By Bobby Mathews, Sports Editor
CENTER POINT — The third-seeded Center Point Eagles racked up six rushing touchdowns in the first half of their November 5, 2021 playoff game against East Limestone.
Troy Bruce had five of those scores, and then he added another in the second half.
The junior running back ran for 368 yards on 19 carries, scoring six times in a game that saw Center Point up 45-7 at the half, eventually winning 66-36. That’s why Troy Bruce is The Tribune’s Player of the Week.
In 10 games so far this season, Bruce has rushed for 1,528 yards on 177 carries with 25 touchdowns. He’s also caught two scores. Through the 2021 season, Bruce has been a model of consistency with the ball in his hands. He has not fumbled. Period.
On Friday against East Limestone, Bruce averaged more than 19 yards a carry.
“O line went crazy,” Bruce said after the game, giving credit to a group of overlooked players whose hard work has helped the Eagles to host a playoff game in the second round. Center Point is now 8-3 (5-2) on the season, and thanks to Ramsay upsetting Region 7’s top seed, Guntersville, 28-20 on Friday, the Eagles get to welcome the Rams to the Nest.
Bruce scored five of Center Point’s six rushing touchdowns in the first half, scoring from 60, 18, 24, 1 and 66 yards as Center Point built a 45-7 halftime lead over East Limestone.
While the Eagles put the Indians to bed early, East Limestone scored enough in the second half so that Center Point head coach George Bates will have no shortage of opportunities to coach his young team up as they prepare for Ramsay.
The Indians’ Jordan Gardner scored four straight rushing touchdowns for East Limestone, finding the end zone from 1, 2, 8 and 16 yards. But it didn’t matter. Center Point closed out the game, and East Limestone’s season, and a large part of that is because of how Bruce ran the ball. It was one of those nights when the best player on the better team took over the game.
Center Point finished with 580 yards of total offense to East Limestone’s 350. Fortune Wheeler led the Indians with 95 yards on 20 carries. Gardner finished with 70 yards on 17 rushes.
Player of the Week is sponsored by OrthoAlabama Spine & Sports. Other players considered this week: Clay-Chalkville’s Mario Craver (5 receptions, 131 yards, 2 TDs) and Hewitt-Trussville’s James Hammonds (157 yards rushing, 2 TDs).