By Joe Crowe, For the Tribune
The Center Point High Eagles headed home with a loss to the Oxford Yellow Jackets on Friday night, 35-14.
Oxford came out swinging in the first quarter when Mason Mims connected with Nick Richardson for a five-yard touchdown pass. Mims put Oxford on the board again at the end of the first quarter, bringing the score to Oxford 14, Center Point 0.
Center Point scored in the second quarter, putting 8 on the scoreboard after a Deone Moore pass to Jaquoryae Busby and a successful two-point conversion.
Oxford held a 14-8 lead at the half.
Mims brought the heat again in the third quarter, connecting with Camare Hampton to increase the score to Oxford 21, Center Point 8.
The Eagles got some wind underneath their wings in the second half by scoring on a Julius Finnerson run a mere 20 seconds into the fourth quarter to cut the lead to seven after the two-point conversion failed
Oxford’s Jaydon Thomas scored with 6:40 left, pushing the Yellow Jacket’s lead to 14.
With 3:47 left in the game, Mims and Richardson teamed up again for another touchdown pass, Mims’ third in the game, to make the score Oxford 35 Center Point 14.
“When you don’t play well against a good team it (the loss) happens,” said Center Point head coach George Bates. “In the first half we played like we were still on the bye week.”
’Defensively we had multiple penalties that extended drives and gave up explosive plays, offensively lack of executing consistently,” he said. ‘With that it’s still 21-14 to start the 4th quarter and we don’t finish.”
“Can’t sulk with Leeds up Friday.”
Both teams are set for the Region 6A playoffs, and both have one more regular season game before then. Next week, Center Point visits Leeds and Oxford heads to Jacksonville.