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Emonte “Cash” Cross looks for a way out of the pocket. Cross ended his career as the leader in career passing yards and passing touchdowns. Leon Aldridge | The Light and Champion -
Lance Wilburn holds off a Buckeye defender to pick up a few more yards. Wilburn ended his career as the single season touchdown leader. Leon Aldridge | The Light and Champion
Center played its last game of the season Friday night in Hallsville’s Bobcat Stadium against the perennial power Gilmer Buckeyes.
Friday night was Coach Meek’s third playoff game with Center, making him 1-2 in the Roughrider postseason.
As an interesting historical note, F.L. Moffett also coached in three Roughrider playoff games, his first one a 7-26 loss to Gilmer in 1926. His Roughriders lost again to Gilmer 6-20 two years later in ’28.
So, history was not on Center’s side at Hallsville Friday night. In addition to the two losses in the 1920s, Gilmer also beat Barry Bowman’s 2015 Roughriders, perhaps Center’s most well-balanced team in the last 70 years. The 36-21 “Black Friday” loss on a very cold night after Thanksgiving.
Last Friday, Center lost the toss to Gilmer which elected to get the ball in the second half. Center’s first drive went three and out.
Gilmer’s first drive started on its own 35. On third and five from the 40, quarterback Caden Tennison completed a 15-yard first down pass that was knocked loose. Center recovered, but the receiver was ruled down by contact, and on the next play, RB Will Henderson broke loose for a 48 yard touchdown run. The PAT gave Gilmer the 7-0 lead.
Center started its drive on its own 30. Two Kaden Dixon runs yielded two first downs. On the third play, quarterback Cash Cross threw a short hitch pass to Junior Brandon Barnes who made several Buckeyes miss on his way to a 47-yard score. Hernandez’ PAT was good, 7-7.
On the ensuing drive, the Roughrider defense held the Gilmer offense to just four yards, forcing a punt which got a lottery-winning roll, stopping at the Center 7-yard line.
Center’s third drive was engineered by the hard running of Kaden Dixon. Forty of the first fifty yards came on Dixon runs. On third down from the Gilmer 42-yard line, Cross faked to Dixon fooling everyone in the stadium and kept the ball for a 40-yard run. Two plays later, Dixon scored on a three-yard dive between the guard and center.
“That might be the best ball-fake of the year, Mr. Watlington,” long-time voice of the Center Roughriders Rob Payne said. “Everybody but Cash Cross was fooled on that play.”
The extra point attempt was one of the season’s most interesting plays. As Hernandez was stepping up to kick, a Buckeye defender burst through the line and blocked the kick without even jumping. The ball bounced to the right and nearly every player on the field jumped into the scrum to recover. No one could ever get control of the ball and it would eventually be kicked back into the end zone where Gilmer’s Alexander Guillen fell on it.
A long official’s conference ensued. How do you rule on “a blocked kick which bounces into the defending team’s end zone and recovered by a defender?” Is it a safety? And if it is, how many points does the kicking team get for a safety scored during an extra point try?
After several minutes, the officials had an answer: one point for the kicking team. So even though Hernandez’ kick was blocked and recovered by Gilmer, Center’s PAT was good, making the score 14-7, Center.
It would be the Riders’ first and only lead. Center elected to kick a short, high ball to the Gilmer 30, but the returner broke free for 45 yards to the Rider 25yard line. Four plays later, Henderson scored on a seven- yard run for his second score of the night. Gilmer attempted a 2-point conversion, but Center held them short. Center led by one, 1413.
The Riders would go three and out on the next possession, punting away to Gilmer 39-yard line. Mason Mayo stormed into the backfield and sacked Tennison for a 10-yard loss, but that defensive play proved to the be the last high point of the season. On the next snap, Tennison threw a 3-yard screen pass to Henderson for a 71 yard TD. The PAT made it 20-14.
“No way to describe how fast Henderson is,” announcer Keaton Watlington said. “Our guys thought they had the angle on him, but he ran right past the angle.”
Center got the ball back and two plays later, the first quarter ended.
The Rider’s next drive netted one first down before a brilliant Hernandez punt buried Gilmer at their 3-yard line. Gilmer got one first down, then handed the ball to receiver Jaden Edmond who outran everyone on the field for a 79-yard touchdown: 27-14.
Center’s next drive began at its own 25-yard line. They moved the ball 30 yards to the Gilmer 45-yard line where they faced 4th and five. Cross’ deep pass to Timothy Johnson was knocked away, giving the ball back to Gilmer with 7:17 left in the half.
