Semoball

Cape Central football team travels to face Hillsboro tonight in Class 4 District 1 final

Cape Central quarterback Cameron Cox pitches the ball during the second quarter of a Class 4 District 1 semifinal against North County last week in Bonne Terre, Missouri.
Fred Lynch

The Cape Central football team is in a familiar spot against a familiar foe, but for numerous Tigers, this is a new experience.

Central aims for its fifth straight Class 4 District 1 championship at 7 p.m. today when it faces host and top-seeded Hillsboro, a team the third-seeded Tigers have beaten in three of the last four title games.

While seniors Aaron Harris, Joseph Baker and Matt Nussbaum are accustomed to deep postseason runs, there are plenty of new faces.

Junior cornerback and return standout Chauncey Hughes joined the Tigers this year, quarterback Cameron Cox didn't play varsity last season and Dashawn Franklin is starting at linebacker as a sophomore. Even a senior like defensive back Prei Woodson doesn't have experience playing in the title game.

For those players and others, a district championship would be their first as key contributors.

"This is a brand new opportunity. We have to go out there and take it if we want it," Central second-year coach Arlen Pixley said. "Nothing's given. It's all earned. ... A lot of people say, 'Oh, it's got to get old, Cape winning so many district championships.' No, it doesn't get old. It's how you approach it."

Central (7-4) returned to the district final with a 36-16 win at North County last week, while Hillsboro (8-3) eked by Farmington, 48-42. Back on Sept. 1, Central beat Farmington 40-35 on a last-second touchdown catch by Harris.

"Farmington did exactly what they did against us," Pixley said of last week's Hillsboro game. "They had a lot of opportunities to win that ball game, just couldn't finish the deal because that offense of Hillsboro just kept pounding them."

After losing 63-24 to Central last year, the Hawks will be looking for revenge. This time, star running back Michael Keller is healthy. He was limited to a couple of kickoff returns in last season's district championship and didn't have a carry. He leads the offense this season with 27 total TDs and 1,506 rushing yards on 154 attempts, according to stltoday.com.

"He's more than capable, as a running back, of taking it to the house on any given touch," Pixley said. "Like I said, offensively they just pound you, pound you, pound you, and next thing you know, a guy like him is popping out of the line of scrimmage. And he's taking it to the house, and then you're behind on the scoreboard.

"We've got to be mindful of where he is, and we've got to be mindful of what that offensive line is doing and where we fit into our run fits on defense. And we've got to be solid tacklers."

Keller is complemented by Luke Skaggs (938 yards and 11 TDs on 133 carries) and Joe Garner (888 yards and 13 TDs on 148 attempts). A Central defense led by Nussbaum, who has a team-high 106 tackles and nine sacks, will look to stop the Hawks. Julian McBride spearheads the defensive front with 23 tackles for loss and nine sacks, while Michael Ward and Lathan Daniels have 7 1/2 and seven TFLs, respectively.

Harris also has 94 tackles, including 14 1/2 TFLs.

A week after playing a pass-happy North County team, that defensive unit will have to adjust to the Hawks' ground-and-pound offense.

"This team comes in with two tight ends, two wing backs and a running back," Pixley said. "It's a double-tight, three-back offense, and it's very physical. That's what they play all year long, and they rep it out. And they get extremely efficient at running the football. That's why they are where they are in the playoffs."

The Tigers boast their own lethal rushing attack, with Harris leading the way. He's rushed for 1,587 yards and 20 TDs on 200 carries, while Baker adds a change of pace with 536 yards and 10 TDs on the ground, including three last week. Baker is also a pass-catching threat, hauling in 29 passes for 417 yards.

Austin Parker is the Tigers' top receiving option with 410 yards on 23 receptions. Cox is coming off a performance in which he completed 7 of 10 passes for 88 yards with a TD and an interception. The sophomore has taken over under center for the graduated Kway'Chon Chisom, who scored a career-high eight touchdowns against Hillsboro in last year's district title game.

Chisom is gone and pursuing the college football dream, but the Tigers keep plugging away. Despite departures over the years by Carr Trophy winner Al Young, former coach Nathan Norman and others, Central keeps winning district championships. The Tigers don't plan for that streak to end tonight.

But they also understand Hillsboro is gunning for them, and it won't come easy.

"It's going to be a slugfest," Pixley said. "They're a physical [running] team. They like to run it about 90 percent of the time. We have to be prepared for the physicality and intensity level to match up with them for four quarters."

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