The Central High School Pounders football team opened the 2021 season Friday, August 20. The Pounders started the season off to a rocky start playing against The Campbell County Cougars. Central came out of the gate strong, but soon fell short into the second half. Going into the game the team had not envisioned this loss. The team had many pivotal plays, although the Pounders could not piece them together for a complete game.

In the first half of the game, Central made lightwork of their opponent. Beating them in nearly every statistical category. 

“Our kids started the game off great, making plays, having a great mindset, and executing plays very well,” shared veteran head coach, Curt Jones. 

After the first half, the Pounders came back out on the field looking like a different team. An early pick-six by the Cougars seemed to light the spark to propel them back into contention. One after another, the Pounders drives were cut short by costly mistakes. Those early season blunders allowed the Cougars to capitalize and put together plays to form complete drives that resulted in touchdowns. The Pounders fought hard but couldn’t move the ball downfield or stop the Cougars offensive attacks. 

Part of the underwhelming second half performance could be attributed to the cramping experienced by key players late in the game. 

“I have been the Head Coach at Central for many years now and I have not had a player go down with cramps before. It was strange that it happened,” commented Coach Jones. 

Even though this was a tough pill to swallow for the Pounders, this game proved they could play with anyone they faced off against. Cornerback Noah Collins, running-back Mike Watson, and lineman Demetrio Dominguez were all key players for the Pounders against Campbell County. This senior leadership will prove to be vital to the team’s future success and eventual playoff run. 

Both the defensive and offensive line groups also were impressive in the game, racking up countless effort plays and winning at the line of scrimmage.

“Our offensive and defensive line groups -which have usually been our biggest weakness over the past couple of years- really stepped up to the occasion,” boasted Jones. “I am very proud of all of them.”

Central looks to bounce back against Soddy Daisy on September 3 at 7:00 PM after a disappointing forfeit against the Franklin County Rebels due to a COVID-19 outbreak. Central moves to 0-2 with their sights locked on the Soddy Daisy High School Trojans. 

Readers can view the latest sports updates on the sports center page . This is where schedules, scores, and rosters will be posted. The Digest will continue to bring the latest coverage and updates as the 2021 season progresses and the start of the 2022 sports schedule.