On the first play, junior wide receiver Brendan Webb took a reverse to the right side of the field for 12 yards. On the next play, Henderson sped right through the middle for a 43-yard score. The PAT made it 34-14.
Center took the ball on its 20-yard line and converted two first downs before punting with 4:31 left in the half. Hernandez booted another beauty, pinning Gilmer at its own 10-yard line.
On the first play, Tennison threw a beautiful bomb to Brendan Webb at midfield. On the next play, Tennison kept the ball, running right with no luck, then reversing his field for another 20-yard run. From there, Center’s defense stiffened, forcing Gilmer to convert two third downs to reach the 19-yard line. Then facing 4th and four from the 13-yard line, Tennison handed to full back Aaron Bell for the 13 yard touchdown. The PAT made it 41-14.
The Roughriders got the ball with a minute left and successfully got to the Gilmer 32-yard line with less than 10 seconds left. Facing 4th down, Hernandez came out to try his longest field goal of the season: his 49-yard attempt screeched straight and low where it hit the cross bar and bounced backward.
“That’s poetic, isn’t it?” Shires said. “Great effort, a little short.”
The half ended with Gilmer dominating the second quarter, scoring 28 unanswered points for a 41-14 lead.
The CHS Band completed its 2023 season with a crisp performance of half its contest drill. It also featured the CHS twirling line fresh off its 2023 UIL Twirling Contest. Four of the ladies earned first divisions on their solos: Whitley Youngblood, Alyna Arriaga, Azul Figueroa, and Mary Lee Ca. The Chaparrals performed their final halftime performance to AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck.”
As the third quarter began, the game had all the markings of an embarrassing route. Already trailing by 27 points, Center’s defense had to face Gilmer’s offense on the first drive from the Gilmer 20-yard line. The Buckeyes used half the quarter to drive 80 methodical yards to stretch the lead to 48-14.
But Center showed remarkable character and determination for the rest of the game. Jermain Hunter returned the kick-off 30 yards to midfield, then the Roughrider Big Three— Cross, Wilburn, and Dixon— engineered a two-minute, 50-yard touchdown drive. The last time Center scored it had been with 4:10 left in the first; their next would be with 4:05 left in the third.
Hernandez’ PAT was blocked for the second time; this one was scooped up by a fleet Gilmer defender and returned 95 yards to the 3-yard line. Cash Cross ran the length of the field to stop the Buckeye, denying him the two points.
“The definition of pride, right there,” Payne said. “Competitive pride. Most impressive.”
Gilmer would come back strong. On the third play, senior RB Dhrvay Smith sprang 70 yards for another score. The PAT made it 5520.
Center answered with another 70-yard drive, set up by a 25 yard Dixon run and two Gilmer roughness penalties. Center scored on a short Cross pass to Wilburn for his 27th career TD, taking him to #2 on the all-time Roughrider TD reception list, one short of Christopher Mar-Mar Evans.
Cash Cross took the snap to hold for the PAT but instead ran for a successful 2-point conversion: 55-28. That’s ended the 3rd quarter.
Center held Gilmer on the next drive and forced a punt. Center’s next possession ended quickly with a 3rd down sack of Cross, causing a fumble on the Center 32yard line. Gilmer’s Ta’Erik Tate caught a 20-yard TD to make the score 62-28.
On the ensuing kick-off, Timothy streaked down the field for an 80 yard kick return for a touchdown. But a poor snap prevented the successful PAT: 62-34.
Center’s on-side kick was recovered by Gilmer just shy of midfield. It took them 90 seconds to score on a 6-yard Daydrion Jimmerson scamper. The PAT concluded Glimer’s scoring at 69 points.
Center began its last scoring drive of the season on the 40-yard line. The key play was Kaden Dixon’s final big run of his career, a 55-yard display of power and speed setting up first and ten on the 11-yard line. Two plays later, Cross threw his last touchdown to senior Timothy Johnson, then pitched to Dixon for the 2-point conversion.
The final score was Gilmer 69, Center 42.
Cash Cross ended his career as the leader in career passing yards and passing touchdowns.
Dixon ended his career near the top of the career rushing yard and TD list.
Wilburn ended his career as the single season touchdown leader. And many other senior Riders ended their careers in the upper echelons of their own statistical categories.
As for Coach Meeks? He and F.L. Moffett are currently tied with a 1-2 playoff record. Most likely, it won’t be long before he pushes ahead of Mr. Moffett. But Coach Meeks isn’t overly concerned with that.
“Football ... is a vehicle to ... lot better things,” an emotional Meeks said after the game. “It is an honor to be a part of that in these guys’ lives.”