After going 1-9 last year and starting 0-3 this season, there wasn’t a lot of excitement about the Central Holmes football team.
But the Trojans won four of the next six games to end the regular season.
The Trojans used that momentum and took a 42-28 win over Benton Academy on Friday night in the second round of the MAIS Class 3A playoffs.
Central Holmes improves to 5-5 on the season and will travel to Greenville Christian on Friday night in the Class 3A semifinals.
Central Holmes coach Mitch Womack said Friday night’s win was a historic one for the Trojans.
“Someone said that it has been more than 25-30 years since Central Holmes had been in the semifinals,” Womack said. “It’s a great accomplishment for our kids. I thought our defense was really good. We have a lot of kids on defense who have started to put things together. After going 1-9 last year, to be in the semifinals this year is a great accomplishment. If we played more 3A schools, our record would have been better. But playing those 4A schools made us a lot better team. We got some toughness about us and saw how the game was played.”
The Trojans got the ball to start the game and scored on their second play from scrimmage when John Ward raced 68 yards for a touchdown with 10:56 left in the first quarter. The try for two failed and Central Holmes led 6-0.
After a series of punts, Central Holmes added to its lead when Lamarion Buchanan scored on a 90-yard touchdown run. The try for two failed and the Trojans led 12-0.
Benton answered with a 58-yard touchdown pass and converted the two-point conversion to cut the lead to12-8.
Central Holmes came right back and found the end zone again when Ward scored on a 40-yard touchdown run. The try for two failed and Central Holmes led 18-8.
After another Benton punt, Central Holmes went 88 yards in six plays as Ward scored on an 18-yard touchdown run with 8:12 left in the second quarter. The try for two was good and Central Holmes led 26-8.
Benton cut the lead to 26-14 with a 20-yard run with 4:13 left in the first half. But Central Holmes answered with another big play as Ward capped off a five-play, 66-yard drive with a 45-yard run with 2:33 left in the half. Ashton Tate ran in the two-point conversion and Central Holmes led 34-14 at the half.
“John had a really good night,” Womack said. “It was his first time starting. He ran this offense in junior high. He missed a couple of reads and had some first-game mistakes, but I thought he played really well for the most part and made some great decisions. He has a quick burst and is really explosive. He learned a lot from Noah (Steen), who came out to practice and talked to the quarterbacks about their reads. Noah has been a good mentor. It’s neat to see a kid out there doing that.”
Benton went on an 11-play drive to start the second half and scored on a 9-yard touchdown pass with 5:21 left in the third quarter. The try for two was good and Central Holmes led 34-22.
Ward threw an interception on the Trojans’ next possession. But after a Benton punt, Ward hit John Hudson Word on an 18-yard touchdown pass. Jurden Engle ran in the two-point conversion and Central Holmes led 42-22.
Benton added a late score for the final margin of 42-28.
This week’s game
The Trojans will hit the road this week as they head to the Class 3A semifinals to take on top-rated Greenville Christian.
The Saints are the top-ranked team in Mississippi, public or private, and have wins over 6A powerhouses Madison-Ridgeland (58-32), Jackson Prep (48-13) and Jackson Academy (30-9) along with a win over Class 6A public school Oak Grove (48-41). Last week, the Saints beat Winona Christian 50-0.
“I have told a bunch of people, they are a fantastic team,” Womack said. “We are going to play as best we can. It’s a unique situation. They have lots of kids that will go play college football. It’s one of those deals where our kids will be able to say they played in the semifinals against the best team in the state. I think they are excited about it and ready to go play. They know what type of odds they are facing. They are still playing and have a lot of pride in that.”
