football had Crawford as 30-point favorites, Crawford was a top ten team in 2A Division II, and Centerville had just lost to Groesbeck 29-7 in week one.

However, Centerville had a point to prove.

Cooper Wilson rushed for 137 yards and CJ Craig added 92 more as the Tigers gutted out a 20-14 win over Crawford. Wilson had the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter before icing the game late on with a 42-yard run.

“Anytime you play Crawford, you know they are going to be well coached and physical on both sides of the ball,” Centerville head coach Kyle Hardee said. “There’s no doubt that we play a tough non-district schedule hoping to prepare our kids for what will be a tough district slate. Winning at Crawford was certainly a big win for us, but we understand that we have to continue to get better each week.”

Hardee was especially impressed with the way his team performed in the trenches. Offensive linemen David Nunley, Luke Brewer, and Hyson Starns opened holes for the Tiger rushing attack, while Chris Bell and Calvin Payton anchored the defensive line. Behind them, safety Gavin Vanreenan led the Tigers with nine tackles.

Centerville now has an early bye week before welcoming in Mart on September 18. And after seeing his team rise to the occasion as 30-point underdogs, Hardee is encouraged for what is to come.

“I was impressed with the way our kids bounced back from a disappointing first week,” Hardee said. “I thought our kids were physical on both sides of the ball and executed much better in week two.”

Previous 2A Teams of the Week

Week One: Ganado