By Joe Crowe, For the Tribune
CENTER POINT — The Center Point Eagles (7-1) outlasted the Oxford Yellowjackets (4-5) in a hard-fought battle, 41 to 24.
Oxford got points on the board first, with a field goal from Center Point’s 16-yard line with 6:29 to go in the first quarter.
Center Point took action with a steady drive after that, with running back Troy Bruce and quarterback Jabari Collier taking turns pushing the ball downfield. With 3:26 left in the first, Collier scored the touchdown. One extra point by by Antonio Sebastian later, Center Point was up 7-3.
The Eagles began the second quarter with another drive, this time with Harold Holloman joining Collier and Bruce driving toward the goalposts. Center Point went up 14-3 after a Bruce drive with 3:26 remaining in the half.
A drive by Oxford failed to yield a score for the Yellowjackets, as the clock ticked down on the first half. With 29 seconds left, Collier landed a 43-yard pass to Bruce, putting Center Point up 20-3.
The action ramped up in the third quarter as both teams came out of halftime with new energy. Oxford pushed down the field and made a 43-yard run to put Oxford on the board for the first time since the first quarter, with the point after setting the score at Center Point 20, Oxford 10 at 9:25.
Just 37 seconds later, Collier made the longest run of the game, an epic 75-yard run that put Center Point up 27-10 with 8:48 left in the third.
A little over three minutes later, Collier came within a yard of repeating that feat, with a 74-yard run ending in a touchdown and successful kick by Sebastian, setting Center Point at 34-10.
The battle continued until, with 50 seconds remaining, Oxford intercepted a Collier pass that intended for Holloman.
The Yellowjackets kept that momentum going into the final quarter, and rove in a touchdown at 9:10 in the fourth. One point-after kick later, Oxford made it halfway to Center Point’s total, 34-17.
About two minutes later, Collier widened the divide with a pass to Malik Brown for a 14 yard touchdown. Center Point led 41-17 with seven minutes left in the game.
Oxford refused to relent, however, and managed the final score, earning another touchdown and ending the game at 41-24 Center Point.
Center Point now heads to Leeds on Thursday to take on the Green Wave to close out the Eagles’ regular season. Bates called Green Wave’s Coach Jerry Hood an “amazing coach.”
Bates pointed out that this would be the teams’ third confrontation, and Leeds defeated them both previous times. “We didn’t want to play each other,” Bates said with a laugh. He added that on Thursday the Eagles planned to close out their regular season “the best way possible.”