By Joshua Huff, for The Tribune
BIRMINGHAM — Center Point withstood a late Wenonah rally on Friday night to fend off the Dragons, 26-19, behind a stout defense and the theatrics of a pair of sophomores who combined for three of the Eagles’ four touchdowns.
“It feels amazing,” Center Point head coach George Bates said of getting back on the field and recording the victory. “It’s all about getting these kids a chance to compete. That’s the main thing.”
Despite falling behind 7-0 just minutes into the first quarter following a fumble on the opening kickoff, Center Point regrouped and promptly marched down the field on its ensuing possession thanks to bruising senior back D’Ontae Eatmon. His 1-yard touchdown run with 3:40 left in the first quarter pulled the Eagles to within one point, 7-6, and set the tone for what would be a physical night for both clubs.
Wenonah would increase its lead to 13-6 following a 21-yard touchdown run to open the second quarter.
Though the Eagles would ultimately prevail, a plethora of miscues nearly spelled doom for Center Point. Following the botched opening kickoff, the Eagles turned the ball over on downs within Wenonah’s 2-yard line. Were it not for sophomore cornerback Harold Holloman’s interception for a touchdown, Center Point would have been faced with two-touchdown deficit following the Dragons methodical march down the field. Instead, Holloman’s touchdown pulled the Eagles to within one point, 13-12.
Sophomore quarterback Troy Bruce Jr. would then pad Center Point’s lead, 20-13, as time wound down in the first half with a 22-yard touchdown run.
“I asked the kids before the game if anybody was nervous,” Bates said. “Truthfully, we had quite a few kids raise their hands. The last week I’ve realized how young this team is. Young, as in age. A lot of these kids are 14 and 15.”
Center Point’s defense, a staple of Bates’ 2019 Class 5A state championship contender, returned to form in the second half and forced consecutive three-and-outs to open the third quarter. In addition, Bruce would record his second touchdown of the night following a 57-yard scamper that increased the Eagles’ lead to 26-13 just minutes into the third quarter.
In an effort to place the final nail in the coffin, the Eagles followed a botched Wenonah punt midway through the third quarter with prime real estate at the Dragon’s 2-yard line. Yet, Eatmon would fumble the ball, which allowed Wenonah to crack the door.
“The mistakes that you saw tonight was jitters,” Bates said. “Those were all first-game jitters from first-time players.”
The Dragons capitalized on that error and struck early in the fourth quarter on a 19-yard touchdown pass. Center Point’s once daunting lead now shrunk to 26-19.
Wenonah had one final chance to drive the length of the field and either tie the game or take the lead with a 2-point conversion, but Center Point’s defense buckled down and forced the Dragons into a turnover on downs.
“This is not the most talented team that we’ve had,” Bates said. “But this is the most connected team that we’ve had in three years. They coach each other because they’ve been in the background seeing what’s going on.”